page.title=Designed for Families
page.metaDescription=Designed for Families helps you make your apps and games more discoverable to families.
page.image=/distribute/images/about-dff-sm.jpg
meta.tags="families, googleplay, distribution"
page.tags="families"
@jd:body
<p>
If you've built great apps designed for kids or families, the family
discovery experience on Google Play is a great way to surface them to
parents.
</p>
<p>
Developers are invited to opt-in these apps and games to the new Designed for
Families program. Apps that meet the <a href=
"https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6184502">program
requirements</a> will be featured through Google Play's family-friendly
browse and search experiences so that parents can find suitable, trusted,
high-quality apps and games more easily.
</p>
<div class="figure-center">
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QDM52bblwlg?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0"
frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
<p>
Opt-in your apps and games to Designed for Families from the <strong>All
Applications</strong> page in the <a href=
"https://play.google.com/apps/publish/">Developer Console</a>, under
<strong>Pricing and Distribution</strong>. For more information on opting-in,
visit the Google Play Developer <a href=
"https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6231938">Help
Center</a>.
</p>
<h2 id="benefits">Benefits</h2>
<div class="figure" style="width:300px;">
<img src="{@docRoot}images/distribute/dff-browse.png" style="width:300px">
<p class="figure-caption" style="text-align:center">
New browsing categories give you improved visibility to parents.
</p>
</div>
<p>
Designed for Families expands the visibility of your family content on Google
Play, helping parents easily find your family-friendly apps and games
throughout the store. And new features create a trusted environment that
empowers parents to make informed decisions and engage with your content.
</p>
<h3>
Search
</h3>
<p>
Only apps and games opted-in to the Designed for Families program will show
up in searches initiated from the Family section in Apps Home. They’ll also
be more visible when users search for family or kid related content from
anywhere in the Play store.
</p>
<h3>
Browse
</h3>
<p>
The Family star button on Apps and Games Home points to an enhanced discovery
experience for parents looking for family appropriate content. The new Family
section includes uniquely merchandised content, new categories, and age-based
browsing. Participating apps will receive this additional visibility on top
of their existing categories, rankings, and reviews elsewhere on the Google
Play store.
</p>
<h3>
Character pages
</h3>
<div class="figure" style="width:300px;">
<img src="{@docRoot}images/distribute/dff-character-group.png" style=
"width:500px">
<p class="figure-caption" style="text-align:center">
Character pages let parents discover your content based on familiar brands
and characters.
</p>
</div>
<p>
Parents can now discover content for popular characters from around the globe
in one place, including apps, games, movies, tv shows, books, and even music.
This provides a powerful way for parents to discover content from familiar
brands and beloved characters, and allows you to reach a highly relevant and
targeted audience.
</p>
<h3>
Merchandising
</h3>
<p>
The family sections include their own merchandised collections. The themed
collections on these pages are curated to ensure quality and limited only to
content accepted into the Designed for Families program.
</p>
<h3>
Badging
</h3>
<p>
Apps participating in Designed for Families are marked with the family star
badge, which reflects the target age you select for your apps and serves as a
signal of quality for parents.
</p>
<div class="figure" style="width:300px;">
<img src="{@docRoot}images/distribute/dff-badging.png" style="width:300px">
<p class="figure-caption" style="text-align:center">
Participating apps are marked with the family star badge.
</p>
</div>
<h2 id="elibibility">
Eligibility
</h2>
<p>
The Designed for Families program is designed to be inclusive of apps that
are made for kids as well as those that can be enjoyed by the entire family.
General audience apps that have no specific benefit or relevance for
audiences under the age of thirteen will not be accepted into the program. To
participate, there are specific guidelines and policies your apps need to
meet, which are assessed in an app content review.
</p>
<p>
Make sure that you're familiar with the policies that your app must comply
with. These include <a href=
"http://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy.html">content
policies</a>, the <a href=
"http://play.google.com/about/developer-distribution-agreement.html">Developer
Distribution Agreement</a>, and the <a href=
"https://play.google.com/intl/ALL_us/about/families/developer-distribution-agreement-addendum.html">
Designed for Families DDA Addendum</a>.
</p>
<p>
Your app must also meet the <a href=
"https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6184502">Designed
for Families program requirements</a>.
</p>
<h2 id="optin">
Opt-in and FAQs
</h2>
<p>
To learn how to opt-in and find more details about the program, visit the
Google Play Developer <a href=
"https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6231938">Help
Center</a>.
</p>
<h2 id="contact">
Stay in Touch
</h2>
<p>
If you'd like to receive occasional emails with news relating to the Designed
for Families program and Google Play opportunities, sign up using the
<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EtvUWqlkxS6RxHJjeI-3-7uzdbIZx6n9Cocy2D369B8/viewform">
Designed for Families Interest Form</a>
</p>
<h2 id="playbook">
Find Success with the Family Playbook
</h2>
<p>
Read our developer guide, "The Family Playbook", to get tips on how to succeed
with family and kid-focused apps and games on Google Play.
</p>
<p>
The Family Playbook is a companion guide to <a href="https://g.co/play/developerguide">The
Secrets to App Success on Google Play</a> and includes best practices and advice from
other developers to help you tailor your apps for families and kids in order to
provide high quality, age-appropriate content.
</p>
<div style="text-align:center">
<a href="http://g.co/play/familyplaybook">
<img alt="Get it on Google Play"
src="https://play.google.com/intl/en_us/badges/images/books/en-play-badge-border.png"
style="height:60px" />
</a>
</div>
<p>
You can also <a
href="{@docRoot}shareables/distribute/family_playbook/family_playbook_v2a_en.pdf">download
the pdf</a>.
</p>
<p>
We’d love to hear your feedback so we can continue to improve our developer
resources, please <a href="http://goo.gl/xZL1No">let us know what you think</a>.
</p>