Google Play is unifying the App and game icons look and feel, and introducing new design specifications. App publishers are required to take follow-up actions, as Google has announced a clear roadmap to enforce the requirements.
As of early April:
- Original icons are still accepted in the Google Play Store. They are being displayed correctly in Google Play.
- App publishers will be able to upload revised icons to the Google Play Console and confirm they are compliant with the new specifications.
As of May 1st 2019:
- Icons which do not meet the new specifications will no longer be able to be uploaded to the Play Console.
- Existing original icons can remain unchanged. They are being displayed correctly in Google Play.
By June 24, 2019:
- App publishers have to finish updating the icons to the new specification, uploading them to the Play Console, and confirming in the Play Console that the icons meet the new specification.
- If nothing has been done, the original icons will be automatically being converted to “legacy mode”. Icons in irregular shapes might look different than before after this conversion.
Please be aware that this applies to the Google Play Store icons only. This change does not affect the APK launcher icons.
What has to be done?
- Icon size: 512px x 512px (unchanged), sRGB 32-bit PNG, with max file size 1024KB
- Transparent backgrounds will no longer be allowed
- Shape: Full square
- Shadow: None
- Google Play on Android and Chrome OS will dynamically apply rounded corners and drop shadows to icons. The corner radius will be 20% of the icon size. Designers have to observe this change, and reserve enough spacing for that.
- There will be no changes to Google Play on other form factors (TV, Wear, Auto).
The official Icon Design Specifications have further examples on how to produce icons that meet the new requirements.
RW MobiMedia has been doing native Android Apps development and distribution since 2010. Should you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
