Google backtracks on Play Store permissions change since everyone hated it 

The Google Play Store isn't just a way to find your next favorite apps and games — it's also an essential tool to keep yourself safe. Through instant updates, a thorough vetting process, and clear and concise information on permissions, safety, and more, Google promises to run the most secure storefront on Android. Last week, the Play Store's new Data Safety section garnered controversy when it replaced some key information on app pages. Today, Google is announcing those changes are being reversed, along with an explanation of what happened.

In theory, Data Safety was meant as an evolution of the permissions section on Play Store app listings. Rather than just highlighting the list of required sections that any specific software must access on your phone, Data Safety includes details on how applications could potentially gather your personal information. This new section kept a list of permissions around, essentially serving as an updated guide to how modern software can invade your daily life.

As we noted last week, however, there was a problem. Data Safety required developers to update their app listings to showcase these permissions, an action many large companies had failed to take. This change left apps from the likes of Facebook, Amazon, and other big-name companies without permission information on the Play Store, keeping users in the dark about what each respective service required before downloading.

Thankfully, Google has heard the outcry. In a tweet from the Android Developers account today, the company confirmed that the permissions section would be reinstated on the Play Store in the near future, backtracking on its initial plans for how Data Safety would work. Instead, the two sections will live side-by-side, a best-of-both-worlds scenario that should make everyone involved happy. More information for users, less work for devs — what's not to like?

Google also used this opportunity to clarify exactly what the difference between permissions and Data Safety is, specifying that the former is built out of the install-time permissions declared in an app's manifest. Meanwhile, Data Safety is information about data collection listed explicitly by the developer — which is exactly why the permissions section for many applications was still blank when the change went live.

This outcome really is an "all's well that ends well" situation for everyone involved. Users will have a clear way to view permissions and data collection policies, Google will have more safety information than ever before listed on the Play Store, and developers won't have to take any additional action for something as important as permissions. Let's just hope this move doesn't dissuade more app makers from taking the time to fill out the Data Safety section — even without permissions, it's just as important as ever.

( Details and picture courtesy from Source, the content is auto-generated from RSS feed.)

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