Google Play apps will now be scrutinised by Google reviewers and come with age-based content ratings , the company has revealed . The announcement is a move away from the firm 's strategy to differentiate itself from Apple by allowing developers to immediately publish their mobile apps . But Google added that it will not be adopting Apple 's practice of only approving apps that meet its stringent quality standards . Google is tightening supervision of its freewheeling Play store , forming a special team to screen new apps for malware and sexually explicit material , and strengthening its age-based rating system . The change underscores the growing importance of apps in the success of the companies ' rival mobile gadgets . Google and Apple each manage online hubs with more than one million apps ranging from calendars to video games . Google said in its official blog today that its expert team will screen each app submitted by developers to spot earlier anything that runs afoul of its rules . The developer policies exclude sexually explicit material , 'gratuitous violence , ' hate speech , gambling , 'dangerous products , ' spam and infringement of intellectual property . The new age-rating system will see Android developers filling in a questionnaire about their app or game instead of simply choosing a rating . Google had only used automated technology for screening at the time of submission . The new process will not create bottlenecks , Google said , promising that approved apps will become available on Google Play within ' a matter of hours ' after submission . Apple does not disclose its app review period , but the website appreviewtimes.com puts the average wait time at seven days for Apple 's App Store . Developers must answer special questionnaires about their apps to help independent ratings organisations assign age-based ratings , Google said . Millions of Android handsets have been exposed to malware through malicious apps being offered on Google Play . The apps include the Durak card game , along with a history game and IQ test , which combined have been installed more than 15 million times . The apps cause unwanted adverts to display on users ' phones and their abnormal behaviour sometimes does n't appear until a month after installation . The apps were discovered after Prague-based antivirus provider , Avast , received a user complaint . 'This impression remains until you reboot your device and wait for a couple of days , ' wrote Filip Chytry , an Avast mobile malware analyst . 'After a week , you might start to feel there is something wrong with your device . Some of the apps wait up to 30 days until they show their true colours . ' As well as Durak , the other other games included a Russian IQ test with up to five million installs , and a Russian history app game , which has been installed up to 50,000 times by Android users . These apps have now been removed from Google Play . 'We know that people in different countries have different ideas about what content is appropriate for kids , teens and adults , ' Google said in the blog post . 'Today 's announcement will help developers better label their apps for the right audience . ' As of May , apps submitted without the questionnaire will not be published in Google Play , and existing apps that do not seek a rating could be blocked in certain markets or for certain users , Google said . Google has also partnered with the International Age Rating Coalition , the Pan-European Game Information and the Australian Classification Board , to provide relevant ratings in various countries . Until now , Google has let developers rate their own apps using a system created by Google .
Brings Google in line with Apple , which reviews apps by hand . Developers must answer questionnaires to help assign age-ratings . A Google expert team will screen each app submitted by developers . California-based company said process will not create bottlenecks . It added approved apps will be available within ' hours