1. On July 15, 2026, Google reframed its Personal Loans policy so that Earned Wage Access (EWA) apps must meet the same transparency and user-privacy standards as other financial service apps; the policy article on Financial Services now defines EWA explicitly. 2. EWA is a service that lets users access wages already earned but not yet paid by their employer; it is characterized by automatic repayment via payroll deduction or bank autopay, access strictly limited to wages earned in the current pay period, no interest charged (only a low flat or percentage-based fee, typically $1-5 or 1-5% per transaction), and no credit-bureau reporting or long-term debt creation. 3. Apps offering personal loans or EWA - including direct lenders, lead generators, and facilitators connecting users with third-party lenders - must set the app category to Finance in Play Console and disclose in the store listing: the minimum and maximum repayment period, the maximum APR (interest plus fees), a representative example of the total cost of the loan (principal and all applicable fees), and a privacy policy covering the collection, use, and sharing of personal data. 4. Short-term personal loans requiring full repayment within 60 days or less from the date of issuance are prohibited; in the United States, personal loan apps with an APR of 36% or higher are not allowed, and the maximum APR must be calculated consistently with the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). 5. Personal loan and EWA apps are prohibited from accessing sensitive user data such as photos and contacts - the banned permissions include READ_CONTACTS, READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, READ_MEDIA_VIDEO, READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, READ_PHONE_NUMBERS, and QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES; audit both your app and its third-party SDKs for these permissions. 6. Country-specific requirements apply through the Financial features declaration: India (only apps on the RBI Digital Lending Apps list), Indonesia (OJK license), Philippines (PSEC registration and Certificate of Authority), Nigeria (FCCPC approval), Kenya (CBK license), Pakistan (one digital lending app per NBFC plus SECP proof), and Thailand (BoT/MoF license when rates are 15% or above, plus listing disclosures). 7. Action items: complete the Financial features declaration in Play Console, set the Finance category, publish all loan terms in your listing, remove prohibited permission usage from your app and SDKs, and be ready to provide licenses or documentation linking your developer account to your lending operations.