Google’s new review process will result in Android apps taking longer to appear in the Play Store
If there was ever a reason to download apps from Google Play versus third-party app stores, it would be how Google has security and review systems in place designed to help detect malicious apps from showing up in the Play Store, thus protecting users from downloading these apps on their phones.
Unfortunately, from time to time, malicious apps somehow managed to slip past Google’s current system, which is why Google is now informing developers that they will be introducing a new review process in which it could potentially take longer for new apps to show up in the Play Store.
That being said, it should be noted that not all apps will be affected by this. According to Google’s support page, it mentions that only “certain” developer accounts will be affected. We’re not sure how Google determines which accounts need an extended period of review, so, for now, it seems to be entirely up to the discretion of Google.
“For certain developer accounts, we’ll take more time to thoroughly review your app(s) to help better protect users. You’ll receive a notification on your app’s Dashboard about how long this should take. We recommend that you adjust your planning to include a buffer period of at least three days between submitting your app and going live.”
As to how this will affect users, chances are the end-user might not even know about any potential delay, unless the developer has promised a release date. If they haven’t, then we imagine that this shouldn’t really pose any problems to users.
Source: XDA Developers