Google Play already tells you which applications come with in-app purchases, but starting in January they'll also tell you if an app comes with ads. Droid Life reports that the Mountain View based company sent developers an email saying they are required to sign into their consoles and declare if their apps have advertisements. If a developer lies about it, they could face suspension.
The deadline to tag apps is January 11, 2016, and after that the ads declaration will be necessary to make any updates to an app. The email also says that "while developers are responsible for accurately declaring ad presence in their apps, Google may verify this at any time and display the "Ads" label if appropriate." If a developer disagrees with their app being tagged as "ad-supported," they can get in contact with Google's policy team. A visible "ad-supported" tag first showed up in April in Google's kid-friendly Play Store as part of the Designed for Families program. The tag will start showing up in the regular Play Store in early 2016.
This is one of those features that seems pretty good all around - and especially good for app users. Developers who try to be sneaky with ads might not be happy, but do we really care?
Image Credit: Alexander Supertramp / Shutterstock.com