FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
1–10 of 293 posts
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#2Absolutely absurd take from Google here. What could they be thinking? It's like they want app store legislation.
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#3This is outrageous. Google definitely lived long enough to become a villain. It is incredible how much goodwill they've lost in the past decade.
When was the last time they did anything good?
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#4Absolutely absurd take from Google here. What could they be thinking? It's like they want app store legislation.
Is the cost of losing not-quite exclusivity on Android worth the benefit of gaining a foothold in Apple land?
Probably.
Do I think Google made that decision consciously and this is part of their scheme?
No, I think they screwed up the way that they do all the time, won't apologize for it, and if they decide to reverse themselves this time, they could still un-reverse their judgement after any future update, or just because Google is incompetent that way.
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#5I really hope Epic wins the lawsuit against Apple and that the laws being announced in the US Senate/House get passed. I also hope the EU start pushing against this kind of stuff more.
Apple and Google have too much control.
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#6This is sad, but I do think I see the issue here. You are loading the website in your own app so it is considered part of the app experience. If you load the website externally using the mobile browser it shouldn't be an issue.
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#7This is absolutely outrageous and disgusting from Google. I cannot believe how at the rate the world is changing (pace wise, with each new technological breakthrough) the law simply cannot keep pace.
We've allowed AI systems unfettered, unrestricted access to our lives. AI is being deployed with absolutely no oversight (Apple's CSAM comes to mind), I'm not even sure there are any laws at all. How can apple just deploy a new system without having to first go through the courts? We all know at some point someone will lodge a suit against them for an inaccurate match...
Decisions like this must be deferred to a human, who creates a record and is capable in case anything untoward happens. AI seems exempt from any liability (this is probably why so many places are deploying such systems, as a society it seems we've decided that no matter what good or bad may happen "AI" gets a free pass and no human will likely go to jail, even if your self driving car kills you).
The fact you can be deprived due to a mistaken software error is one of the most awful things in our society, and this has happened far too many times for it to go ignored time and again.
But as I've said on HN before this thread will eventually disappear in a few hours until next time.
How many more times must threads like this be posted to HN before we DEMAND action be taken?
See you next month ;).
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#8Here we go again. Another month, another ban. They are the problem and they will never change. Their behaviour affects everyone and they do not care since they will just point to their guidelines and ban you.
Can you finally see that Google (YouTube), Apple, Microsoft and Facebook are NOT your friends?
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#9Would Google also be able to negatively influence such an app if the app was a PWA? Publishing PWA on Play Store might still lead to the same outcome, but what if it is just an independent PWA and is "installed" through the phone's browser? Of course you would loose some discoverability though, but are there other disadvantages? (provided the app is even feasible as a PWA)
Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website
#10This is sad, but I do think I see the issue here. You are loading the website in your own app so it is considered part of the app experience. If you load the website externally using the mobile browser it shouldn't be an issue.
Nope, we're not actually. On my device, anyway, the link opens in Chrome, not in an in-app browser.