Google is kicking ‘sugar dating’ apps out of the Play Store

“Sugar dating” apps won’t be allowed on the Android Play Store from September 1st, Google has introduced as a part of a series of policy changes for the platform. The change, which was first reported by Android Police, particularly prohibits apps referring to “compensated sexual relationships.” Other modifications coming to the platform embody a brand new crackdown on inactive developer accounts, Google says.

Traditionally, sugar relationship relationships contain older, wealthier people relationship and showering youthful companions with presents. As Android Police notes, there’s no scarcity of apps on the Play Store designed round establishing “sugar daddy” relationships. None of them explicitly say that older males are anticipated to compensate youthful girls for his or her affection, however many emphasize the wealth of the boys on their providers.

Google’s Play Store insurance policies already prohibit apps that promote “services that may be interpreted as providing sexual acts in exchange for compensation.” But the updated wording expands this definition to explicitly embody “compensated dating or sexual arrangements where one participant is expected or implied to provide money, gifts or financial support to another participant (‘sugar dating’).”

Google’s announcement doesn’t explicitly say why the apps are being banned now. But it comes amidst a crackdown on on-line intercourse work by platforms following the introduction of the FOSTA-SESTA laws within the US in 2018, which removes Section 230 protections for content material that “promotes or facilitates prostitution.” A consultant from Google didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Beyond the relationship app rule modifications, the search big can be introducing a brand new coverage which is able to see it delete developer accounts in the event that they’ve remained inactive for a 12 months. Google says it should make exceptions for accounts behind apps with over a thousand installs or with latest in-app purchases, but when a developer hasn’t uploaded an app or signed into the Google Play Console over the course of 12 months, their account is susceptible to deletion. In a video outlining the change, Google says it should notify builders of an impending deletion 60, 30, and seven days earlier than it takes place.

The coverage updates additionally provide extra info on Google’s beforehand introduced modifications relating to Play Store spam and opting-out of using promoting IDs. It’s updating its retailer listings and promotion coverage on September 29 to ban “spam text and graphics in app titles, icons and developer names” and its adverts coverage is being up to date to replicate the promoting ID modifications on October 4th.