App security provider SafeApp Mobility has launched the SafeApp Certificate, a tool for Android developers to show to users that their app is safe to download.
The certificate, which is available for Android apps of all size, from big companies to indie devs, performs similarly to a SSL Certificate, and in the long run is aimed at improving app retention and conversion from the developer’s standpoint.
It will cost between $0 and £10,000 per year for developers, depending on how many people are using their app.
“Google’s open source app publishing model is great from a development standpoint, but the downside is that user privacy intrusions are a persistent problem, as multiple incidents have illustrated,” commented SafeApp Mobility CEO Joe Santilli in a statement.
These ‘user privacy intrusions’ are not unheard of. Only as recently as February did Australian developer Dan Nolan claim there was a “massive oversight” in Google Play.
Nolan wrote in a blog post: “Let me make this crystal clear. Every app purchase you make on Google Play gives the developer your name, suburb and email address with no indication that this information is actually being transferred.”
Android malware issues aren’t going away, either; back in January NQ Mobile revealed that a new branch, called ‘Bill Shocker’ had infected up to 620,000 Chinese Droid devices.
This of course leads to organisations advising developers and users on how to keep safe in the app ecosystem. The most recent example of this was in January when the state of California released a 23-page document, with the key takeaway being to “encourage all players in the mobile marketplace to consider privacy implications at the outset of the design process.”
If you’re a developer, do you think this will get you better app retention stats, and if you’re an app user, would this give you greater confidence in purchasing your apps?
