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Comments (74)

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  bramhaag
  My account got closed for inactivity while I had multiple apps published. Google does not understand the concept of a finished app apparently, and requires you to continuously push updates or else you permanently lose your account with no way of reopening it.
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  cube00
  I got a Google survey this week.Which of the following are the reasons you chose Google Play related issues as one of the weaknesses?The second option, written by Google was:- Sudden account termination without actionable feedback or clear restoration guidanceThey know they're killing accounts without due process, they don't care, why would they? They're the only game in town now the Android Developer Verification Program is in force.
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  SillyUsername
  It gets better, I too had my account closed for inactivity, but I STILL get emails from them I can't stop because I can't log in to change email preferences.
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  sharts
  There’s Googlers on HN reading these who could probably fix this but won’t.
• hn_submit
  I wonder if an anti-trust lawsuit would have any chance of succeeding. The Android Developer Verification Program is clearly meant to prevent alternative app stores from gaining market share under the guise of "security."I think it's reasonable that Google mandates that developers identify themselves when publishing on its own app store. But why would they need to do so on alternative app stores if those don't require it?IIRC the Android Developer Verification Program was only initiated after the EU mandated alternative app stores to be allowed. That would be sufficient cause for an anti-trust indictment.Has anyone informed the EU about this?BTW an anti-trust lawsuit would also have a reaonable chance of moving forward in the U.S.
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  littlecranky67
  I don't know why Google Play Store/Android in general has a good reputation - in my opinion they got worse than Apple. I recently created apps for both stores, and the Google experience is so bad. Because I am an individual (sole trader) I cannot go down the business route - but need to go through the 12 testers route. That is, I need to find 12 people willing to join a google group, opt-in to beta testing, and have my app installed for 14 days at the same time before I can publish the app on the Play Store. This is ridiculous. I'd rather pay a lump sum as I did for the Apple Store: 99€/year, go through App review, publish.I had to submit my id, private bank statements (we often don't have monthly utility bills in europe, so I had to submit bank statements) and click through a ton of wizards for compliance, and of course pay 25€. Still no publishing rights. Now I would just pay some clickworkers on Fiverr to fulfill the testing criteria, but that risks getting my account (and app) banned forever. Needless to say that google now has all my private data associated with my google account.People always say walled garden to the Appstore, but at least the entry ticket has a clear price label.
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  est
  The question is: does Android Developer Verification Program actually help improving the .apk app store experience?Probably not. Google is notoriously bad at customer support (for both devs and consumers)
• woadwarrior01
  Same! I ported my free iOS utility app[1] to Android because a lot of people were asking for it. Just before I could publish it, they closed my Play Store account for a year of inactivity. Now, I haven't been able to re-create the Play Store account. Every time I try, money gets debited from my card, but the process ultimately fails. TBF, the money gets refunded after a month or so.I'm happy supporting iOS, macOS and web.[1]: https://cleanlinks.app/en
• dhx
  Google employees can pat themselves on the back for a job well done putting the same hurdles in place for software development that apply in a country 3rd last on the World Press Freedom Index.[1][2][1] https://developer.huawei.com/consumer/en/doc/start/rna-00000...[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Press_Freedom_Index#Rank...
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  shams93
  Fortunately PWA are well supported on android, half the apps on my phone are PWA and I didn't need an app store or hacking my device to install them. But I moved from native android to PWA after having hellish issues with their automated developer nightmare system.
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  dariosalvi78
  the browser is the best tool we have now to fight the duopoly and its absurd rules.Funnily, or depressingly, a lot of people here on HN are against the browser, either because "the UI doesn't look native" or because of security/privacy issues, with regular apps shipping with hundreds of MB or spyware you have no control of.Let's push for the browser to become more feature rich, more secure and more universal. Or maybe for another OS altogether?
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  onimishra
  Had the exact same thing. Developed a small game, pushed it to iOS without much fanfare (well, other than having to pay the insanely high toll to get into the garden) and then turned to Android to do the same. Another toll gate at only a quarter the price - sure, lets pay that as well. But then we get to the point where they require images of government issued id and address verification. You can have my money, buddy, but that level of personal data for something small like a game? How about no…
• reddalo
  They took away our freedom of installing apps on the devices we own.
• monegator
  I just recently reopened an account that was closed due to inactivity.Lucky me i manage different accounts, because the new way to get help for developers is to do that through play console.But if your account is suspended, you get always redirected to a page that tells you the account is suspended.Looking at other ways to get to the help portal.... when you select you need help for developers, yep you're redirected.So because i have another developer account, i could open a support ticket. I had to write the same message to the fucking bot at least three times, which was funny because the answer was more or less a rephrasing of my message, and every time it would add the rephrasing again, and again.At the fourth time something must have happened because it was escalated, and then i had my account back.I was actually open to making a new account, which i wrote several times, it's only that i needed to get back the app IDs because you know, the app is installed in places.Now, it's the first of october and i have constant nagging for unregistered package names on another account: this is for apps that are suspended for bullshit reasons, which i can't reinstate because the bot is in loop mode around the same wrong rule violation (like: i can't make a basic / pro version of my app now? pro version is too simillar so it must be blocked?) and i can't register the package name because it's suspended, an i can't reinstate it because loop. I can't delete it because it's suspended, an i can't reinstate it because loop.Fucking brillant!
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  rawoke083600
  Honestly, I agree!I paid my fee - $20 or $25, I can’t quite remember - but when I couldn’t reliably enter or find my physical home address via Google Maps because of some weird street-name issues, I never got to complete the process!
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  nev3rfail
  Yes, fuck it. This is beyond insane, apparently I cant distribute apps just in GitHub "releases" section anymore without Google's approval. I hope some EU antimonopoly something will fry their asses.
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  ur-whale
  Did you thing it was still the 2000's or something?That you were still free to write code, put it out there and have people use it freely?A decade ago, I made a joke comment to a friend that you were soon going to need a carry permit to operate a compiler.Joke's not so funny in 2026.
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  i_idiot
  Yes, fuck Android though I have to use an Android phone(and I don't want fucking Apple either). I pulled my hobby game from play store because they won't just let it be. Some new regulation now and then and threats to disable the app.
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  sehw
  I switched to GNU/Linux on my GPD MicroPC 2 ;)
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  delis-thumbs-7e
  Why does anyone even dev for G or A - unless you get a big pay check from either ? Every time I look into mobile dev I just go “yep, NOPE!” and go to have a shower. And it seems to just get worse and worse? Are both app stores going to be full of just unusable vibe coded crap in few years time?
• geff82
  ... just developing for Linux has always had it's own attraction: the one of being free to do what you want.
• zx8080
  Users will go use Apple. The next round of enshittification is on. As no competition with "open" anymore.Go and vibe-code your mobile OS. Lol.
• BugsJustFindMe
  Another person discovers the binary certificate cartel.
• ierukah
  [dead]