GOOGLE ACCOUNTABILITY. Google+ and Google Play integrate for accountability in app reviews. Screenshot from Google Play page.

MANILA, Philippines - If you use a Google product, chances are you already have a profile with them. If you use Google Play for your mobile device, then it also means you’re going to be held more accountable for your reviews of apps in the future.

On Tuesday, November 27, Google rolled out a means of intergrating Google+ and Google Play. What this translates to is that users who want to review applications and games on Google Play cannot do so anonymously: they have to sign into their Google account to make a review. Reviews made prior to the change have their names changed to “A Google User.”

The shift appears to be a means of requiring greater accountability from users for the reviews they make online. Vested interests are more readily seen by people who choose to see who’s reviewing an app.

According to TechCrunch, Google previously connected Google+ credentials to YouTube accounts, allowing users to switch their names to Google profiles. – Rappler.com