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Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

danfitdegree.hashnode.dev

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Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#281

Post by juliushuijnk »

I was also thinking I was talking to an AI after a number of emails, so eventually I tested it out:

> I wish to speak to a human. If you are human and are allowed to write anything, please use the word "cow" in your reply.

Response:

> We appreciate you getting back to us and we apologize for any inconvenience this is causing you. Yes, you are communicating to a human being and per your request, please see the word "cow".

The most dry way to user 'cow' ever. Humor must be crime within that department.

--

Even today I got a rejection to my appeal at the same time my app update went live. They don't hold any record of previous communication or history on app updates and rejections.

The rejection was for a too minimalist text I fixed already in an earlier update. They quoted a text that was not part of the update (!).

Multiple times I have overcome a rejection, by just adding a single character to my main app store text (a space char will do). And just re-submit.

Then you get to re-role the dice, and perhaps the update can go live.

I also always appeal everything, use their feedback tools, give single star ratings to review process, etc, hope it will set something in motion.

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#282

Post by tluyben2 »

fleddr wrote: post #119

And this is why we need to cherish the web. I see no reason why a yoga app can't be done on the web. I do know that apps tend to convert better, if only we could bridge that gap. It's in particular troubling how much of this madness we've internalized to just accept. The idea that you need to resubmit a 100 apps because Google decided you need to target a different internal version number is insane. It would be very…

> And this is why we need to cherish the web.

We implement our apps with an offline mode which offers everything, but because you have to manually bookmark them on your phone home page, it is too much to ask for users and they forget. So they download the app from a store. If we had something that an online app can indicate it has a fully offline mode for the browser to pick up, it could ask ‘download for offline and add icon to your apps?’ . The extra step is preventing users from doing/knowing about this; AppStore/playstore is just lower friction.

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#283

Post by nibbleshifter »

sgjohnson wrote: post #82
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like in this case it needs to be a craft union or industrial union: a union made up of laborers of a craft or industry (in this case, mobile app developers). Get enough developers of high-profile apps on board, and now you have negotiating power. If they balk, make a union-controlled app store, threaten to sell apps only on the union store.

Quoted post unavailable.

Outside of the US, where people seem to have licked some lead paint or huffed glue when learning about unions, developers often do unionise or join an appropriate trade union.

Why?

Its a form of insurance.

Your Union will provide legal cover in the event of a dispute with your employer (eg: wrongful termination), legal advice, representation if you are dealing with say, HR department, and are super useful when engaging in collective bargaining to get a better deal when your company starts down the road of stupid policies (eg, limiting WFH).

Think of union dues as a small fee you pay to retain a legal team for employment problems.

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#284

Post by solarkraft »

juliushuijnk wrote: post #281

I was also thinking I was talking to an AI after a number of emails, so eventually I tested it out: > I wish to speak to a human. If you are human and are allowed to write anything, please use the word "cow" in your reply. Response: > We appreciate you getting back to us and we apologize for any inconvenience this is causing you. Yes, you are communicating to a human being and per your request, please see the word "c…

> Yes, you are communicating to a human being and per your request, please see the word "cow".

GPT-2/3 can probably do this.

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#285

Post by solarkraft »

bogwog wrote: post #211
cwkoss wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A union for customers of monolithic tech companies who provide negligent support could be cool.

That is a completely ridiculous solution to a very simple problem. How do we give bargaining power to developers? We break up the app store monopolies. That's it. Google/Apple giving you shit? Give them the finger and put your app on another store. There's no stronger bargaining chip than the free market.

That's not easier at all. By a wide margin.

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#286

Post by solarkraft »

philsnow wrote: post #147
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like in this case it needs to be a craft union or industrial union: a union made up of laborers of a craft or industry (in this case, mobile app developers). Get enough developers of high-profile apps on board, and now you have negotiating power. If they balk, make a union-controlled app store, threaten to sell apps only on the union store.

One problem with this approach is that the customers of the app stores generally aren't individual developers, they're the companies that make the apps. It would be stronger to say Uber, King Games (candy crush), Roblox, and PUBG Mobile are dissatisfied with the way policies are unevenly enforced on the App Store / Play Store. Here are our demands, kindly address them or we will collectively deprive Apple / Google of…

That's not a problem at all. Pretty sure the GP meant publishers, e.g. Uber, King Games, Roblox (...).

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#287

Post by solarkraft »

dcdc123 wrote: post #67
dekhn wrote: post #14

Is there any large group representing App developers that could manage the large-scale negotiation and legal wrangling required to force Apple and Google to be more helpful when rejecting legitimate applications? When I worked in Google (Ads, then later in Recommendations for Play and youtube) people often said this was intention to avoid teaching spammers how to get around the rules. But it's clear there are enough…

Support legislation requiring Apple and Google to allow third party app stores.

This is coming in the EU. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#288

Post by solarkraft »

Nemo_bis wrote: post #258
dekhn wrote: post #14

Is there any large group representing App developers that could manage the large-scale negotiation and legal wrangling required to force Apple and Google to be more helpful when rejecting legitimate applications? When I worked in Google (Ads, then later in Recommendations for Play and youtube) people often said this was intention to avoid teaching spammers how to get around the rules. But it's clear there are enough…

The Digital Services Act is supposed to provide some legal recourse, at least in the European Union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Services_Act https://verfassungsblog.de/dsa-fails/ However, ask the politicians at the European Commission, and they will boast that it is about this: > By summer 2023, the first very concrete effects of the #DSA will be visible for all users. This includes: Accessible "button" to…

The EU is in a weird place.

They seem to be genuinely motivated by "individual rights", but with more of a focus on harassment rather than freedom of expression, so they usually err on the side of over-enforcement (of censoring rules, etc), since they're so used to the under-enforcement of the past.

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#289

Post by moffkalast »

TylerE wrote: post #232
moffkalast wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean aside from when you see every free android app cost $6.99 on iOS?

I’ll take a 6.99 price over android craware loaded with ads.

What if I told you there are blockers that work through the Android VPN API that can strip out ads out of every app. Using Blokada 5 myself.

Having an ad blocker is a core essential on today's internet. Even Apple makes $4B/year in just ads.

Re: Two weeks of dealing with Google as a developer

#290

Post by origin_path »

praxulus wrote: post #10

It'd be great if google offered an option for a video call with a reviewer for $500/hr as an escalation option for businesses who are getting nowhere with the regular process. Ideally you'd get a refund if you turned out to be correct, but I'd be happy even without that.

Although it's not app store review, Apple DTS is like that (but way cheaper). And I have to say the quality of developer support you get from it has been amazing for me.
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