Google fights to improve Android app store

Any app store is prone to fraudulent material, whether it’s spam-filled apps that somehow sneak through the system or fake reviews and ratings. Google knows this and, on Monday, introduced new changes to the Google Play Store that will help fight fraudulent activity. It should improve the experience for everyone, including end-users and honest developers alike.

“Today we are rolling out improved detection and filtering systems to combat such manipulation attempts,” Google said on Monday. “If an install is conducted with the intention to manipulate an app’s placement on Google Play, our systems will detect and filter it. Furthermore, developers who continue to exhibit such behaviors could have their apps taken down from Google Play.”

Make sure you’re following the anti-fraud rules

Google knows that there are fair ways to promote applications in the Google Play Store and that honest developers do indeed tap third-party marketing companies to help surface results. The company says that’s fine, so long as those firms are abiding by preset rules set by Google. Basically, Google doesn’t want some developer coughing up $5,000 for to some mysterious person online who’s willing to use a combination of magic and hackery to improve an app’s ranking.

Google said the changes will help the integrity of Google Play and indeed it will. There’s nothing worse than seeing good reviews for an application and then installing it only to find that it’s some trashy fraud. If you’re a developer who wants to know more about what Google is talking about, be sure to check out its blog post below.