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Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

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Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#32

You say that #2 is the big killer for you. This also significantly hurts Google, so presumably it will be fixed. Of course, it's a higher priority for you than it is for them. But #4 is baked into the Google culture and is very unlikely to change.

#4 is baked into all their products. As an enterprise user of Google Apps (paid), we're lucky to get a response to our support issues in a timely manner, if at all. One of the big reasons 80% of our organisation uses Exchange, even though we hate it.

Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#33
post #20

You say that #2 is the big killer for you. This also significantly hurts Google, so presumably it will be fixed. Of course, it's a higher priority for you than it is for them. But #4 is baked into the Google culture and is very unlikely to change.

Agreed on #4. On #2 I've always found it crazy that Android market is an also ran in app search and discoverability -- Apple has not set the bar very high and that's supposed to be Google's forte anyway.

I'm not surprised. Gmail for quite some time couldn't find emails like this when you searched for "bank":

    Hey Steko,

    I'm going to the bank.

    Erik
Note the ending period. I know it takes time to sort out internal APIs so that you can re-use code effectively, but you think Google would have at least the basics of search split out into re-useable modules that they could snap into new applications. I guess not though.

Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#34
post #27

Everything you've pointed out are sort of known issues with the google market. Instead of complaining switch to Apple store and see if you do any better. To me this is almost a trolling rant, to ignite the Apple vs Android debate and possibly a marketing ploy. Theres been plenty of posts about successes in the Android market. I actually think you've done quite well on the Android Market. Release your game on the Appl…

He was probably talking about the quality of shopping list apps when they were surveying the various market places. Its not necessarily an indication of the situation now.

well from what I can see his first review is in February of this year.

Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#35
post #30

Everything you've pointed out are sort of known issues with the google market. Instead of complaining switch to Apple store and see if you do any better. To me this is almost a trolling rant, to ignite the Apple vs Android debate and possibly a marketing ploy. Theres been plenty of posts about successes in the Android market. I actually think you've done quite well on the Android Market. Release your game on the Appl…

Are you doing a reddit style performance based on your username? If so it is not funny or appropriate, if not I don't get why you're so aggressive and accusatory with your reply.

My only point is he is blaming google for everyone of his own failures. Rather than blaming google, do something productive about it. A lot of these issues have been known issues and if he did any sort of diligence would be fully aware of these by now. As I pointed out there are plenty of successes on the Google Market, and a lot of developers on doing very well on the Market itself.

I welcome his advice for other developers to wait, that means more opportunity for developers that do want to develop on the Android marketplace.

Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#36
As for #2, if I were you I would change the application name in the Android Store to "Out of Milk Shopping List", if you really believe search results matter.

I mean, have you noted that almost all the applications that rank in front of you have either "shopping list", "shopping" or "list" in their titles? I bet search gives more relevance to titles than to categories/descriptions, and you are getting bitten by this. Note that "Mighty Grocery Shopping List" which is the first paid app on the shopping category ranks on the first page when searching for "shopping list".

Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#37
The worst part is, not only are you right on the money, but you're top #4 are not everyone's top 4, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

For ME, I want 2 things, and have been BEGGING Google for them for a year now.

1) Let me reply to comments so I can SUPPORT my customers.

2) More game categories. If there were more categories my apps in Sports would not be LOSING to chess and penguin games.

Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#38
post #17

Swap to iOS. People pay for things there and there are developer support people you can talk to. Swap to Win7Phone. You may be the only person in your category still. The developer outreach is hilariously good (Shout out to Atlanta's Glenn Gordon [Microsoft] for treating the community right).

Second the shout out to Glenn Gordon, he's great and put Win7Phone on the (road)map for us.

Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#39

Everything you've pointed out are sort of known issues with the google market. Instead of complaining switch to Apple store and see if you do any better. To me this is almost a trolling rant, to ignite the Apple vs Android debate and possibly a marketing ploy. Theres been plenty of posts about successes in the Android market. I actually think you've done quite well on the Android Market. Release your game on the Appl…

You clearly did not read the posting you're commenting on. Nowhere does he say he made a game. Nowhere does he say he's never tried to find his own solutions. Nowhere does he say he hasn't done well. In fact he stated the opposite. He is no longer doing well because Google broke their own shit and don't seem to be in any particular hurry to address it. In case you missed it: Out of Milk went from doing extremely well to dead in the water almost overnight. We are working as hard we can to try and figure out solutions from our own end, but Google is the guy driving this bus and we can only do so much on our own.

Google's market problems aren't app developers responsibility to overcome just because they are 'sort of known'.

Re: Google's Android Market is crippling small development teams

#40
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you doing a reddit style performance based on your username? If so it is not funny or appropriate, if not I don't get why you're so aggressive and accusatory with your reply.

My only point is he is blaming google for everyone of his own failures. Rather than blaming google, do something productive about it. A lot of these issues have been known issues and if he did any sort of diligence would be fully aware of these by now. As I pointed out there are plenty of successes on the Google Market, and a lot of developers on doing very well on the Market itself. I welcome his advice for other de…

Your point makes no sense. How is the fact that Google has horrible support his fault? How is the fact that Google isn't updating the stats his fault? How is the fact that Google changed the search algorithm his fault?

> "A lot of these issues have been known issues and if he did any sort of diligence would be fully aware of these by now"

Oh, so these are known issues now and not "his fault." Becoming "aware" of these issues doesn't make them magically go away. This issues are still on-going despite what Google's Known Issues page says. Whatever argument you are trying to make here you're doing a horrible job at it.

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