Podcast Addict banned from Google Play Store because heaven forbid app somehow references COVID-19
- Reference: 1589817664
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/18/podcast_addict_pushbullet_google_bans/
- Source link:
"Are you for real Google. Can you please check your own Google Podcast App?" the frustrated developer said [1]on Twitter .
The app claims to be the top podcast app on Android and is certainly very popular, with over 9 million downloads and 500,000 reviews. The developer received a notification on 16 May that "pursuant to section 8.3 of the Developer Distribution Agreement and the Enforcement policy, apps referencing COVID-19, or related terms, in any form will only be approved for distribution on Google Play if they are published, commissioned, or authorized by official government entities or public health organisations… your app has been suspended and removed due to this policy issue."
The developer was invited to "provide proof of permission or submit a compliant version of your app".
[2]
Google's notification to Podcast Addict, posted on Facebook by the developer
"That's ridiculous! Every podcast out there is talking about COVID-19," said a user on the app's Facebook page [3]in response to the news. If the app is installed it still works, but attempting to download it from the Play Store shows only a "Not found" page and it no longer appears in search results.
[4]
Podcast Addict on the Play Store: this page currently returns 'Not found'
There are 2.9 million apps on Google Play, according to [5]figures from AppBrain , and Google's problem may be that manual investigation of issues like this is too slow and time-consuming, so it relies on automation. Many malicious apps and extensions are correctly removed, protecting the public. On the other hand, common developer complaints are that notice periods are short or non-existent, reasons for suspension often unclear, communication with Google on the subject challenging, and well-established apps do not seem to warrant extra attention, even when they have paid subscribers who contribute to Google's profits.
A few days ago, Pushbullet, which has an extension for Chrome that links SMS messages and notifications between Android phones and the browser and more than a million users, was threatened with suspension from the Chrome Store in 14 days with no reason given other than the generic: "Your item did not comply with the following section of our Program Policies: 'User Data Privacy'." The developer [6]posted : "Let's guess what Google requires in 14 days or they kill our extension," describing how they reduced the required permissions, resubmitted the extension, and had it rejected again.
The problem was spotted by Chrome developer advocate Simeon Vincent, who [7]noted on Twitter : "The changes you've made look good at first blush, so I'm a little lost on the follow-up rejection. I'm going to open an appeal to get a second opinion" – a more helpful response than official channels usually provide.
Google developer advocate: 'We have systemic issues to work through'
Thanks to his intervention, the updated Pushbullet was approved, and Vincent added: "Apologies to Pushbullet for the rejection after [they] addressed the original violation & to the broader dev community for not providing more actionable rejections." Asked if tweets were really the best way to deal with problems like this, he said: "At the moment there isn't really a better way, and as a single human I don't scale well. TBH we have systemic issues to work through to improve the comms process here."
This will not directly help Podcast Addict, which has a problem with the Play Store rather than a Chrome extension, but it looks like a similar situation. The Pushbullet developer expressed sympathy, [8]saying : "We just got put through a similar experience. Every time I see an email from Google it is terrifying."
The pattern is that developers who make a lot of noise and have a good case tend to get reinstated. The effect is to delegate the identification of wrongful suspensions to the court of public opinion. It is a blunt instrument, with smaller developers or those who are less savvy about getting publicity that are at greatest risk. Vincent's tweets support the view that the company knows it should do better, but it is a long-standing issue, so don't hold your breath. ®
[1] https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1261651512947691520
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/05/18/notification.jpg
[3] https://www.facebook.com/podcastAddict/posts/2861442033924623?comment_id=2862232340512259
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/05/18/podcast.jpg
[5] https://www.appbrain.com/stats/number-of-android-apps
[6] https://blog.pushbullet.com/2020/05/13/lets-guess-what-google-requires-in-14-days-or-they-kill-our-extension/
[7] https://twitter.com/DotProto/status/1260623259315265538
[8] https://twitter.com/pushbullet/status/1261730746860998664
Re: Well there's the problem
Not even that many, reads as if he did it off his own back rather than an official role
That's not his job
The person that helped them out was just a passing 'Developer advocate' for the Google Chrome Developer Relations team.
He lodged an appeal, on behalf of the developer, to the team who's job it actually is to make these decisions.
Big tech - the solution is simple
Too many apps to moderate proactively?
Too many posts to look at by humans?
Too many video uploads to check them all?
It's simple - employ more people. Maybe the ones your rent-seeking efforts are putting out of work.
And if you cannot manage your scale, then don't scale!
Which leads me to another conclusion, this time for devs.
Stop treating the tech giant devs and their issuances as the cream of the crop and the founts of techie excellence. They prove daily that they don't know how to scale, or how to do AI/ML, any better than anyone else. There is a myth associated with them, and it's undeserved. They are good but no better than the rest.
So much of the techie world is full of little emperors with no clothes.
Re: Big tech - the solution is simple
Small companies are great because they have people that are motivated and care.
As they get bigger they get filled by people that are just there for the paycheck.
Also,
Small companies can't afford to have everything checked by humans. Facebook sees the increasing demand for moderation as a barrier to new competitors, therefore protecting its market share (albeit with a cost).
AI is rubbish, developer doesn't read emails?
Did the developer miss an email giving them X days to appeal' or does Google just boot them off and then start asking questions?
Yet again, screwed over by Google
I absolutely love Podcast Addict, even the endlessly convoluted menus.
More and more I look for alternatives to Google. Whereas the biggest problem used to be Google shutting down a Google app or feature that you need, now it's perfectly usable third-party apps that stand to disappear.
I for one look forward to Huawei developing an Android and Google free phone OS.
Publish Elsewhere?
Perhaps it's time for developers to ensure that they provide the installation APKs on their own website as well as via the Google Store, so that there's a way for users to obtain the latest versions even when Google muck things up^Hfail to scale again.
This has the useful benefit of allowing their software to be sourced by those who either don't have access to the Google Store (eg Huawei users) or who wish to avoid it (eg privacy advocates).
Well there's the problem
" as a single human I don't scale well "
Well duh. Google has billions in the bank and can't be arsed to hire more than a single person to manage app rejections ?
Ridiculous.