They'll still be a roadblock in getting me non-tech friends to get the app. A big layer of friction. 
  
 Tbh, I bought YT premium just because I didn't want to go through the entire process of YT revanced 😂

Software Engineer

A lot of people are aware of how to side load apps because of things like some gaming (gambling) apps. Use that leverage.

Software Developer

Google has updated the review policy on publishing apps on the Play Store : 
  
 https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/14151465?hl=en 
  
 New dev accounts require 2 weeks of testing by 20 separate testers to publish apps

Have you people found any workaround to this? How am I to publish toy apps on the store now?

Welcome to Software Engineers's Private Community

[Android] Indie app devs, how to avoid 20 testers-2 weeks Play Store policy?

[Android] Indie app devs, how to avoid 20 testers-2 weeks Play Store policy?- Grapevine

Everyone wants Google's distribution, but no one wants to pay for it.

Everyone wants Google to stop doing what it's doing, but no one wants to invest in an alternative.

Alternatives, if any coming up, from India will be of cheap quality. Does anyone remember what happened to BharatOS, or what's happening with Krutrim. 

What these app developers are not realising is that, their business is more or less happening because Android as an OS is there. It's not just about play store. 

I wonder why they're not cribbing against the Apple app store. 

Could the rates be lower? Yes.
But what's in it for Google or Apple when that entire section of business is because of them?

No one is stopping anyone from building a new OS, a better one. As long as a good quality one is not coming up, everyone will have to rely on Google or Apple. 

It feels really bad when the founders try to make it a national issue as well 🤦🏻‍♂️

Oh, and even if a new OS comes up, I wonder how they're going to sustain it, plus make people choose that without the availability of other apps.

Rant about Google Play Store

Product Manager

Welcome to Product Managers's Private Community

One of my clients is facing an issue with publishing apps.

On the Google play store they received the message - Violation
Privacy policy in Google Play User Data policy: Invalid privacy policy URL
Details
Your app’s privacy policy does not meet necessary policy requirements. Under the User Data policy, you must link to a privacy policy on your app's store listing page and within your app. Apps that do not access any personal and sensitive user data must still submit a privacy policy.
Please add or update your privacy policy, and make sure it is available on an active URL (no PDFs), is non-editable, applies to your app, and specifically covers user privacy.
Please review the following compliance checklist for privacy policies. Your privacy policy must:
Be linked on your app’s store listing page in Play Console and within the app itself.
Hold reference to the entity (for example, developer, company) named in the app’s Google Play listing or the app.
Include a clear labeling as a privacy policy.
Be readable in a standard browser without any plug-ins or special handlers (no PDFs).
Be available on an active, publicly accessible and non-geofenced URL.
Be non-editable.
Comprehensively disclose how your app accesses, collects, uses, and shares user data. This must include:
Disclosing the types of personal and sensitive user data your app accesses, collects, uses, and shares; and any parties with which any personal or sensitive user data is shared.
Secure data handling procedures for personal and sensitive user data.
Developer’s data retention and deletion policy.

(I drafted the policy and am sure it's not lacking anywhere)

And on the Chrome Extension, they straight away got the message -
Your developer account was suspended from the Chrome Web Store for publishing items that were engaged in malicious activities harmful to users. Given the nature of this violation your account will not be reinstated.

Anyone's faced similar issues in the past?

Hi, guys, anybody here published an app on the app store?

Lawyer

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

Hello guys. 
We are a team of 12 people working on the App. We spent the last six months on the app and invested a lot of time and resources on this and today I got mail that our Play console account has been deleted. I had one account earlier and because of lack of policies at that time the account got deleted but this account was created using the company's email id and still it got deleted without even prior notice. Does anyone have any idea what to do now

Urgent drop your suggestions

Founder

Hi , Please share your stories about your project ,what are some challenges you have faced.

Any Indie app developers, share your success/ failure story.

Now on this post just let me highlight few points as read from CCI vs google legal battle.
1. Google incentivize all the android manufacturere to not preload any app store(eg: thats why samsung store is laying like a undercontructed producted ).
2. To pre load any of google aap the OEM has to put all the apps that google want or esle play security wont pass.
3. You can not host any app which redirect to another app store or behave like app store on play store.
As you can see how google used android , a "open source" eco system to force this google play billing system.
Now android occupy 94% of user base here so its either on play store or you miss market. Sideloading is errered with crazy level of steps and warnings to prevent on play store app deployment.
And as a bonus as google TnC say you can use 3rd party billing for "digital services" why is youtube still on play store it dont use google play billing system.
Also google want the payment details of every transaction. Basically it want to study next profitable business to either buy it or clone it and with transaction details its much easier.

Delisting of 10 apps and the startups vs google

This is absolutely harsh from Google

The App Store  and Play Store are a duopoly and we have allowed them way too much power. Atleast Android has options but Apple is a complete walled garden and they won the lawsuit against Epic like wtf

We are trying to build a Raya competitor of sorts for the Indian market and hope to publish within the next two months and thus are mainly focused on the app store as opposed to Android.

How do we get around the 4.3 guidelines which state that:

4.3 Spam
Don’t create multiple Bundle IDs of the same app. If your app has different versions for specific locations, sports teams, universities, etc., consider submitting a single app and provide the variations using in-app purchase. Also avoid piling on to a category that is already saturated; the App Store has enough fart, burp, flashlight, fortune telling, dating, drinking games, and Kama Sutra apps, etc. already. We will reject these apps unless they provide a unique, high-quality experience. Spamming the store may lead to your removal from the Apple Developer Program.

What is a high quality experience and how tf are dating apps in the same category as Kama Sutra and Fart Apps??

We have many differentiating/unique features in mind but building them now would be a massive time sink especially when we have no users to test them on. We will first publish by the middle of February but really don't want to face a rejection.

Does every Dating App get rejected based on the 4.3 guidelines of the Apple appstore?

Welcome to News Discussion's Private Community

Few apps delisted are names such as Shaadi.com, OTT platform STAGE, social media app FRND. 
This might be temporary and these companies would get it live again, but is shd make us think the monopoly Google and apple has made in their respective ecosystem, Need of open and transparent third option , Google has a very high commission on transaction made via Play Store, Spotify had this issue earlier as well

Famous apps being delisted, can phonepe new appstore use this as a good opportunity

Associate Product Manager

I have been trying to upload my app to testflight for 20-25 days now but, I'm getting a few errors.

I would be really grateful to you if you can help me sort this as this is my first app launch and I'm really excited for that.

Can someone please help, we can hop on a 10min Google meet and discuss, 

Coffee/protein shake is on me.

Any iOS devs here ?

Welcome to IT Company Discussion's Private Community

Is there any way, an app on Android can know which are the other apps in the same device? 

Next logical extension of this is, therefore can we use this information to target communication?

[Android] Indie app devs, how to avoid 20 testers-2 weeks Play Store policy?

Discover More

Misc on

by Jordon Lee

Target

Rant about Google Play Store

Product Managers on

by Matilda Carmden

Independent Law Practice

Hi, guys, anybody here published an app on the app store?

Indian Startups on

by Dezi Taye

Stealth

Urgent drop your suggestions

Software Engineers on

by Karilyn Hyrum

Stealth

Any Indie app developers, share your success/ failure story.

Indian Startups on

by Kendall Carmden

zopper

Delisting of 10 apps and the startups vs google

Indian Startups on

by Jordon Carmden

Grapevine

This is absolutely harsh from Google

Software Engineers on

by Aaron Lee

Stealth

Does every Dating App get rejected based on the 4.3 guidelines of the Apple appstore?

News Discussion on

by Matilda Nadeen

Stealth

Famous apps being delisted, can phonepe new appstore use this as a good opportunity

Software Engineers on

by Kendall Gabriel

Stealth

Any iOS devs here ?

IT Company Discussion on

by Kendall Lee

Stealth

App developer folks here: question for you