Skip to main content

ratings

See All Stories
Site default logo image

Google Play Store now displaying age-based ratings

playratings

We reported back in May that Google was adding age-based ratings to all apps in the Play Store as determined by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), and now it seems those ratings are starting to appear like in the example above.

Some apps display “Unrated” where the rating should be, which either means the developer didn’t complete the surveys Google asked them to by the beginning of May, or the IARC hasn’t finished rating all apps in the store yet. Google warned in the announcement of age-based that by not completing these simple surveys about their apps by May, developers would risk having their apps blocked in some territories.

The IARC ratings will vary by region, as different territories like the EU and United States have their own participating bodies in the IARC who set their own standards – the ESRB in the US, for example –but they shouldn’t vary too widely. Below are the ratings for the United States.

  • E: Suitable for all ages but “May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.”
  • E10: Suitable for everyone age 10 and up.
  • T: Suitable for teens age 13 and up, may include crude humor and minimal blood, simulated gambling and the possibility of strong language.
  • M: For age 17 and up, may include intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and strong language.
  • AO: Adults only, ages 18 and up. Intense violence, graphic sex and gambling with real money.

Google says age-based ratings “will give developers an easy way to communicate familiar and locally relevant content ratings to their users and help improve app discovery and engagement by letting people choose content that is right for them.

Android Market updated with review filters and ’email developer’ options

Site default logo image

The web version of the Android Market has been given some nice updates recently that both allow developers and users to easier connect, and users to better search for more relevant app reviews. The first update, a new “Email Developer” link within the “Overview tab” is self explanatory and located right under the app’s description. The new review filters are a little more in-depth, but definitely make it much easier to get accurate, and most importantly, relevant reviews.

It often happens that user reviews in the Android Market aren’t relevant to you and your device. For example, perhaps you’d like to only see reviews from tablet users. You can now filter reviews by devices, allowing you to select “All” or select an individual device linked to your account. You can also filter by app version, either “All” or Latest”, as well as search by a specific star rating. For instance, you can search for only reviews from users with a Galaxy S II that gave the app a 4 star rating. It will certainly make it easier to find the most helpful entrys for popular apps that have hundreds of reviews.

Expand
Expanding
Close