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According to an e-mail sent to Android developers, Google is urging companies to submit their applications into the family-friendly version of the Google Play Store by May 28th. Considering May 28th is also the first day of Google IO 2015 – Google’s annual and highly anticipated development conference – you can expect this major development will be celebrated on stage during the company’s key note speech.
The program has previously been announced as “Designed for Families” and although Google has made the program official, we’re not pretty confident to learn of the anticipated launch date.
At one point in time Google was completely hands-off when it came to approving and monitoring apps, but as the Android ecosystem has grown, it’s become a logistical and legal necessity. Creating an app and game environment that kids, parents, and family members of all ages can visit, together, with the confidence in the content will perhaps be Google’s biggest app curation success to date. However, should sneaky devs adult-related wares or inappropriate Easter eggs, we could also see those eggs end up right on Google’s face.
But let’s be honest: right now anything is better than nothing and Google’s efforts are certainly admirable. Alternatives out there exist such as Samsung’s “Kid Mode” and 3rd party app stores on devices like the Nabi Tab, but this is an undertaking of much greater proportions.
How many parents are out there? Have you been long-awaiting a “kid-friendly” mode that ensures your children can use your Android tablet with free reign without worrying what their prying eyes might find?
Dad here with a soon to be 6 and soon to be 4 year old. I love YouTube Kids. It’s perfect. I want…no…I need a Google Play Kids / Designed for Families section that isn’t littered with bullshit, horrible apps like the ones my kids find now. I’m excited.
I hope you’re being sarcastic about YouTube Kids.
And I’m absolutely positive that Play for Kids will be littered with Play for Free apps and no educational staff whatsoever.
Why would I be sarcastic? My kids use YouTube Kids daily. It’s fantastic. They no longer find videos that I would prefer them not to watch. I disabled the stock YouTube app the moment I put on YouTube Kids and would not go back for anything.
Adult videos aside, what DO they find in YouTube Kids? Lets-play videos? Toy commercials and reviews? That is certainly the staff my kids were finding there, and watching that for all the tablet time they allowed. They even stopped playing their favorite games. The fact that they are glued to their tablets speechless for all this time is not something that made me happy, so I deleted that app.
Wasn’t there a story recently about how it’s all ads?
This is smart but I can only imagine that the restrictions to get listed here are going to be tough(as they should be). Hopefully this is another step in keeping a better eye on the Google Play Store
I agree… you should have to jump through a lot of hoops to enjoy inclusion in this section. And by the way, thanks for the comment and the love you’ve shown us on Reddit recently!
You’re very welcome. I’m just sharing good content when I see it so keep up the good work and I hope to be able to continue sharing it with the community
Google has been given a lot of attention to this segment lately. I don’t know if they are just very committed to the cause, or if it’s the team that is in charge of these projects. But they seem to be more hands-on and more dedicated than some of the other teams who are working at Google.
Let’s hope this type of attention continues and maybe we’ll see something similar with projects like Google+ and Hangouts too!
How about opening a kid-safe Phandroid site to go with it? And yes, I’m serious.
Sure, I’m sure people would like that, but aren’t you from Phandroid anyway?
Or is it a suggestion yuo’d like to know how many would like that to happen?
I just do spam cleanup on Disqus. :)
ok, it’s just that you have a title saying “Phandroid Team”…
Yeah. I do spam cleanup on Disqus for Phandroid. One day my title changed.