Google is done fiddling with the garbage apps that do nothing in the Play Store

I'm being a little harsher than Google, but the general idea remains the same: the company plans to purge “low quality” apps from its store starting August 31

As for what constitutes “low quality” in terms of apps, Google describes apps with “limited functionality and content” on its “spam and minimal features” policy page

“Apps should provide a stable, responsive, and engaging user experience Apps that crash, lack sufficient basic utility as a mobile app, lack engaging content, or exhibit other behaviors that are not consistent with a functional and engaging user experience will not be allowed in Google Play

Examples include text-only apps, apps that offer only one wallpaper, or apps designed to do nothing of actual use; if these apps are submitted to the Play Store after August 31, they will be rejected

This change will allow Google to “ensure that apps meet the Play catalog's heightened standards and attract users through quality functionality”

While this particular crackdown is new, Google has made numerous attempts to clean up the Play Store in the past, with relative success For example, Google stated in a blog post that “thanks to new and improved security features, updated policies, and investments in advanced machine learning and app review processes, we were able to prevent 228 million policy violating apps from being published on Google Play”

Google already has rules in place to eliminate apps that don't install or install but don't load, and these new rules strengthen the requirements, which is always good for users trying to find the apps they want on the Google Play Store