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AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

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Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#41

Post by dataflow »

david_allison wrote: post #34
dataflow wrote: post #4

> Play billing "must not be used in cases where payments include … tax exempt donations" > Note: 501(c)(6) is a tax-exempt status; donations are not tax-deductible for the donor. Google's communications explicitly state "tax-exempt". Isn't it pretty obvious that the problem is the donations aren't tax-exempt, despite the organization being tax-exempt? Your note suggests you already understand this. Logically, the pay…

We've been seeking official clarification from Google on this for over a month. That's what we're seeking here. It's not clear given Google's policy wording and replies. We've removed the links, and can move forward once clarification has been provided.

Their emails are confusing, but they came after the alleged violation in private communication, not what you were going from at the time of the alleged violation. If you ignore them momentarily (surely you understand they probably aren't as well-scrutinized by lawyers, which would explain why they appear to mistakenly refer to the tax status of the recipient rather than that of the donation), is anything else actually confusing or inconsistent? Their policies, the relevant laws, and what common sense would have you expect - they seem pretty cut and dried. Are they inconsistent with anything other than their emails, which came after the fact?

From another angle: why/how do you feel the tax-exempt-mess of the recipient itself could sensibly be the determining factor here, rather than the taxability of the transaction itself? Is there any law or precedent or anything outside their emails that would suggests a payment processor should look at the tax status of the recipient rather than that of a transaction?

Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#42

Post by emursebrian »

amiga386 wrote: post #8
brainwad wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can install from other stores (AnkiDroid is on F-Droid, for example), or from direct file download on Android already. The problem is rather thay most users just use the store preinstalled on their phone as part of Google's deal with OEMs to bundle Google Play Services. So either you follow Google's rules, or you lose all the users who don't want to leave the walled garden, even though they can.

Yeah, not for much longer though: https://keepandroidopen.org/

Wow. The click the build number a bunch of times is already onerous enough. Now we're going to have to wait 24 hours to spin up a new development device?

Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#43

Post by Gander5739 »

vachina wrote: post #37
Gander5739 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is on Android, though.

Android and iOS keep each other in check

I wish. It's not like the (former) openness of Android pulled iOS any more open; in fact, it feels more like the reverse.

Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#44

Post by realusername »

dataflow wrote: post #29
jsiepkes wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> fear-mongering is not helping your cause So we started with an OS (when Google still needed to gain market share and goodwill) which was opensource. Now Google is no longer developing Android source code in the open and decreasing the "opensourcing" to a couple of source drops each year (the interval has been decreased multiple times). Google Play was introduced (basically clamping down the app store ecosystem) and…

> And for some reason you seem to think it is reasonable to assume it is going to stop here? I really don't. That is, actually, my entire point: people are going to roll their eyes at this right now. And then you're going to lack/lose the supporters you'll need when things really get bad.

Things are really bad already on Android. Most bootloaders are locked, Google prevents you to use the very few unlocked ones through the (legally questionable) Play Integrity. AOSP is basically dead (it doesn't even include a functional keyboard nor a functional call manager nowadays, can it still be called a phone?) and now they are further locking direct installs

Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#46

Post by cnowacek »

devsda wrote: post #40
brainwad wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can install from other stores (AnkiDroid is on F-Droid, for example), or from direct file download on Android already. The problem is rather thay most users just use the store preinstalled on their phone as part of Google's deal with OEMs to bundle Google Play Services. So either you follow Google's rules, or you lose all the users who don't want to leave the walled garden, even though they can.

When do we stop this instinctive response of "well you can still do it in an only slightly convoluted way" everytime a corporate does something bad. Windows added ads - well you can disable them, if you don't like it. Chrome brought up mv3 - well you can still use mv2, it is only optional. Reddit locking subreddits behind login wall - well there's always old.reddit Android moving everything to playstore - there's alw…

While I agree with your point, conflating the effort to install apps outside of the Google Play Store with the effort to immigrate to a different country is wildly incomparable.

Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#47

Post by neilcj »

dataflow wrote: post #4

> Play billing "must not be used in cases where payments include … tax exempt donations" > Note: 501(c)(6) is a tax-exempt status; donations are not tax-deductible for the donor. Google's communications explicitly state "tax-exempt". Isn't it pretty obvious that the problem is the donations aren't tax-exempt, despite the organization being tax-exempt? Your note suggests you already understand this. Logically, the pay…

> the payment processor (who deals with sales taxes rather than income taxes) should worry about the taxability of the transaction rather than the tax status of the recipient

A donation is not a sale of a good or service. This is not a question of sales tax collection.

Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#48

Post by dataflow »

realusername wrote: post #44
dataflow wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And for some reason you seem to think it is reasonable to assume it is going to stop here? I really don't. That is, actually, my entire point: people are going to roll their eyes at this right now. And then you're going to lack/lose the supporters you'll need when things really get bad.

Things are really bad already on Android. Most bootloaders are locked, Google prevents you to use the very few unlocked ones through the (legally questionable) Play Integrity. AOSP is basically dead (it doesn't even include a functional keyboard nor a functional call manager nowadays, can it still be called a phone?) and now they are further locking direct installs

> Things are really bad already on Android. Most bootloaders are locked, Google prevents you to use the very few unlocked ones through the (legally questionable) Play Integrity. AOSP is basically dead

This feels like complaining about the color of the bikeshed, me saying you should save your complaints for when things get really bad, and you replying "things are really bad already, there is a rotten carcass in there and the roof leaks."

Okay, so let's keep complaining about the color then.

Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#49

Post by Forgeties79 »

devsda wrote: post #40
brainwad wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can install from other stores (AnkiDroid is on F-Droid, for example), or from direct file download on Android already. The problem is rather thay most users just use the store preinstalled on their phone as part of Google's deal with OEMs to bundle Google Play Services. So either you follow Google's rules, or you lose all the users who don't want to leave the walled garden, even though they can.

When do we stop this instinctive response of "well you can still do it in an only slightly convoluted way" everytime a corporate does something bad. Windows added ads - well you can disable them, if you don't like it. Chrome brought up mv3 - well you can still use mv2, it is only optional. Reddit locking subreddits behind login wall - well there's always old.reddit Android moving everything to playstore - there's alw…

Actually old reddit doesn’t work that way anymore lol you must login or use crappy reddit, which is exactly to your point though! They will just keep making it harder and harder until you simply can’t, but by then so a few people will be “opting in/out” that they’ll argue nobody wants the ability to toggle that anyway.

Re: AnkiDroid: Google Play no longer allowing Open Collective donation link

#50

Post by j16sdiz »

david_allison wrote: post #34
dataflow wrote: post #4

> Play billing "must not be used in cases where payments include … tax exempt donations" > Note: 501(c)(6) is a tax-exempt status; donations are not tax-deductible for the donor. Google's communications explicitly state "tax-exempt". Isn't it pretty obvious that the problem is the donations aren't tax-exempt, despite the organization being tax-exempt? Your note suggests you already understand this. Logically, the pay…

We've been seeking official clarification from Google on this for over a month. That's what we're seeking here. It's not clear given Google's policy wording and replies. We've removed the links, and can move forward once clarification has been provided.

Google's policy wording is clear. It is just you don't like what is written.
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