Google launches Policy Insights tool in Android Studio to streamline app review process

Google is rolling out a new developer tool aimed at reducing friction in the Android app review process. The company has introduced Play Policy Insights in beta within Android Studio’s latest Narwhal Feature Drop Canary release. The tool is designed to surface relevant Google Play policy warnings during app development, helping developers detect potential compliance issues early—before they reach the review stage.

The feature works through Android Studio’s lint system, providing real-time warnings as developers write code. For example, when a permission like READ_MEDIA_IMAGES is added, Play Policy Insights generates contextual warnings about applicable Play Store rules related to photo and video access. These warnings include policy summaries, dos and don’ts, and links to detailed guidance.

Beyond the IDE, teams can integrate these checks into their Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines using a simple dependency configuration, allowing organizations to monitor policy compliance throughout their entire build process.

Developers can run the policy checks on individual files, modules, or the entire project using the IDE’s inspection tools. Results are displayed alongside other lint issues in the Problems window, making the process familiar and accessible for teams already working within Android Studio.

Google is actively soliciting developer feedback before bringing the feature to the stable version of Android Studio later this year. A Q&A session is scheduled for June 16, where developers can share their experiences and input on the effectiveness of in-IDE versus CI lint warnings, clarity of policy guidance, and overall workflow impact.

Early reactions suggest the tool may help reduce last-minute app rejection surprises, facilitate team collaboration on compliance, and enable continuous checking of new features as they’re developed.