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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

#361

Post by badrequest »

mirimir wrote: post #210

The Google and Apple app stores and support services ought to be regulated as public utilities. Because they effectively constitute a duopoly regarding apps for mobile devices. That would prevent them from arbitrarily refusing to provide services and list apps in their stores. They could refuse, but only for permitted reasons, and with a clear appeal process. The Public Utility Commission of Texas has a pretty clear…

I don't know if I agree that mobile apps are on the same level as electricity and internet connectivity in terms of how crucial they are to be productive citizenry.

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

#362

Post by jerf »

ChrisArchitect wrote: post #344

good pitch post, nice to see google dev account responding on twitter and maybe some escalation, but reading the post -- did you even consider what the deceptive behaviour might be even if barely a case for it? Mimicing functionality from other apps? Does STM or whatever transit in Montreal have an official app? While it's good to have competition and variety in the market for transit apps etc, seems like a lot of mu…

The real problem isn't that Google may have an opinion that the app is deceptive or not, one that we may even share if we knew all the details. The real problem is that the app developer doesn't even know, and had what appears to have been roughly a two-hour window to nominally fix the problem before being booted off the service.

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

#363

Post by cabaalis »

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…

You can't submit a non-update if your developer account has been completely banned.

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

#364

Post by Paul-ish »

Perhaps there is room for new companies that provide quasi-legal services that vet apps before they are sent to the play store, to make sure their customers apps are in compliance. Ideally their experience seeing many apps would help them understand what gets removed and what doesn't. In cases like this, where the developer gets a notification about non-compliance, they would also take the app down ASAP so the developer can work things out before Google removes them from the store.

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

#365

Post by rowanG077 »

zaroth wrote: post #345
ilikehurdles wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are the only options for installing apps "Strict App Store" and "Open App Store"? That's a false dichotomy. Let apple have its app store but remove the restrictions on installing apps from outside of it. If I want to install an apk directly from a publisher's website I should be able to.

Do you suppose those apk’s get to use the full set of iOS APIs and Services and not pay Apple for it?

Yes of course. Programs on windows also can use the full set of windows APIs and Services and not pay microsoft. It's not actually a developer using those APIs the consumer is using those APIs through an application and the consumer has paid for those APIs and Services by buying the phone.

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

#366

Post by eganist »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #267
eightysixfour wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Our client was perfectly reputable, ran multi million dollar ad campaigns on television and radio, and was FDA approved. I’m not trying to be a jerk here, but it sounds like your client is selling dietary supplements which Google has been (IMO rightfully) aggressively removing.

Yeah, that's what I got out of it too. As soon as I hit "FDA approved" I had to pause and consider that maybe Google isn't the bad guy here.

"FDA Approved" isn't a boogeyman term. It means the supplement was in fact reviewed/approved by the FDA, whereas dubious substances come with statements that their claims have not been FDA approved.

Why the aversion to "FDA Approved"?

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

#367

Post by zaroth »

mirimir wrote: post #210

The Google and Apple app stores and support services ought to be regulated as public utilities. Because they effectively constitute a duopoly regarding apps for mobile devices. That would prevent them from arbitrarily refusing to provide services and list apps in their stores. They could refuse, but only for permitted reasons, and with a clear appeal process. The Public Utility Commission of Texas has a pretty clear…

The Google and Apple App Stores generate ~$100 billion in annual revenue combined, and growing at about 25% per year. The App Stores are the greatest software distribution and monetization platforms ever created, second perhaps only to “The Internet” as a whole.

Regulating the App Stores as some sort of utility sounds like the perfect way to stifle growth and make it more difficult and expensive to publish on the App Store, which would hit small developers in particular.

Every percentage point reduction in the growth of these stores at this point is basically $1 billion taken out of developers’ pockets.

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

#368

Post by jacobush »

davinic wrote: post #324
jacobush wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything you said rings true, except the part about proprietary license. That's orthogonal to enforcing updates. That is a contractual issue, not a licensing issue. Google could for instance not allow the manufacturer to connect to their Google Play store unless the manufacturer played ball. But where does this all put us? We are OK with crap, insecure devices being shoved all over the markets? What can be done.

They already have contracts with licensing for the Play Store and other apps. Those are not included with the base images and require a contract to be in place.

Great. Do you know what those contracts do not say?

"Must keep firmware updated with security fixes."

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

#369

Post by tylerl »

echelon wrote: post #242
laingc wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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-Pri…

Fine. You don't have to.

Android trivially lets you sideload apps downloaded from anywhere on the internet you wish. Apple not so much, but that's Apple.

The vast majority of customers want an app store with tighter controls, and both Google and Apple provide it. There are a hell of a lot more complaints about these app stores not being locked down enough than those in your camp saying that they don't want it locked down at all.

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

#370

Post by gargravarr »

pdkl95 wrote: post #341
gargravarr wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I searched for an error message yesterday and Search removed 18 of the 20 keywords (they are all scratched out as 'missing'). The only remaining keywords were for the platform I had the error on. Thousands of results that were all completely irrelevant. I was completely stunned how something I rely on could suddenly do that. What is the point? Google's monopoly has gotten to the point where they do not care how their…

> (they are all scratched out as 'missing') The 'missing' notes are incredibly condescending. Not only are the results irrelevant/incorrect, they also had to arrogantly point out exactly how they are choosing to ignore the user's request.

Amen to that. I got to where I am as a sysadmin by knowing how to filter out keywords to make my search specific. Then Google throw all that away and decide for me what I want to search for. No Google, you don't tell me what to do.
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