At Google I/O this year, which is Google’s annual conference to keep us up to date with everything they’re working on, Google focused on quite a few new things related to the Google Play Store. Since its rebranding a handful of years ago the Google Play Store has undergone some massive changes, branching out from just being an app store to one that now serves all kinds of consumable digital content, from apps to movies, music to books and even comics too. One of the biggest criticisms Google has received over the years is not enough tailoring of content, in particular the lack of any kind of decent ratings system to filter out things like language, sex and violence for the younger crowd among us.
Thankfully Google is answering that call and rolling out not only a brand new age-based app rating system to help parents better filter their kids’ access to certain apps, but also to help keep the bad stuff out of the family tablet. Google already started rolling out the age-based ratings system around the world and now it’s starting to roll out the actual family-friendly section as well. This section can be found on the web-based version of the app store, accessible from any mobile device or a computer, or simply at the link below. Google will be rolling out an update to the mobile Google Play Store app very soon, but in the meantime just view it from your browser and push it to your tablet or phone via the handy install button.
This new section includes hand-picked curated apps that are designed for children and families, and are broken up into easy-to-find sections. For example there’s a Spotlight on Disney section, popular children’s characters and all the apps and games they are featured in and more. Be sure to check out the new section when you get a chance, as you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at the work Google has put into this new feature. As usual Google tends to add new features like this via app updates and background rollouts, ensuring that users are able to access important sections of Android and Google’s own content without having to have the absolute bleeding edge latest version of Android.