If only there was an alternative to the Apple app store like F-Droid is for Google Play...
AltStore is a thing, assuming you have a Mac...
Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
71–80 of 579 posts
Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's fucking infuriating that the only way to get the attention of a human at Google is to know someone or to frontpage HN.
Time for HN to branch out.. "HN Eyeballs, submit your gripe with Google, we'll show it to Googlers based on their IP address".
As soon as you do that, the effect is gone. It can only ever work in a few isolated cases. Attention arbitrage so to speak
Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#73Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#74Apparently andOTP was removed for the same reason a couple of days ago: https://github.com/andOTP/andOTP/issues/396 . As mentioned in the announcement, you can switch over to F-Droid (for the time being) to get the latest version: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.wireguard.android .
>(for the time being) Why do you have that caveat ? You can use f-droid forever.
I'm on an unrooted phone and F-Droid doesn't do auto-updates or even "update all". I have to remember to open F-Droid once in a while to click "Update" and then "Install" for each app, one-by-one.
I understand that it's probably Google's fault for not providing APIs/permissions but it's still terrible UX. I only use F-Droid when an app isn't available on the Play Store.
Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
It indeed is unfortunate. But what other recourse did we have? The first objective, before we even consider donations or anything, is to make our software available and functional to our users. So we had to resubmit. And it's not like the resubmission process is instantaneous; as of writing, the app still isn't back in the store. But anyway, now what? Let's say things return to normal, but we still want to put the si…
Donations are not supported by in-app purchases, and I'm sure this doesn't mean open source apps are not allowed to sustain themselves by showing a donation link. Or if that is Google's unwritten policy, people must make their voices heard, this abusive behavior cannot be accepted. I would resubmit the app with the donation link and continue to document and share what happened. Please do not allow them to set a prece…
You are effectively proposing to spend the donated money on improving the Play Store instead of on improving Wireguard.
Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#76Ugh, app stores!
No one needs them for discovering new software. You go to the app store to get a specific piece of software you already know about and whose reputation you’ve already verified.
No one needs them for code signing. If you want the real firefox.apk you can download it from https://firefox.com/ and notice a lack of SSL alarms going off. What’s the code signing for — to let me know that HTTPS works?!
All I really want is an OS facility that only executes code that has been installed explicitly by me, and always in a sandbox. That’ll stop that dodgy email from executing r00t.sh via an exploit in my mail client.
App stores and code signing popups are proxies for that kind of OS facility, but I’d rather it was just part of the OS explicitly.
App stores leave me with all sorts of unwanted properties, namely Google / Apple throwing their unwanted opinion around. Search for Instagram in the iOS App Store: the top UI element is “InstaMap”, thanks Apple!
Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#77The very same thing happened to manyverse (android ssb client) the other day. Got de-listed, resubmitted without donation page, now it's back up.
How google tries to claim any sort of support for open source is beyond me. What open source app doesn't need a donation link? Those approved and funded by google don't, okay. But other than that?
Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, there is very little distinction. I'd argue that both are donations. Pay-as-much-as-you-want (if $0 is an allowable price) represents a donation with a slightly different funnel. The for-profit vs non-profit distinction is immaterial to me; the distinction is between actually paying for products (e.g. buying an ingame item or support or a subscription or whatever; some sort of 'contractual' thing), and literall…
To purely play devil's advocate, there are a number of 'home restaurants' (operate out of my home) that are pay-what-you-want and operate quite profitably. I believe 100% they should be taxed (i'm totally conflating taxes and apple/google profit share but it's a form of a network fee?). Through this discussion I do wish there was an exception for FOSS for individuals at a legal level. I can 100% agree though that the…
How taxation is collected is a completely different issue and has a trillion nuances.
Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
>(for the time being) Why do you have that caveat ? You can use f-droid forever.
I'm on an unrooted phone and F-Droid doesn't do auto-updates or even "update all". I have to remember to open F-Droid once in a while to click "Update" and then "Install" for each app, one-by-one. I understand that it's probably Google's fault for not providing APIs/permissions but it's still terrible UX. I only use F-Droid when an app isn't available on the Play Store.
fdroid periodically automatically checks and notifies of updates to apps. You can also "Update all", using the button of the same name, but you will have to press install for each, due to the way Android works, which is a bit of a pity.
Re: Open-source apps removed from Google Play Store due to donation links
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is no need for an ideological fight, because there is no written Google Play policy against donation links in apps. This is most likely a mistake made by the reviewer or an automated system, and I believe they should follow up on it to sort things out.
> I believe they should follow up on it to sort things out. reply I'm sure you believe that. Do you work at Google in a position to supervise app reviews? Because if you do, then you can help straighten this out. If you don't, then it is hopeless. Technically, Google has the right to drop any app for any reason whether it is fair or not (so suing them or something isn't an option). OP already followed the ONLY channe…
I wouldn't assume up front that any action is hopeless. There are many Googlers on this forum and issues like that get forwarded and discussed internally. Google has Open Source Programs Office which used to have a lot of clout inside the company, at least at the time when I worked there.