Google Play Policy Changes

Changes to Google Play Policies, and it's impact on Truple

Posted by Cam on July 28, 2021

On July 28th, 2021 we received an email from Google indicating they’re changing their developer policy. The developer policy is an agreement app developers must agree to, and abide by, in order for apps to be distributed through the Google Play Store. Changes to these policies have destroyed companies in an instant. Hidden in the depths of the policy change, is a change that may impact Truple.

First though, a little background.

Background

I designed Truple for my [then] future [now present] children. I wanted an app that would actually work–actually protect tech-savvy kids and help their not-so-tech-savvy parents to parent them online. Filters and internet accountability solutions fail way too easily–there are simply too many loopholes. So Screenshot Accountability was born.

Shortly after launching, Truple’s Screenshot Accountability solution started to catch on–but with a slightly different audience than originally expected. While helping protect loved ones against pornography was always a goal, pornography wasn’t Truple’s primary focus. Early versions of the Truple homepage don’t even mention the word “porn” or “pornography” on them. But many adults struggling with pornography found Truple was the best solution out there.

So we adapted and added a few words on our webpage to speak to the adult audience as well. However, Truple’s ultimate goal is preventing struggles with online filth, whether that be pornography, cyberbullying, sexting, excessive screen time, violence, etc.

Google Play’s change

Google changed their “Stalkerware” policy from the following:

Acceptable forms of these apps can be used by parents to track their children. However, these apps cannot be used to track a person (a spouse, for example) without their knowledge or permission unless a persistent notification is displayed while the data is being transmitted.

source

To the following:

Apps exclusively designed and marketed for parents to track their children or enterprise management, provided they fully comply with the requirements described below are the only acceptable surveillance apps. These apps cannot be used to track anyone else (a spouse, for example) even with their knowledge and permission, regardless if persistent notification is displayed.

Changes for Truple

For Truple, this simply means we need to return to our roots. Truple will still continue to offer support for Android and function the way it always has. However, our marketing needs to be focused on our original goal, helping parents protect their kids online.


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