Google can ban your Android app if they think you’ve clicked on your own ads

Post by uzakov » Wed, Apr 28, 2021, 3:48 PM UTC

for_i_in_range wrote: post #309

cookiengineer wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can confirm this solid advice. Even at a mega-scale social games publisher like Zynga, we had to deal with automated bans all the time. That's why at one point we used an avatar for each game that was separately managed and was basically a separate identity with a separate bank account with a holding company etc. - Invent an avatar that has their own profile, residence, birth date, gender etc. - Use separate email ad…

I find it hard to believe Zynga had to use such techniques unless you’re referring to very early days. I, too, have used the techniques you’ve mentioned and went way down the rabbit hole. Among the things you’ve mentioned also found myself shipping friends and family laptops and Teamviewering into them to use alias accounts. Not fun to have to resort to such tactics. If Zynga still employs such, I shall make a mental…

Post by bogwog » Wed, Apr 28, 2021, 3:50 PM UTC

iczero wrote: post #201

malikNF wrote: post #21

How on earth does google manage to still be one of the most valuable (in $$$) companies in the world with this kind of behavior. I just can't imagine treating my customers half as bad as the way google does and still continue to be in business. Abruptly dropping support for products[1], violating their user's privacy [2] , working with organizations accused of human rights violations. Each passing year it seems googl…

Remember "don't be evil"? I bet Google doesn't.

Post by cube00 » Wed, Apr 28, 2021, 4:07 PM UTC

e3bc54b2 wrote: post #189

cube00 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they're banning a free account and you haven't suffered any monetary loss I doubt if the court will take kindly to its time being wasted with a case like this. Any argument about data loss would be put back on you with "back up better next time"

That makes me wonder if Google has a whitelist of accounts, never to ban unless via manual intervention. Kind of like how Trump was not banned for years from Twitter despite breaking their policies multiple times. This way, Google can keep the general muck banned but the actual troublemakers or those capacity for such will stay up.

Post by cortic » Wed, Apr 28, 2021, 4:12 PM UTC

busymom0 wrote: post #6

bogwog wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stories like this always scare me because they remind me that all of my domain names are on Google domains, including the one I use for my work email address. I gotta migrate out one of these days.

Epik and Namecheap are pretty good imo. Definitely don't use GoDaddy. EDIT: One can find several instances where users search domain names on GoDaddy and they are available at regular price but when they try to place the order, the domain is no longer available and must be bought at a premium price.

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Apr 28, 2021, 4:39 PM UTC

franga2000 wrote: post #152

12ian34 wrote: post #147

I find it strange that it's so normalised to consider something as invasive and manipulative as advertising as the standard method of monetisation. How about trying to make a product so good that it has some intrinsic value that a user wants to pay for?

Because people won't pay, especially not on Google Play. Even if people do buy it and it's mildly successful, a company from a country where work costs less will clone it and offer it for free with ads - and no price can compete with free.