Google has rolled out an app approval process for developers who wish to publish their mobile apps on the Android platform. Unbeknownst to developers, the approval process has already been in place for several months now.

Previously, Google had no approval process for developers to get their apps on platform, which has helped Google reach more than one million apps on Play Store. However, the absence of a screening system means, unlike Apple's App Store, users on Google Play are more likely to encounter apps that do not live up to user expectations and violate Play Store's policies. Only when users report apps that run counter to policies does Google initiate a review of the specific app.

Google says the goal of introducing an app approval process is to ensure that apps do not violate Google's policies without unnecessarily lengthening the time it takes to publish the app.

"We value the rapid innovation and iteration that is unique to Google Play and will continue to help developers get their products to market within a matter of hours after submission, rather than days or weeks," says Eunice Kim, product manager for Google Play, in a blog post. "In fact, there has been no noticeable change for developers during the rollout."

Google's announcement seems to be taking a not-so-subtle shot at Apple, which takes plenty of time running apps through a long approval process. Google director of business development for Google Play Purnima Kochikar says the Google can approve apps quickly because the process is handled by a team of human experts use automated tools to wean out apps whose violations can be detected by software, such as the presence of malware, spyware, copyright violations, and sexually explicit content. After the apps have gone through the machine reviewers, they are handed over to the human team for further analysis and approval.

"We're constantly trying to figure out how machines can learn more," Kochikar tells TechCrunch. "So whatever the machines can catch today, the machines do. And whatever we need humans to weigh in on, humans do."

The approval process also makes it easier for developers to check on the status of their apps and receive more detail about why their apps were not approved through Google's Developer Console.

Meanwhile, Google has also added a new age-based rating system for apps to help developers rate their apps based on their appropriate audience. The ratings will be based on ratings of the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) and its member bodies, including those from the U.S., Germany, the rest of Europe, Australia, and Brazil. Areas with no ratings bodies will be given a generic rating, such as "Everyone (E)," "Mature (M)," and "Teen (T)."

Google has rolled out a questionnaire to developers, which they must answer and submit before May so that the IARC may assign a rating to their apps. Developers who have not submitted a questionnaire by that time will have their apps marked "Unrated," which could mean it would not be shown in some countries. Google will also be reviewing the ratings to make sure they are appropriate to the apps and developers are not answering the questionnaires untruthfully to receive an inappropriate rating.

Photo: Chris Kuga | Flickr