Google's New Policy Allows NFTs, Tokenized Assets On Play Store As Apple Tightens Digital Assets Policy

While Apple implements a tighter digital assets policy in its App Store, search engine giant Google has introduced a new policy that allows Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), NFT games and tokenized assets on its Play Store.

With its vision of "boosting user loyalty through unique NFT rewards" and seeing "creative in-app experiences flourish and help developers expand their businesses," video game publishers can now sell NFT games in the Google Play Store based on the latest policy the search engine giant launched Wednesday via its store group product manager, Joseph Mills.

As part of the new policy, Google requires "apps [to] be transparent with users about tokenized digital assets," especially if a game or an app allows users to earn.

Developers are also prohibited from promoting or glamorizing any possible earnings from trading or playing activities as an added protection to the user, Google said in its blog.

Moreover, Google Play's Real-Money Gambling, Games, and Contests policy restricts developers from offering purchases "where the value of the NFT users receive is not clear at the time of purchase." This includes, "but is not limited to, offering mechanisms to receive randomized blockchain-based items from a purchase such as 'loot boxes.'

Google said the new policy has been "developed in close consultation with app and game developers and incorporates their feedback on how we can continue to support their businesses."

Google Play Store also revealed that it is still working with developers to better understand the opportunities and challenges and how it could best support them in creating "sustainable businesses using blockchain technology."

Users can look forward to seeing improvement in Google Play Store's support of blockchain-based app experiences.

"We will continue to engage with developers to understand their challenges and opportunities — and how we can best support them in building sustainable businesses using blockchain technology. As a next step, we're talking to industry partners about further improving our support of blockchain-based app experiences, including in areas such as secondary markets," Google said in the blog.

The Play Store's latest policy contrasts with Apple App Store's closed ecosystem, which as of late forced the decentralized social media app Damus to update its Bitcoin Tipping feature to prevent the tech giant from removing the app on its digital storefront.

Last month, Apple threatened to remove Damus from the App Store for violating its in-app purchase guidelines by allowing users to pay "zaps" or tips on content with Bitcoin instead of the tech giant's Apple Pay.

Damus creator William Casarin explained the measures the team took in order to remain in the App Store.

"Had to remove the tip button to stay on the app store. I will still build Damus on iOS as a vanilla Nostr client, but if you want to zap posts, Apple says nah," Casarin tweeted Wednesday.