Maya Robertson
Google is rolling out a new “Government” badge in the Play Store to help users easily identify official Android apps affiliated with government entities. The badge, featuring a building icon, will appear in the main Apps feed, search results, and on app listings, prominently displayed next to an application’s rating. Tapping on the badge provides a brief explanation: “Official government — Play verified this app is affiliated with a government entity.”
Initially, the label will be applied to official state and federal government apps in several countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Examples of US government apps that will receive the badge include those from NASA, FEMA, and IRS2Go, as well as public works, voting, identification, and parking tools.
The Play Store has been testing this feature for several months, with over 3,000 government apps initially receiving the badge. Google has been collaborating with various governments and their developer partners to ensure the accuracy and legitimacy of the labeled apps.
To ensure the authenticity of government-affiliated apps, official parties and agencies are encouraged to use government emails when creating developer accounts. Additionally, more sensitive apps that deal with voting or ID validation require additional verification before approval. Google provides additional guidance for developers on its website.
This new badge is part of Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance trust and transparency within the Play Store ecosystem. By clearly labeling government apps, users can have confidence that they are downloading official, authorized applications directly from trusted sources.
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