docs/html/distribute/googleplay/families/about.jd

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&amp;controls=0&amp;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>