App Review Guidelines

Before your app is published on the RuStore, it needs to pass mandatory review. Throughout this process you’ll go through the entire user journey to make sure that your app works properly, corresponds to the declared category and age rating without neither posing any security risks nor threatening the laws and rights of other users. Non-compliance with the specified requirements may result in the application being declined for publication or, if violations are identified after review, the app may be removed from the store.

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The block with this icon contains recommendations needed for implementation.

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The block with this icon contains important clarifications to the requirements.

Follow a few steps below to double-check your app before publishing it on the RuStore:

1. Your app performance meets the following requirements:

• It runs and works steadily without failures and errors;

• All declared app features work correctly;

• We do not allow publishing apps that cause crashes, force close, freeze or work with errors;

• Your app must be self-sustaining and have original content. We discourage applications that are primarily designed to redirect to a website (WebView). An application may duplicate a website functionality or use a WebView to perform certain options, but it must be represented as a complete, standalone product. We reserve the right to block your app if we suspect that it is published solely to drive traffic to a website;

• Your app should not contain abundant advertising that will interfere with its usage (ads after each user action), or either with no options to remove ads from the screen;

• Each user should be able to successfully pass through authorization whenever so required without redirecting to third-party resources;

• For limited-audience apps only: specify test account data in a comment and send it for review;

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  Do not forget to provide test authorization data to RuStore moderators in the "Comments for moderators" field to test the app functionality. Make sure that the demo mode shows all the app features.

• Make sure that your app is adapted to most modern mobile devices - no errors and incorrect layout of applications are allowed.

• Make sure you are downloading the correct version of the app - for mobile devices;

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To ensure the relevance of the content for the user, RuStore reserves the right to block and (or) delete apps whose versions are lower than those hosted in other stores.

• if the app was downloaded from RuStore, then when a new version is available, the user should receive a notification with a recommendation to update through RuStore.

2. Your app content is designed as follows:

The application, its page and user content must be completely free of the following:

• any ethically inappropriate statements or ideas: overt discrimination, rabble-rousing, insults (except of playful jokes), etc.;

• offers for sale or distribution of illegal goods (prescription drugs, narcotic substances, weapons, tobacco and nicotine products to-be-delivered, etc.) and services (prostitution, forgery, hacking services, cheating, etc.);

• prohibited pornographic content (obscene images of minors, bestiality, dolcett, etc.), including drawings. The restriction also applies to dating apps and other apps that may contain pornography;

• shocking content and realistic images of people or animals being killed, maimed, tortured or tormented, except for those related to the relevant genre and age category (medical content);

• suicidal content in any form and in any context, including images or romanticization of self-harm;

• trademarks and third-party intellectual property, including misleading logos and names;

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  Please note: if your application is an official partner of another service, please provide us with sufficient documents confirming this status. RuStore reserves the right to selectively check documents related to intellectual property rights.

• links to third party app stores or storefronts, phishing and irrelevant links.

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  It is forbidden to publish apps related to holding and conduct of gambling, accepting bets and other games that involve real money.

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  If an app implies posting user-generated content, the developer ensures to provide timely and adequate pre-view of this content or post-moderation based on user complaints.

Applications with user-generated content or social networks must include:

• definition and criteria for inappropriate content;
• offensive content reporting options;
• access restrictions for those who fail to comply with the rules;
• support or app review team contact details.

Application reviewers must promptly respond to user problems and requests from RuStore technical support.

If an app includes user-generated content from an adult website, then it should be hidden by default and be only visible to users who have enabled it on the site.

3. Application security and user rights protection:

• Your app must not contain malicious or phishing links;
• If your app implies working with personal data, make sure that you are officially recognized as a personal data operator. You must also inform the user about the collection and use of their personal data and obtain their consent for data processing;
• If your app features in-purchase options, provide the user with detailed information about the payment process, as well as about products delivery and return. Please follow the «Consumer Protection Act».

4. Privacy and device data:

While running, your app may access personal and sensitive user data stored on a device.

Before you start, we recommend that you read the Declare app permissions section.. RuStore accepts the following permission levels:

• prohibited;
• sensitive;
• safe;
• obsolete.

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If prohibited permissions (protection level “not for use by third party applications”) are discovered in the app when uploading it to the RuStore Console, this version will be rejected. In this case the APK file needs to be finalized, excluding prohibited permissions, and re-uploaded.

If sensitive permissions are found when uploading the application, the developer should provide sufficient reasons for each permission in the Sensitive Permissions section.

At this point, make sure that:

• data obtained with a user’s consent is not intended for sale, as well as for distribution and further sale;
• permissions are not granted to bypass device privacy settings;
• your application requests only those permissions that are essential for the provided service;
• If the user refuses to grant permission, you should not try to persuade him otherwise. You can provide a permission-free alternative to the service. Invite the user to find the nearest office on the map and not based on the device location;
• A user grants his consent as a certain active action. For example, an automatic window closing, intentional or accidental dialogue exit is not considered as a consent;
• information about requested permissions is available to users. You can embed this information into the app and post a link or data tag in the app description on the RuStore store;
• You have informed the users about all requested permissions and the purposes for which they are requested. In case of any inconsistencies we may request some more clarifications.

We ask you to take reasonable steps to prevent the use of your app for illegal purposes. If you don’t follow the above guidelines, the application and the developer account it may be blocked on the RuStore.

5. App type:

When releasing an app, make sure to label it as "Paid" if it lacks any free features or functionality.

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• Free apps can still offer paid subscriptions and in-app purchases.

• For subscription-based apps, users should have access to certain app features and functionality before subscribing. It's crucial to clearly inform users about the availability and cost of a subscription in such cases.

• To set up paid content for your app, refer to the guides «How to Create a Paid In-App Item» and «How to Create an App Subscription».

Keep in mind that deliberately misleading users may lead to the removal of your application from RuStore.

6. App name, descriptions, icon and screenshots

6.1 App name and descriptions, including the revision history, must not contain:

• Avoid using clickbaits: do not use the words "best", "only", "forbidden", "secret", "most" in headlines and short descriptions. If you use the word "official" to describe your application, we will ask you to document this status;

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  We also ask you to refrain from other verbal and graphic ways to mislead the user. We also ask you to refrain from other verbal and graphic ways to mislead the user.

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  We also ask you to refrain from other verbal and graphic ways to mislead the user.

• overt or direct insults, rabble-rousing, obscenities;

• trademarks and intellectual property of others, including logos and names;

• links to third party app stores or storefronts, phishing and irrelevant links.

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  Before submitting an application for review, use the spell checking services to correct the description.

6.2 Emoji and special characters are not allowed in the app name and short description unless they are part of the brand.

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If the app name contains an acronym or professional terms and abbreviations, we recommend that you clearly indicate the purpose of the application in a brief description.

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The application must have the same name both on the storefront and when installed on the user's device.

6.3 For an app description to be effective, it should adhere to the following guidelines: it must be written in Russian, clear, consistent, and easily understandable. However, there may be exceptions when it comes to terms and names. The description should accurately reflect the features and content that are currently available in the app at the time of publication.

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To ensure a professional presentation, we advise against the use of emojis, emoticons, or excessive repetition of special characters in the detailed description. Additionally, it's recommended not to overuse keywords, capitalization, or any other methods that may excessively draw users' attention and appear intrusive.

6.4 The following guidelines should be observed for app icons:

• They must not imitate public application icons.
• They should not utilize trademarks or intellectual property belonging to others, including logos that could potentially mislead users.
• If the app does not have any unread messages or notifications within the application, it should not display an icon indicating otherwise.

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Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure consistency in the app icons across both the storefront and the user's device once the app is installed.

6.5 Screenshots ought to accurately depict the mechanics and functionality of the app or game, rather than merely displaying the title, login page, splash screen, or artwork. It is considered inappropriate to curate a collection of screenshots that solely feature art or elements unrelated to the application interface.

When it comes to gaming applications, screenshots should faithfully represent the current graphics quality at the specific level.

It is important to refrain from including the following elements in screenshots:

• Interface elements from Android or other apps.
• Functionality that is either not yet implemented or not present in the app.

6.6 Video Requirements:

• it must be directly related to the application (for example, you can upload a trailer, gameplay recording, etc.);

• it must not contain inappropriate content (see Application Requirements);

• the video must be public;

• The video duration cannot exceed 1 minute;

• You can only add one video.

6.7 App layout:

• It is essential to assign the correct category to the application from the provided list. In the event of an incorrect category selection. The moderator has the authority to make the necessary changes.

• It is crucial to ensure that the application is labeled with the appropriate age category. If uncertain about the applicable age limits, please refer to the guidelines for age classification.