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Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

everaccountable.com

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Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#11

Post by tahooie »

sergiotapia wrote: post #4

>Hi, We have reviewed your appeal and will not be reinstating your app. This decision is final and we will not be responding to any additional emails regarding this removal. If your account is still in good standing and the nature of your app allows for republishing you may consider releasing a new, policy compliant version of your app to Google Play under a new package name. We are unable to comment further on the s…

I hope that they'll get their act together on this! With only a $25 one-time barrier to entry, I can understand that they probably have thousands of awful apps being posted all the time. But they should at least show their established developers the respect of working with us before shutting us down.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#12

Post by duskwuff »

tahooie wrote: post #8
anigbrowl wrote: post #3

I hate posts like this. The app has been removed from the Google play store, so now we have no way to look at the marketing materials and offer suggestions for how they might be changed or what the problem might be. Yes, app stores should be more responsive, but there's no point in wringing your hands saying 'what could be the problem' when you leave readers in the dark like this. At least paste in the original marke…

I did manage to copy all the reviews and store description before it got taken down. Here it is: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SGy3goNVFC7zKWn0Rm10pOMb...

Based on that description, it absolutely sounds like a covert surveillance application, and I can completely understand why it was removed:

* "automatically watches every website you visit and app you use"

* "Very difficult to circumvent"

* "Option to remove the icon in the status bar"

* "Accountability partners are notified if you ever disable the app"

While the intended purpose may not be surveillance, it ends up being very well suited for that role.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#13

Post by Sonicmouse »

It's a shit business model to rely on Google or apple got your pay check via the App Store.

I've said it 1000 times. There is a story like this once a month where an entire company gets shut down because you get on apples's bad side or google decides they no longer need you.

Walled Gardens are shit. Even on google. Android is "Free and open" my ass.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#14

Post by tahooie »

jwatte wrote: post #9

Add an indicator that the app is running, and add some language in the description that directly (not just indirectly) addresses the policy. Re-submit and build up a new reputation. Yes, that sucks. The entire "we'll take 30% of your money but you can't talk to a real person and we won't tell you how we interpret your app in terms of our rules" is ludicrous. In the U.S. the market is supposed to bring forth more deve…

I have the persistent notification already. Android lets you remove the notification, so I made it easier for non-savvy people to hide it. I guess I'll take out the easy button, though my competitors all have it.

Also, I'll send an email to EVERY registered account on the device when it is set up, instead of only the one they pick. That will make it even harder to use this for spying on someone who doesn't specifically want to be spied on.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#15

Post by McDiesel »

Firstly, im not saying this to be a dick... but it sounds dickish... sorry.

What it comes down to, is that its foolish to rely on a business that lives entirely in someone else's garden... if google play just shut down tomorrow (i know, not likely, but you never know with the way patent trolls are these days) then you'd be just as screwed... if you base your livelihood on a business you own that is in and of itself reliant on a third party, you're not going to have much stability.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#16

Post by notatoad »

from the appeal: "My app helps people avoid pornography by monitoring their actions and reporting those actions to the person they specify"

from the features list: "...is hard to circumvent...", "option to remove the icon in the status bar", "Accountability partners are notified if you ever disable the app".

it's straight up spyware. it doesn't help you "avoid pornography" by blocking it like you would do if you actually wanted to avoid pornography, just by spying on you. Just because you put "for personal use only, wink wink, nudge nudge" in the description it doesn't make it any less of an app designed to invisibly and remotely monitor the activities on somebody else's phone. This is exactly what the Google Play guidelines forbid, and if you didn't read them before you published your app that's on you. Consider yourself lucky that you got away with it for this long.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#17

Post by x0x0 »

dragonwriter wrote: post #5

Among all the defenses posted in the article, there is no indication that the app presented a "a full-time persistent notification and icon that clearly identifies the app" as required by the "spyware and phishing" policy linked in the Google suspension email for apps that "track device user behavior". So, that may be the reason.

it, in fact, doesn't

   * Option to remove the icon in the status bar. The app will still run in the 
   background.
a choice quote from the very first review pasted here [1]

   So far so good I love this concept, its a subtle way to keep yourself 
   accountable with your friends help. The best feature of this app is its 
   kinda incognito in the since that you can let someone use your phone and not 
   have them wonder why you have and "accountability app" on your phone and 
   judge you. Unlike every other similar app, they have an option to hide the 
   icon from the notification area, which is very important.
Yeah, it's a mystery (rolleyes) why google disabled this app.

[1] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SGy3goNVFC7zKWn0Rm10pOMb...

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#18

Post by fragsworth »

Google is notorious for doing shit like this, you can't talk to a real person, you're just fucked. All you can do is complain on social media.

They banned my game (http://clickerheroes.com) from using their ads, which ended up losing them (and me) a small fortune in ad revenue. In my case, I wasn't even told why. I tried to appeal several times too, got rejected through what seemed to be an automated system, and had no recourse. It's especially bad because they have an effective monopoly on things like this. (The CPI on any other ad network is complete garbage)

I've had better customer service on things I paid $10 for. It's ridiculous.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#19

Post by codezero »

duskwuff wrote: post #12
tahooie wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did manage to copy all the reviews and store description before it got taken down. Here it is: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SGy3goNVFC7zKWn0Rm10pOMb...

Based on that description, it absolutely sounds like a covert surveillance application, and I can completely understand why it was removed: * "automatically watches every website you visit and app you use" * "Very difficult to circumvent" * "Option to remove the icon in the status bar" * "Accountability partners are notified if you ever disable the app" While the intended purpose may not be surveillance, it ends up b…

I don't have the link handy but this reminds me of the guy who made a Gift Card to Bitcoin exchange that started to get a lot of traffic and he was surprised that this was a common path for money launderers.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#20

Post by anigbrowl »

tahooie wrote: post #8
anigbrowl wrote: post #3

I hate posts like this. The app has been removed from the Google play store, so now we have no way to look at the marketing materials and offer suggestions for how they might be changed or what the problem might be. Yes, app stores should be more responsive, but there's no point in wringing your hands saying 'what could be the problem' when you leave readers in the dark like this. At least paste in the original marke…

I did manage to copy all the reviews and store description before it got taken down. Here it is: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SGy3goNVFC7zKWn0Rm10pOMb...

Thanks for that responsive reply. That makes it much easier to understand your situation.
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