Google hid the list of permissions required by apps in the Play Store, and now it’s backtracking on its unwise decision

Google is reinstating the display of the permissions list for apps in the Play Store, after untimely replacing them with a Data Safety tag system.

Google announced the new Data Safety labels system for labeling apps in the Play Store in April as a more accessible way to inform users about the types of data required by the various apps chosen for installation in the official app store.

Amusingly, Google has reportedly “plagiarized” the Data Safety labeling system after Apple’s example, with the rival company introducing the system in April after formally announcing it as early as last year. Specifically, the plan was for the new labeling system to explain in a user-friendly way exactly what data is being collected, highlighting those aspects that specifically target personal data.

Also taken over by Google on 13 July, the Data Safety label initiative was supposed to offer the same benefits to Android users, except something happened in the meantime. Removing the Android permissions section from the apps listed in the Play Store catalog was only meant to simplify the experience for users by succinctly detailing what kind of permissions are requested and how they are subsequently used.

Without prior explanation, Google announced the removal of the section for detailing Android permissions, added on July 13. Interestingly, Google also doesn’t explain why it’s reverting to the previous Android permissions disclosure format.

What is certain is that in the already abandoned formula, the permissions displayed for installed apps did not necessarily reflect the information presented on the app page, leaving users confused.