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

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

#331

Post by winkeltripel »

ldng wrote: post #178
cateye wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This happened more than 10 years ago to me too. Actually, my Adsense account is still in a strange way inaccessible while I'm using all other Google services like Gmail. I tried in all ways to get an explanation why my account was locked down and what I could do to resolve it: without any success. The whole situation is just depressing because there is literally no way to discuss it in a reasonable manner other than…

Yes there is! At least for Americans. I can not understand why these practices have not lead by now to a class action suit?

You can't form a class, and you don't have grounds to get anywhere in a lawsuit. You agreed to seek binding arbitration for any disputes relating to adsense when you signed up.

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

#332

Post by smt88 »

aurbano wrote: post #304

I ran a website that I first coded when I was 14-15, then kept improving over the years. It was for amateur electronic music producers to upload their tracks and after a few years there were several thousand active users, generating ~$400/month in AdSense. One day a relatively famous DJ tweeted a link to a song on the website, and that day alone generated close to $300, so 19 year old me thought he was about to earn…

Honestly my big problems with Google as a user are the same as yours: they try to automate their customer service, and the software just isn't even close to being a human equivalent. It's an absolute nightmare.

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

#333

Post by jshowa3 »

It honestly amazes me that people didn't think this wouldn't happen. When you have a company own a market, they simply dictate on a whim who gets access to it.

It's the same with Steam. The more you move to the cloud, the more you give companies control over your goods and services.

Phones should've remained open the day they were made. You should never been banned from administrative control of your device.

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

#334

Post by MichaelMoser123 »

MichaelMoser123 wrote: post #186
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…

I am not sure if they do regulations like this in our time. With At&t one could argue that this was a regulation that was dealing with a single country; with google & friends one can argue that this is a global thing and that export interests are at stake. of course the law is supposed to deal with objective reality, and that considerations of context are not relevant here; however I am not sure that this is still tr…

I wonder if i just got shadowbanned on this discussion, or am i just talking nonsense. Well, never mind...

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

#335

Post by jshowa3 »

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.

That form of protection is an illusion. You can simply have the phone scan all your apps before download and install. No need for a store.

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

#336

Post by [deleted] »

jefftk wrote: post #266
snorkasaurus wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it. Upton Sinclair

I work at Google because they pay me money that I can donate [1] and I wouldn't work here if I thought that was making the world worse. [2] I left Google in 2017 to work for a startup I thought was more positive than earning to give [3] and then I rejoined later that year after the startup didn't pan out. [4] I'm open to arguments that I should be doing something else with my time! [1] https://jefftk.com/donations [2…

[deleted]

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

#337

Post by zaroth »

throwaway_law wrote: post #323
dna_polymerase wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's fine for you to want it, but don't impose it on me. Who imposes this onto you? I have a great idea for you if you dislike the App Store: Don't buy an Apple Device. Turns out Apple doesn't owe you shit. Oh, also the same "get off my lawn" libertarian viewpoint of yours can be claimed by Apple. They might want the same liberty (to do as they like with their platform).

>if you dislike the App Store: Don't buy an Apple Device. Turns out Apple doesn't owe you shit I recall Microsoft using that defense once upon a time. IF you don't like Explorer or Netscape, don't buy a PC. Turns out Microsoft doesn't owe you shit. However, it turns out Microsoft does owe consumers something, the Settlement is available for anyone who cares to know what that something is.

I wonder if there were distinguishing factors which make these cases unique.

Like the fact that Microsoft had 90%+ desktop market share and was using it to shoe-horn an unrelated inferior product with powerful network effects into dominance.

Whereas Apple has no monopoly and in fact their overall smartphone market share is falling.

Let Apple compete how they want to compete, as long as there are viable competitors. Of which there are several.

To look at the smartphone market and how far it’s come in the last 10 years and decide this is a space which needs anti-competitive enforcement action from the FTC is abusing monopoly law to obtain a political outcome.

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

#338

Post by soulofmischief »

GhettoMaestro wrote: post #284
echelon wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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-Pri…

Your ideal state of Internet / Tech companies is definitely in the minority contrasted to overall expectations the broader population has put on these devices and services. Yeah, we get it, you're smart. I'm smart. Most people here are smart. But protections still matter. What you're saying is I don't want to wear a seatbelt when driving my car. Sure that is your choice - but I think it is a very foolish one.

Don't strawman this argument into a conversation about intelligence.

This is about personal freedom. Not wearing a seatbelt can put others at risk for injury liability. Installing an app will not do that. Let's stay on topic. And while we're at it, you and I both know that majority opinion has never been strongly correlated with truth.

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

#339

Post by ashelmire »

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 contributing problem is the inadequate features of mobile browsers. It's harder to get to the pages you want to - harder to set multiple pages to launch on start; manage open windows; quickly navigate to apps you use without typing. Sure you can do the latter two things, but it's not nearly as easy as it is on desktop.

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

#340

Post by mannykannot »

huffmsa wrote: post #275
mannykannot wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just tried "wrod". Google asks if I meant "word", but it does perform a search for "wrod".

Wrod is probably common enough and has enough real results that it works. "Sulliven", a mount in northwestern Scotland, gets "fixed" to Sullivan. It does work when quoted though

Google maps, Wikipedia and other sources apparently spell it Suliven [1], and a Google search for that, without quotes, returns it. Searching for "sulliven" (in quotes) finds a few (possibly mis-spelled?) references to the mountain (and some other things, mostly people named Sulliven.)

[1] https://www.google.com/maps/place/Suilven/@58.120899,-5.4389...

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