Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

github.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

241–250 of 293 posts

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#241

Post by quambene »

The first time you deal with Google's customer support, you wish you had never dealt with Google in the first place.

Their decisions are slow, arbitrary and often inconsistent. Regularly, they are not answering at all.

We are fighting with Google for 8 months already. Our app was suspended 5 times. We re-submitted 3 new apps in order to comply. They approved our appeals request, only to suspend the app one week later. A process error as admitted 3 months later by Google. Our app was even in quantum state once: both approved and suspended at the same time. The story still goes on ...

All other app stores, like Apple App Store, Huawei AppGallery, and Samsung Galaxy Store made a thorough check once, but all approved the app months ago.

When I started a startup, I was afraid of bureaucracy in Germany. Turns out that in fact the greatest threat is Google's (non existing) customer support.

To be clear, I don't blame the customer support itself. They are doing their best. It just seems that Google is seriously understaffed in this area. It's outrageous that the 30 percent fee is not invested in sufficient man power.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#242

Post by e3bc54b2 »

grishka wrote: post #193
ThePhysicist wrote: post #113

Just wait 5-10 years and it will probably be the same way on Windows and MacOS. They will argue that installing arbitrary, unvetted software through the web is dangerous, so it's only reasonable for Microsoft and Apple to make this very difficult and instead promote installing all software through their app stores (which they already start doing). Once software is primarily distributed via these stores they will also…

Desktop OSes can't be fully locked down for the simple reason that people use them for programming and thus need to run unsigned arbitrary code.

Well, they can just say that "Development" on desktops is dangerous for the user and allows malicious actors to create malware. As such, desktop OS will block running of any unsigned binary. For developing your Microsoft© Authorised Application®, please sign up to CodeSpaces™ subscription at just $99 per month!

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#243

Post by timothyaveni »

tabbott wrote: post #200

We've had similar problems with keeping Zulip in the Apple app store. It's incredibly unpleasant to deal with this aspect of publishing an open source application. For context, Zulip is a 100% open-source team chat project (in the same space as Slack/IRC/etc.). You can self-host Zulip, which we've put a lot of effort into making easy, or host it on Zulip Cloud (with both free and paid plans). There's no individual su…

Wow, thanks for sharing your experience. The GitHub thing in particular is absolutely absurd. We do have GitHub Sponsors set up on the Language Transfer repository, but it looks like the GitHub link wasn't the culprit this time around.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#244

Post by jfrunyon »

RHSeeger wrote: post #209
jfrunyon wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Google's intent is to ban donations to an app creator, then why does it explicitly say "if they require or accept payment for access to features or services, including any app functionality, digital content or goods"? Frankly it seems to me that the intent of the rules is to specifically allow asking for payment/"donation" outside of Play so long as nothing in your app is affected by it.

I read the intent as disallowing the use of the app store to distribute an app that you make money on, without paying for the use of the app store. It seems as simple as that. And "this app is free, but please come give me money for it" is a way of doing just that.

Again, "if they require or accept payment for access to features or services"

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#245

Post by WillDaSilva »

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #187
mattnewton wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotally, but my windows machine's sole purpose is to run steam games (and associated utilities around it like discord that all seem to either be web apps, wrapped in electron or chrome). The only thing keeping me from installing Linux for everything is poor proton support on a handful of games.

The only thing that keeps me on Windows is that because CheatEngine doesn't work on Linux. I like playing around with it to enhance my gaming experience (usually to boost enemies in late stages of CK2 / EU4).

You can have any Steam game that supports Windows run through Proton, and then install and run Cheat Engine within that game's Proton/Wine prefix.

Definitely not as user friendly, but it does work. Alternatively you can use Game Conqueror, but it very basic compared to Cheat Engine.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#246

Post by [deleted] »

DannyBee wrote: post #206
hypothesis wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody will be actually happy. I’ve heard people say that about true compromise… It seems like there are extremes, carriers were abusing their positions before Apple came up with iPhone and app store and wrangled power away from carriers. Now they have lived long enough to become the villain… it might be time to reset matrix again and work towards a better outcome.

The natural state of these things is one where someone is abusing it, whether carriers or someone else. I don't actually disagree with your assessment of what happened, but i don't have the hope people here do. I have watched the ebb and flow too many times, and lived in DC too long :) I also think the hope is amazingly misplaced. Rarely, if ever, do complex systems like this change in the desired way as a result of…

[deleted]

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#247

Post by 0xdeadb00f »

crowbahr wrote: post #228
nousermane wrote: post #111

Another example of arbitrary playstore rules killing a FOSS app - playstore version of termux is stuck on a 2-year-old release (0.101) and can't run on Android 10 at all. If you install from F-Droid - latest version is available (0.117) and works on Android 10, too. https://github.com/termux/termux-app/issues/1072 https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Termux_Google_Play

I'm running termux on Android 11. Ran it on 10. All installed from Google play. I'm not saying there aren't issues. I'm just saying that you can install and run from gplay.

Pretty sure OPs point is that the play version is stuck multiple versions behind the repo. So, it works, but you're not anywhere near up-to-date.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#248

Post by joshxyz »

m4rtink wrote: post #120
ThePhysicist wrote: post #113

Just wait 5-10 years and it will probably be the same way on Windows and MacOS. They will argue that installing arbitrary, unvetted software through the web is dangerous, so it's only reasonable for Microsoft and Apple to make this very difficult and instead promote installing all software through their app stores (which they already start doing). Once software is primarily distributed via these stores they will also…

The possibility of OS vendors forcing users to only install software from their walled gardens is the reason Valve started to support Linux, created their own Linux distro (Steam OS, now based on Arch Linux) and ultimately why Steam Deck was built. IIRC the main trigger was Windows 8 that back then had a strong push to only use Windows Store to install software. Valve could not conceivably continue doing business if…

dude im totes happy when i found out i can do dev work on linux and play valve games on same device!

windows is shit these days oh god.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#249

Post by numpad0 »

BelenusMordred wrote: post #24
squarefoot wrote: post #18

Tell Google how you feel about that by searching "google app store alternatives", then installing Aurora Store. https://auroraoss.com/ https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS From the Aurora Store FAQ: What is the difference between Aurora Store and Google's Play store? Unlike Google's Play Store, Aurora Store doesn't track your downloads or the apps you use. We respect your privacy. Aurora Store is also unaffected by Google ma…

Always amuses me when using google to search for f-droid . Google will always insist you meant android and show you those results instead, which of course is the play store version if it exists.

It’s depressing that wokest of woke users(including myself) still use Google to find a link or at most DDG which is just a wrapper to Google Search.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#250

Post by Causality1 »

squarefoot wrote: post #18

Tell Google how you feel about that by searching "google app store alternatives", then installing Aurora Store. https://auroraoss.com/ https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS From the Aurora Store FAQ: What is the difference between Aurora Store and Google's Play store? Unlike Google's Play Store, Aurora Store doesn't track your downloads or the apps you use. We respect your privacy. Aurora Store is also unaffected by Google ma…

Does Aurora do anything for apps that are marked device-exclusive, for example Half Life 2?
Post reply on HN