Google has announced today their new developer program that will go by the name of Designed for Families. Designed for Families is as simple as it can be, as it offers developers that publish in the Google Play Store the option to gain access to additional reviews that will rank their apps based on how family-friendly they are. The Google Play Store hasn’t differentiated between apps in this manner before and the new Designed for Families platform should be welcomed by many out there.
The attempt to create a more family-friendly space highlights the fact that the Google Play Store is no longer a space for tech enthusiasts, but a space from where families, kids, parents and anyone else that you can think of can download and install apps and games that will help them out in life or entertain them in moments of boredom, not to mention educate them. Designed for Families is aimed at developers, but it foreshadows a new category that will appear in the Google Play Store soon enough.
Details about Designed for Families or how it will tie in with the user base of the Google Play Store have not been revealed, but it is pretty simple to imagine how it will work. Developers will be able to submit their apps and games to additional review which will determine whether they are family-friendly aka fit for Designed for Families or not. These reviews will be done by qualified personnel who will take into account legal and policy issues when granting access to certain games and labeling them as family-friendly.
Naturally, developers who choose to submit their apps and games to the Designed for Families review will most likely have to wait a little longer to see their apps approved and in the Play Store, as the review process will be more rigorous. But once they pass the review, parents and children alike will be able to access games and apps that are family-friendly easier than ever before.