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Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

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Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#251
post #248
post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Caprices of TOS details, reviews, algorithms, service quality, or whatever are not the real problem. The real problem is when you can't reasonably choose to do business with someone else and move on, as they are free to do with you. Network effects are causing more and more important things to both expand into great significance and to be dominated by a single company (or pair of gatekeepers, both of whom must be app…

Sounds like you’d like to see Google classified as a class II common carrier...

Would that be so wrong?

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#252
post #225
post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So says you. This is what the ToS say: Google may terminate this Agreement with You for any reason with thirty (30) days' prior written notice. In addition, Google may, at any time, immediately suspend or terminate this Agreement with You if: (a) You have breached any provision of this Agreement, any non-disclosure agreement or other agreement relating to Google Play or the Android platform; (b) Google is required to…

Caprices of TOS details, reviews, algorithms, service quality, or whatever are not the real problem. The real problem is when you can't reasonably choose to do business with someone else and move on, as they are free to do with you. Network effects are causing more and more important things to both expand into great significance and to be dominated by a single company (or pair of gatekeepers, both of whom must be app…

The real problem is when you can't reasonably choose to do business with someone else and move on, as they are free to do with you.

Something I learned the hard way when I first started out in business is to never make your business dependent on a single entity.

Whether it's a supplier, or a publisher, or a telco, or whatever. They are all single points of failure, and unless you're a huge business, one failure can be all that's needed to take you down, too.

Yes, Google Play is effectively the only way to publish an Android program. But it's also a single point of failure, which is why until there is no longer a mobile program duopoly, I don't invest in app companies.

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclaiming liability is not an excuse for treating your customers poorly.

Google’s customers are advertisers, not app developers.

Those app developers who have been dutifully paying fees to Google may be surprised to discover that they are somehow not also paying customers...

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#254

It sounds like the problem is with the outsourced developers responsible for the app. It's their account which has been banned - for multiple violations of the ToS. Now, perhaps this is just over-zealous enforcement on Google's part, but it's also possible that these developers have created shady apps before, or are adding shady code to apps developed for others. The OP doesn't seem to know for certain what code is i…

It might be but in that case they should have told them so. Not just "you are banned because of somebody else, sorry, good bye"

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#256
post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most consumers want real apps, not webapps, and mobile browsers don't make webapps easy to launch and use either.

We should help change the conversation on that.

Sure, but how do we retrain billions of users? And more importantly, how should we convince two massive companies that take 30% of all appstore revenue to give up their control?

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Play is not a monopoly! It takes one checkbox in Settings to open the floodgates to any app (or app store) you want, and device manufacturers (such as Amazon) can ship their own app stores pre-enabled if they want.

What percentage of android devices, in the world, have that box ticked?

I'd guess most of them, if you actually consider the whole world.

Probably not enough to matter, if you are only looking at the UK.

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#258
post #50

I actually just got my Google Ads account suspended because I forgot to update my billing address before adding a new card. The suspension was for "suspicious billing activity", tried appealing twice with the correct billing address, and was told the suspension is final (some automated email) both times. They won't take my calls because the account is suspended, which leaves me not being able to advertise on the #1 s…

My google ads account has been suspended for 19 years. I'm still waiting for the results of my appeal...

Don't hold your breath, you're not the only one. They claimed I clicked on my own ads which was never the case, of course there is no way to appeal. They stole my money because yes, they still owe me money, these punks sent me a 25€ voucher to buy ads, like it solves anything.... I will never ever trust them or rely on any of their services like the Google Cloud Platform.

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is a bit of a silly comparison. Even if you let a criminal borrow your car and they do something bad, there is some sort of legal apparatus to get your car back if it's clear that you were not involved in that criminal activity. The impound lot doesn't simply say "sorry, we saw your appeal, but we're gonna go ahead and keep the car forever."

There is no such apparatus. Any property used in comission of a crime is forfit, no matter of original owner. Stolen guns, cars and cert are all treated the same under the law. On the other hand, I get great deals at police auctions and never lend out my keys.

Yes, there is, it's called the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution. It's called the US legal system. That is the apparatus.

You have no constitutional right to have a Google account. And you probably agreed to forced arbitration in the Google TOS and likely even agreed that Google can terminate your account for any reason, at any time, without cause.

Good example: https://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/reforming-poli...

Son commits crime using father's car and car is seized using civil forfeiture. The car has already been returned and the ACLU is fighting the police department in federal court:

https://www.tba.org/sites/default/files/cain.complaint.pdf

Not saying civil forfeiture doesn't need to be reigned in, it does, but there is a legal apparatus for getting your stuff back. I admit it gets trickier on things that cannot be traced easily, like cash, but I'm mostly responding to the OPs example of an innocent persons car being used in a crime by someone else.

Another good example below where the owner of the vehicle committed a crime in the car they owned and the state tried to seize the vehicle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbs_v._Indiana

So, I admit the legal system moves slow, but there is clearly a strong legal case for fighting these unlawful seizures.

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#260
post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like you’d like to see Google classified as a class II common carrier...

Would that be so wrong?

Yes - they're a private company, albeit unfair in this particular instance.
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