Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app • Hacker News Board

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#241

Post by GoblinSlayer » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:12 PM UTC

Crinus wrote: post #158

aviraldg wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you call dark patterns are ways to ensure users don't accidentally load malware onto their device. They can definitely do better though - I think a good first step would a dialog to choose trusted alternative app stores such that installing apps does not require a separate confirmation step (as is currently the case.) The Google Play Services moves are unfortunate, but required. Most device manufacturers do not…

> What you call dark patterns are ways to ensure users don't accidentally load malware onto their device. They are still dark patterns, that they also have found excuses for those dark patterns does not make them any better. In fact most of the stuff (not just Google's) we see nowadays that take control away from the users - very often in ways that entrench monopolies and the status quo - use "but security" as their…

And they aren't secure, like at all. How much chinese scam is published there. And https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20818177

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#242

Post by echelon » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:13 PM UTC

laingc wrote: post #171

cbanek wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This also makes me feel even more strongly that the FTC should really clamp down on these very strict app stores. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/amicus_briefs/app... Both the App Store and Google Play stores I think are basically illegal monopolies. I should be able to install whatever app I want, without having to jailbreak my phone and deal with warranty nonsense from the manufacturer. Just like my comp…

Personally, as an iOS user, I do not want the App Store opened up at all. Currently, I can go to the App Store, install any app, and be about 99.9% confident that the app will do me (or my technologically illiterate mother) absolutely no harm. This is something I value highly, and am happy to pay the “Apple premium” for.

I don't want to live in your locked-down Disney with the death sentence world.

That's fine for you to want it, but don't impose it on me.

I want freedom and liberty to do what I want with the devices I own. I want to develop without fear that these two megacorps can shut me down on a whim for developing something against their ideology.

The web isn't like that. Windows wasn't like that.

Today we live in a Fischer-Price future land where everybody has to wear gloves because we might get burned. I hate what we've become. I want to go back to the world before smartphones and Apple and app stores. The open web. Before Facebook and Google became big brother surveillance operations.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#243

Post by cube00 » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:14 PM UTC

blauditore wrote: post #208

Everyone in this thread is bashing Google for their evil-ness, but I had the exact same experience with the iOS AppStore: Apple just claimed I broke some policy without further details, but I was pretty sure this was not the case. Upon asking for clarification, they basically sent the same paragraph again. I ended up sending an "update" with some random changes on things related to said policy (without actually chang…

The enforcement may not appear so aimless and fuzzy if they could be bothered to put more effort into the justification then a canned RTFM reply.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#244

Post by Aeolun » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:17 PM UTC

qwertox wrote: post #230

NKCSS wrote: post #41

My game ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nkcss.shad... ) was suspended because I did not have a link to my privacy policy in the app (required when you serve ads for some reason). My game only shows an ad every other time you abort a game or ask for a hint, if you just play without hints/aborting games, you'll never see an ad. It was up for about 6 months, ~1000 installs, then it was taken offline.…

"(required when you serve ads for some reason)" A privacy policy is always required.

What about an app that doesn’t sore any data outside your device? Seems a bit pointless.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#245

Post by phjesusthatguy3 » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:17 PM UTC

laingc wrote: post #171

cbanek wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This also makes me feel even more strongly that the FTC should really clamp down on these very strict app stores. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/amicus_briefs/app... Both the App Store and Google Play stores I think are basically illegal monopolies. I should be able to install whatever app I want, without having to jailbreak my phone and deal with warranty nonsense from the manufacturer. Just like my comp…

Personally, as an iOS user, I do not want the App Store opened up at all. Currently, I can go to the App Store, install any app, and be about 99.9% confident that the app will do me (or my technologically illiterate mother) absolutely no harm. This is something I value highly, and am happy to pay the “Apple premium” for.

>Currently, I can go to the App Store, install any app, and be about 99.9% confident that the app will do me (or my technologically illiterate mother) absolutely no harm.

That's the problem though. That last 0.1% is difficult, and Facebook (which, if your technologically illiterate mother doesn't have it installed, many others do) has been repeatedly shown to do harm to their users. Yet they're still on the apple app store.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#246

Post by SahAssar » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:18 PM UTC

conception wrote: post #226

SahAssar wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you define "absolutely no harm"? Cause a lot of them are clearly misleading about what they do, what permissions they require. A lot of games are clearly geared to be addictive and get you to spend money on their "free" game.

That wouldn't get better in an open ecosystem. No harm means not infecting your phone, other app, can be uninstalled easily etc.

I'm not saying it would, but saying "absolutely no harm" seems a bit hyperbolic.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#247

Post by tambourine_man » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:18 PM UTC

laingc wrote: post #171

cbanek wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This also makes me feel even more strongly that the FTC should really clamp down on these very strict app stores. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/amicus_briefs/app... Both the App Store and Google Play stores I think are basically illegal monopolies. I should be able to install whatever app I want, without having to jailbreak my phone and deal with warranty nonsense from the manufacturer. Just like my comp…

Personally, as an iOS user, I do not want the App Store opened up at all. Currently, I can go to the App Store, install any app, and be about 99.9% confident that the app will do me (or my technologically illiterate mother) absolutely no harm. This is something I value highly, and am happy to pay the “Apple premium” for.

There’s no need to open the App Store. I agree with you that it misses the point of having a store in the first place.

What is needed is a big red button that makes it easy to sideload an app (download a file and run it) and explains the implications to the user.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#248

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:20 PM UTC

HeavyStorm wrote: post #179

A very cool thing to reflect on: Valve held a tight leash on Steam for years. Games and apps had to be approved by Valve, and what they allowed was, at the very least, subjective. After a while it began to gradually let go of control. Nowadays, there are just a few things that might get blocked and I haven't heard any more stories about developers who got blocked. Funny thing is: Valve is privately owned, and Google…

[deleted]

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#249

Post by hnick » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:21 PM UTC

mathw wrote: post #93

andrewfelix wrote: post #57

"I don’t think my app is deceiving Google Play Store". I feel like there's more to this story.

If Google had provided details of what the violation was, he might be able to tell us about that part. One of the big problems is that they don't.

I wonder if the GDPR covers this under the right of explanation (if it happens to someone in the EU), or was the decision made against a non-human app who has no rights to violate?

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#250

Post by sct202 » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 1:21 PM UTC

StanAngeloff wrote: post #53

We were banned from the Play Store for violation of their Impersonation policy in mid July after publishing an update. We just got reinstated last week. During the course of the lengthy appeal I had an unshakable feeling I was up against The System™. I still believe I was communicating with a bot and not an actual human being — I refuse to accept a rational human being will behave the way Bob from Google did. It's su…

I think a lot of their problems stem from outsourcing most of their customer service to poorly trained and poorly compensated contractors. Plus there seems like there's a firewall between actual Googlers who could make changes and communications from outside customers/devs/etc, and they're so insulated from the outside that they don't know the situation on the ground.