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How to submit QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission usage form at Google Play Console

  • Updated

NOTE:

Please check the article What is QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission? before reading this article.

NOTE:

Application using QUERY_ALL_PACAKGES permission can be rejected at Google Playstore review even after following the below process. If your app is rejected by Google Play, please disable the QUERY_ALL_PACKGES permission while sealing your app, re-publish your app, and also remove the rejected app build from your Playstore console pipeline.

 

From 20th July 2022, Google start to apply a new policy regarding QUERY_ALL_PACKAGE permission. App with this permission will require to provide a proper reason for using this permission at Google Play Console. AppSealing automatically adds this permission to your application, so AppSealing customers must follow the below guide to avoid app update restrictions.

 

If your app’s targetSdkVersion is equal to or higher than 30, AppSealing’s cheat tool detection feature with blacklist is disabled, so AppSealing automatically adds the permission 'QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES' to query all installed packages in the smartphone to enable the blacklist feature.

Please follow the below guides and get allowed by Google Play Console to keep using the AppSealing service with QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission.

  1. Choose the app from your Play Console’s 'All apps' dashboard.
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  2. Choose ‘App content’ at the ‘Policy’ menu, at the bottom of the side menu.
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  3. Choose the ‘Start’ button of ‘Sensitive permissions and APIs' at the ‘App content’ page’s ‘To do’ list.
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  4. Choose the ‘Start’ button of the 'Query all packages permission'.
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  5. At this step, you can see the form to explain the reason for using ‘QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES’ permission. Please refer to the following example to complete the form.
    • Core purpose
      • e.g.) Our app has been attacked by hackers or cheating tools, and our revenue and brand value are damaged seriously. To prevent further damage to our app, we applied a security solution "AppSealing" to our app. AppSealing requires this permission to detect and block thousands of hacking tools and some critical tools which can dynamically change their package_name at runtime.

        updated_core_purpose.png
    • Usage
      • Check at Fraud prevention, security, and compliance
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    • Video instructions
      • You need to record a video to show that your app detects the installed cheat tool, shows a toast message, and stops itself. 
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      • The link below is the AppSealing team’s sample video with a sample app to guide what kinds of video is required, so please create and submit your own video with your app and don’t submit below video to your form.
      • In the video, Game Guardian app is used to show our detection feature, but  any cheating tool (auto clicker, emulator, etc)  can  be  used  to  show  AppSealing's  behavior.
        • Link: cheat_tool_detection_sample.mp4
        • Also, you can add a description of the video you will submit in the 'Core Purpose' section.

          • e.g) In the attached video, we are showing the app's hacking tool detection feature

            1. At the first launch, the app detects the installed cheating tool, shows an alert to the user, and closes the app.
            2. When restarting the app after removing the cheating tool, the app works properly without an alert.

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