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Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#61

Post by webartifex »

slightwinder wrote: post #45
webartifex wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. I am using the German email provider mailbox.org They even report how often the government forces them to release info with a search warrant. However, I have yet to find an email provider that mimics Gmail's tagging system (=> you can give n many tags to a single email and that email is only kept once on the server). I often think that Google's "Don't do evil" motto is stretched way too often these days.

> However, I have yet to find an email provider that mimics Gmail's tagging system IMAP does support keywords, which are basically tags. Probably some good IMAP-Client supports this? There is also JMAP as a modern alternative to IMAP in development. Fastmail released a beta-interface for this, which also includes tag-support AFAIK. And finally, Outlook surprisingly seems to support tagging, but they call it categorie…

Thanks for your comments.

I have used Thunderbird and Evolution mainly. They cannot really do that afaik.

> Probably some good IMAP-Client supports this? The Gmail clients do that (at least the last version's I remember 3 years ago). Haven't seen any other FOSS that does so too. That is what made going away from Gmail kind of "hard".

Currently I'm using K9 on Android and the web client by mailbox.org based on OX AppSuite. Both are ok, but usability could be better.

Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#62

Post by Spivak »

scarface74 wrote: post #32
derekp7 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But only if you set a security flag to "allow anything to be installed". I want a security flag that says "allow apps from sources signed by the following keys", where I can import app store keys from the app store(s) of my choosing. So I'm still protected, as long as I trust those app stores that I import.

Yeah, that's going to work really well for the average consumer....

"Allow this app to install other apps" and behind the scenes this means it adds the store's public key to "known sources."

Just because the parent is talking about the implementation doesn't mean the user-facing UI will actually expose any of it.

Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#63

Post by mrtksn »

Apple rejected my update for having COVID-19 related keywords, I removed the keywords and submitted again and it was approved pronto. I wasn't trying to piggyback the pandemic or anything like that, I added the keyword because it's relevant to my app.

But as I understand it, Apple is not accepting any apps related to COVID-19 that don't come from an authority like a medical institution or a government body. In the face of the reality that there are many people ready to sell their mothers to slavery for profit(and even maybe likes or the LULs), I am O.K. with leaving the pandemic to the monopoly of institutions that can be held responsible for their actions.

You should try to re-submit your app without referencing to the pandemic in any way. Do not include any keywords that can get you flagged again. After all, the pandemic could have never happened. You are not entitled to profit from it, right?

Your description looks fairly innocent and I see how it is relevant to mention the quarantine and I wish you luck as your app might actually help people with it but it's not the end of the world not to use the word.

Unlike you, there are many people looking to rank high in the most popular keywords simply because these are popular keywords at the moment and it's likely that Google and Apple don't have a better way to separate bad apples from the good apples so they go for the crude but safe approach of banning them.

Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#64

Post by g_p »

leppr wrote: post #8

I've long wished there was a more encompassing alternative to F-Droid, which would include the same payment facilities as Google Play (paid app, in-app payments, subscriptions), allow proprietary apps (but still give FOSS as a search filter and show it as a prominent feature on the app page), and offer plenty of user curation features ala Steam and make filters optional (which would allow communities of independent r…

XDA Labs originally set out to do a few of these things.

https://www.xda-developers.com/xda-labs/

It tries to provide an alternative to the 30% "platform charge", and offers PayPal and cryptocurrency payments (with real-time approval etc from what I recall).

It's hard to gain users on an alternative store, especially when most don't know what isn't available to them. And most also don't see the 30% fee being taken from the developer by the platform. Low cost apps are pretty much unaffordable to do at hobbyist scale when you factor in the platform charge, VAT, and taxes, and I fear for the future with app development heading down the route of only large professional outfits doing so (with their large, professional data gathering and monetisation plans).

Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#66

Post by koheripbal »

Kye wrote: post #57
timdorr wrote: post #13

One of the most popular podcast apps, Podcast Addict, is dealing with this right now as well: https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/18/podcast-addict-pull... https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1261651512947691520

HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23219427

Can someone remind me why there is an "app store" that is run by the phone OS maker? Aside from the anti-trust/monopoly type issue, should there be a more market healthy de-coupling between the place I buy my apps and the OS maker?

Monopolies are almost always bad for consumers.

I kind of chuckle when I think about how Microsoft had such a huge battle over IE being integrated into Windows, and now we sort of accept a situation 100x worse on our mobile phones without batting an eye.

Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#67

Post by koheripbal »

cryptoquick wrote: post #5

Google is just such an awful, despicable company, that I've actually moved everything I can from their platform. It wasn't easy, I'd been a Gmail user for nearly 15 years. I'd rather pay Microsoft a hundred bucks a year than support them. That's how much I hate Google.

wait... what makes Microsoft any better? I mean, the only reason they aren't flexing the same muscle is because they don't (today) have the monopoly power Google has.

...but when they did, they acted the same way. ...and if they do again, they'll do the same as Google.

The only correct move, IMO, is to self-host.

Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#68

Post by zaroth »

Grazester wrote: post #60
phh wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A 3rd-party application store can't update apps silently to name one, the user has to approve every app update one by one.

I fully agree with this for non play store apps from a security standpoint.

I think the problem is that users aren’t given the option. Hence the original question of; what technical disadvantages do non-Play stores face?

I think we agree this is a crucial technical disadvantage. Do you think it would be fair for users to be able to make this decision for themselves on devices they own?

Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#69

Post by celebrant »

derekp7 wrote: post #29
scarface74 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alternate app stores have been allowed on Android since day one.

But only if you set a security flag to "allow anything to be installed". I want a security flag that says "allow apps from sources signed by the following keys", where I can import app store keys from the app store(s) of my choosing. So I'm still protected, as long as I trust those app stores that I import.

That doesn't matter when companies ship their own app stores installed as systems apps like Samsung and Amazon do.

Re: Google bans my events app for referencing Covid-19, or related terms

#70

Post by DagAgren »

leppr wrote: post #8

I've long wished there was a more encompassing alternative to F-Droid, which would include the same payment facilities as Google Play (paid app, in-app payments, subscriptions), allow proprietary apps (but still give FOSS as a search filter and show it as a prominent feature on the app page), and offer plenty of user curation features ala Steam and make filters optional (which would allow communities of independent r…

It will 100% be filled with scammy and fraud apps instantly.
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