Google is now reviewing all Android apps before they appear on Google Play

Google has revealed that it is reviewing all Android apps submitted to its Play store before they're published. In fact, it's been doing it for several months already.

A combination of automated tools and a panel of experts are being used to approve Android apps before they go live. The apps are reviewed based on Google's developer policies.

The reason this hasn't been widely reported before is due to there being no noticeable difference with the new app review process being introduced.

Unlike Apple's review process for its own App Store, there's hardly any delay between an app being submitted and it going live on Google Play.

There certainly hasn't been enough of a change that developers have complained about it. They probably haven't even noticed it.

To go along with this new reviewing process, Google says that it has become more transparent so developers know what terms their app violates upon rejection.

"Developers now have more insight into why apps are rejected or suspended, and they can easily fix and resubmit their apps for minor policy violations," Google wrote in a blog post.

Google has also introduced a new age-based rating system for all Android apps.

Developers can now fill out a questionnaire to help classify their app's content for different countries.

For now, any app without a rating is listed as "Unrated," and may become unavailable in certain countries. But, come May, any app without an age-rating will not be published on Google Play.