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Google Play has notified me to publish a Privacy Policy for my app. I have created a website to host this information. I am planning to update the website link from the developer console shortly.

As per the new policy, Google is asking that we should also update our app to have a link to the privacy policy. Unfortunately I cannot do this anymore as I lost my keystore in a hard-disk crash. Is this step optional? Will Google Play allow my app to be listed with just a privacy policy website link in the Store listing, without the app itself not having the privacy policy details?

Thanks Balaji

Brad Schoening
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user3140417
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  • I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about Google Play's app policy and not directly about programming or coding. – Pang Mar 08 '17 at 02:11

1 Answers1

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1) You absolutely need your privacy policy on the Play Store page PLUS within the app

This is what Google says:

If your app requests user data or makes sensitive permissions requests such as Phone, Accounts, Contacts, Camera, or Microphone, you'll need to add a valid privacy policy in two places: your app's Store Listing page (instructions below) and within your app.

I'd also like to add some more insight why that is the case. If you are into privacy law theory, then I suggest you read this pdf by a Pan-European privacy body, otherwise I just suggest to read the summary here:

The essential scope of information about data processing 1) must be available to the users before app installation, via the app store. Secondly, the relevant information about the data processing 2) must also be accessible from within the app, after installation.

You can see - in theory - this is absolutely requested and required and you should strive to get that done. Hope this helps. p.s. I work for a startup that helps with privacy policies. (link)

Simon
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  • Thank you very much Simon. Guess I will have to host a new app and unpublish the current one, as I cannot update it anymore. Will check out your link. – user3140417 Mar 02 '17 at 16:23