Google Play Labels Official Government Apps in India, 11 Other Countries

Google has begun displaying a badge on Play Store listing pages and search results, to indicate whether apps have been officially published by government bodies. The idea is to help users identify authentic apps and prevent scammers from masquerading as trusted official apps. This comes in response to several incidents of scammers taking advantage of people around the world by convincing them to enter sensitive personal information or follow fraudulent instructions. Now, whether people find an app by searching, or are directed to it by following a link, they can tell at a glance whether or not it is legitimate.

The distinguishing badge has already begun rolling out, according to an Android Authority report. It can currently be seen in India as well as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, France, Brazil, and Indonesia, with more countries and territories likely to follow soon. Over 3,000 official government apps in these countries have already been vetted. Central and regional government authorities are included. 

In India, the well-known Digilocker app as well as mAadhaar, mParivahan, Umang, MyGov, mPassport Seva, Voter Helpline, PMO India, Diksha, Sandes, and Poshan Tracker apps are among dozens that now display this badge. State-level examples include the Government of Telangana’s T App Folio and the Govenment of Maharashtra’s Aaple Sarkar. However, some other apps such as Aarogya Setu, Umang, GovTalk, and BHIM do not seem to have been verified yet. It also appears as though apps are approved individually, as only a few of those published by MeitY (the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), the National Informatics Centre, and several other authorities currently display Government badges.

Users will see the badge displayed prominently with the word “Government” right after an app’s rating, just below its name, on each listing page. Tapping on it shows a popup message that states “Play verified this app is affiliated with a government entity”. A smaller icon with the same label will appear next to an app’s rating below its name and description in search results.

Google had announced its intention to implement this change last year, in a blog post about ensuring trustworthiness in the Play Store, and some users had already been able to see it as part of a limited test.