Google Play News Policy Update: What News & Magazine App Developers Need to Know by August, 2025
May 9, 2025
Izabela Pawlik
Google Play is implementing significant updates to its News policy, effective August 27, 2025. These changes aim to enhance transparency, trust, and the quality of news content available on the platform. If your app delivers news or magazine content, it's crucial to understand these updates to ensure compliance and maintain your app's visibility on the Play Store.
Key Changes in the News Policy
Policy Area | Current Policy | Updated Policy (Effective August 27, 2025) |
Scope | Applies primarily to apps categorized under "News" that aggregate or publish news content. | Expands to include both news and magazine apps, regardless of their primary category, ensuring a broader range of content providers adhere to the policy. |
Developer Self-Declaration | Requires a basic self-declaration in the Play Console for news apps. | Introduces an expanded self-declaration with additional questions to verify content accuracy, transparency, and compliance with journalistic standards. All news and magazine apps must complete this updated declaration in the Play Console. |
Content Transparency | Emphasizes the need for clear attribution of news sources and authorship. | Reinforces the requirement for transparent sourcing, authorship, and editorial policies, ensuring users can easily identify the origin of the content and the responsible entities behind it. |
Misinformation and Disinformation | Prohibits apps that promote false or misleading information. | Strengthens enforcement against misinformation and disinformation, particularly concerning sensitive topics like health, elections, and public safety, aligning with Google's broader efforts to combat harmful content. |
User Data and Privacy | Mandates compliance with user data policies, including proper handling and disclosure of data collection practices. | Continues to enforce strict user data and privacy requirements, with added emphasis on data security and user consent, especially for apps that personalize content or collect user behavior data. |
Compliance Deadline | No specific deadline for existing apps to update their declarations. | Sets a firm deadline: August 27, 2025, by which all news and magazine apps must complete the updated self-declaration and ensure full compliance with the revised policy to avoid potential removal from the Play Store. |
Action Steps for Developers and App Owners
To align with the updated News policy, developers should:
Review and Update App Classification: Ensure your app is correctly categorized, especially if it falls under the magazine segment, to determine applicability.
Complete the Expanded Self-Declaration: Access the Play Console and fill out the new, detailed self-declaration form, providing accurate information about your content sources, authorship, and editorial practices.
Enhance Content Transparency: Clearly attribute all news content to reputable sources and authors, and make editorial policies accessible to users.
Audit for Misinformation: Implement rigorous fact-checking procedures to eliminate any content that could be considered misleading or false, particularly on critical issues.
Ensure Data Privacy Compliance: Review your data collection and handling practices to ensure they meet Google's user data and privacy standards, obtaining explicit user consent where necessary.
Important Deadline
All existing and new news or magazine apps must comply with the updated policy by August 27, 2025. Failure to do so may result in the removal of the app from the Google Play Store.
Additional Resources
For more detailed information, refer to the official Google Play policy pages:
Stay Informed with My App Monitor
Navigating policy changes can be challenging. To stay ahead and ensure your app remains compliant, subscribe to My App Monitor. Receive timely email notifications about Google Play policy updates, including detailed analyses and actionable insights tailored for app developers.
📬 Subscribe to My App Monitor Newsletter and keep your app compliant and competitive.
