One big way in which Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play store differ is that while Apple screens each app before publishing it in the App Store, Google doesn’t do that with Android apps. It looks like that’ll be different with Android TV apps, though.
A new note on the Android Developer support site has revealed that Google plans to review Android TV apps before publishing them on Google Play. Google explains that it’ll review applications “for usability with a DPAD (apps) and Gamepad (games only) and other quality guidelines.”
This move is a bit reminiscent of Google’s decision to not allow heavy software customization in the early days of Android Auto, TV and Wear devices. Reviewing Android TV apps before they’re published will help ensure that they work as they should and so that Android TV doesn’t end up spinning its wheels like Google TV did before it. And hey, don’t you want to know that apps will work just like you expect them to on your shiny new Android TV device?