Live data from Hacker News

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

medium.com

401–410 of 607 posts

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

#401
The problem is multi fold, its completely ridiculous on them banning this app and letting thousands of piracy apps (free movies, live streaming ) etc etc.. Guess there is a genuine bias from AI to scrap out the actual apps that actually helps people legally than the illegal ones..

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

#402
This kind of story makes me favor a blend of the policy proposals of Andrew Yang and Elizabeth Warren. We recognize that the current automated economy has hurt the little person (Yang), but, at the same time, recognize that a few super large corporations have created this situation (Warren).

So, I propose that all US residents receive $1000 a month directly from Google.

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

#403
post #3

The easiest way to identify a monopoly is to look at how badly a company can treat its customers and still get away with it. My company has a half dozen stories like this about Google in the last year alone. Know what Google is doing to its AdSense partners on a massive scale? They wait until your site has just under the earnings when they have to write you a check, then they terminate your AdSense account for “polic…

Two of the admins in our new WoW-guild got banned by Discord for inviting guild applicants (who had submitted forms asking to be invited) to our server. After a few messages there is phone verification and then after continuing to send out the accounts were banned. Contacting support was just a big 'we confirm the terms of service breach and we so not reinstate accounts'. Those accounts were in some cases the sole ad…

This seems unclear. Admins were banned from Discord for inviting people to your discord or were banned for inviting active members of your discord community to your WoW server?

Is the WoW server a bootleg? I'm not a WoW player so not sure what's out there, but I wouldn't be surprised if Discord-the-company was involved in something that might be considered anti-piracy actions.

The other question would be if they were doing something that would be detected as spamming, either for your discord community or the game. If the invites were sent via DM but were the only DM messaging between the admins and users they may well have tripped an automatic detection.

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

#404
Google's App Store is failing miserably with both Type 1 (false negative) and Type 2 (false positive) errors. As a result, malware gets allowed in while reputable developers get kicked off.

And there's apparently no (real) appeal process. Once the robot decides it doesn't like you, you can't change its mind and it won't tell you why.

These problems are eminently fixable. But Google's app store desperately needs competition, some antitrust investigations, and probably some hefty class action judgments. Without those, Google has absolutely no motivation to fix the mess. With those motivations, Google could fix this overnight.

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

#405

Low friction and no support ejection from app markets seems to be a necessary cost of the low-cost, low-friction entry that they allow, and the fact that action against app developers to recover costs due to abuses isn't easy. If we had more upfront costs (both directly to market operators and in surety bond) it would be practical to have a lot friendlier process in the event of apparent violation. But then, we'd hav…

I'd be more then happy to pay a fee if it means an actual human, who actually had access to all the case information, would actually review the appeal and provide a detailed personalized account of my crimes.

As a bonus, if my appeal is found to be genuine and my account reinstated I'd like that fee refunded.

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

#406
post #348

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s a wrong analogy. If you want to stay with cars, it’s like Google saying when you buy their car, you are only allowed to go to 6 pre determined destinations in their vehicles. Some people find comfort in the lack of choice, since they know the drive won’t be “dangerous”, but for the rest of us, we want to make the choice of destination ourselves. We simply want the choice to open our options without these compa…

> If you want to stay with cars, it’s like Google saying when you buy their car, you are only allowed to go to 6 pre determined destinations in their vehicles. It's more like, when you buy a car, you are only allowed to go to Google-approved destinations. You are allowed to submit a new destination for consideration, but ultimately google can decide if you are allowed to go there or not.

In this analogy it sounds like google is a bus, which is... fine? Maybe not for you but what’s wrong with busses for those who don’t care about flexibility?

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

#407
post #369

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…

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…

The vast majority of users have no strong opinions on the matter of software package distribution. They take what's given to them.

The vast majority of users are perfectly fine with the Windows experience of dodging fake download button ads, unticking bundled McAfee installs, having no automatic update mechanism, etc (which is still more or less the default even on Win10).

They only start caring when they can't do something they want to do. They rarely think about the "how".

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

#408
post #15

We were suspended once for serving deceptive ads. Yet the only ad network we use is Google Adsense. We had to remove Google Ads to be allowed back in.

Note sure how that is possible? Was your app so ugly that everything looked like an ad, kinda like reverse camouflage?

Probably a deceptive ad (likely violating Google Ads rules) was shown via Google Ads during Google testing, automated or otherwise.

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

#409
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…

How is the parent trying to impose anything on you? By what mechanism would they be able to do so?

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

#410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would that lawsuit allege? Under contract law, companies have a right to terminate their dealings with others, for any or no reason. Maybe it would be good if there was a law restricting that for these platforms, but as far as I know, there isn't. So I don't see how a lawsuit could be successful.

I'm not a lawyer, but it feels like an abuse of monopoly power (Antitrust laws) Google sounds like they are using their control of the Android store to prevent an application being published that competes with their Google Maps Mobile App, which also offers similar public transport tracking and time-table information

I think you'd need to show some evidence that public transport apps (or apps competing with Google's, in general) are particularly targeted.
Post reply on HN