Chris6743166
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:50 am

Warning of Google Play Developer policy violation: Action Required

I've got this email from Google yesterday:

emOur records show that your app [..] currently violates our User Data policy regarding Personal and Sensitive Information.

Policy issue: Google Play requires developers to provide a valid privacy policy when the app requests or handles sensitive user or device information. Your app requests sensitive permissions (e.g. camera, microphone, accounts, contacts, or phone) or user data, but does not include a valid privacy policy.

Action required: Include a link to a valid privacy policy on your app's Store Listing page and within your app. You can find more information in our help center.

Alternatively, you may opt-out of this requirement by removing any requests for sensitive permissions or user data.

If you have additional apps in your catalog, please make sure they are compliant with our Prominent Disclosure requirements.

Please resolve this issue by January 30, 2017, or administrative action will be taken to limit the visibility of your app, up to and including removal from the Play Store. Thanks for helping us provide a clear and transparent experience for Google Play users.

Regards,

The Google Play Team/em

The problem is, even if I reduce the permissions to just INTERNET and ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, once compiled, the app still asks for the following permissions during installation:

TAKE PICTURES & VIDEOS
FIND ACCOUNTS ON THE DEVICE
MODIFY YOUR CONTACTS
READ YOUR CONTACTS
APPROXIMATE LOCATION (NETWORK BASED)
PRECISE LOCATION (GPS AND NETWORK BASED)
RECORD AUDIO
MODIFY OR DELETE THE CONTENTS OF YOUR SD CARD
READ THE CONTENTS OF YOUR SD CARD
READ PHONE STATUS

I'm not sure why all these permissions are being required, nor am I sure which permission Google requires a privacy policy. It's not a problem adding a privacy policy to the app store, but it's much more troublesome adding a privacy policy to all 16 of my currently published apps.

Simply put, my apps only require internet and NO INFORMATION is collected on the user.

Can you tell me why the app requests more information than I require, even when I remove them from the permissions?

Thanks,

Chris

Evgene Karachevtsev
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2014 1:12 pm

Warning of Google Play Developer policy violation: Action Required

Hello Chris,

Please go to Project - AppSettings - Cordova plugins and uncheck plugins that you don't use, they also require Android permissions.

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