Does this apply to "please subscribe to our stupid newsletter" that obscures many sites now?
"After November 1, mobile web pages that show an app install interstitial that hides a significant amount of content on the transition from the search result page will no longer be considered mobile-friendly. This does not affect other types of interstitials."
This implies the answer is No, since that's another type of interstitial (not an app install) -- but is one that blocks most of the page content. It's curious that they're analyzing the nature of the popup closely enough to determine that.
They're basically a new kind of pop-up window, an annoyance that you have to click away.
I don't remember browsers only blocking certain kinds of pop-ups based on content, they just see if it wasn't initiated by a user-action, it'll get blocked.
I suppose for Google there may be some reasons why they want to block the app-interstitials (I guess because they want to encourage keeping the content they index on the web, not in an app?), but even then, that's still no reason not to punish the other types of interstitial just as much. Trying to make the distinction is just making it harder on themselves, they will occasionally get it wrong, or people will complain that their interstitial shouldn't be punished because it is (somehow) not quite about the app--making the criteria a bit broader seems like it's easier for Google and better for the users?
One of the most important lessons of judo is that you never use force yourself – you just redirect the force of the other person so they hurt themselves.
Using that philosophy in life makes stuff a lot easier ;)
And, funnily, it fits here, too. Using their own newsletter to get it blacklisted. The more they send, the less are received.
Not always, apps give them the ability to have push notifications plus the fact that having the app icon in your app tray is a constant reminder of their service.
Being nagged to install another black box has, for me, nothing to do with a "better experience."