Ask HN: Google suspended apps without warning or valid reasons | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Google suspended apps without warning or valid reasons

54 pointsrafnews11 comments

Google suspended one of my android apps which had been previously checked and approved many times. It was on the store for just over 4 years.

It had about 12K active users, with 1-2 IAP sales per day. So people WERE using the app as it was intended to be used.

Then one day Google decided to suspended the app without warning because of 'deceptive behaviour'. Saying the app does not work as the title says.

The only changed made was we copied and older (previously approved) title and short description to the current one and submitted it. The title was still accurate and true to the app. This title and metadata had been used in the past in experiments too.

So that app has gone bust overnight and appealing makes no difference. They just say the same standard response to every email. Sorry we cant help you read this policy page".

They never actually tell you actual reason it was suspended. If their was a policy breach they just give it a broad heading without clarifying what the actual issue is.

This would not be an issue if you were just having fun, trying your luck or a sccammer / spammer. but if youre running it like a business spending thousands of dollars / pounds on marketing the app its a really big serious issue. All that effort and marketing spend is lost.

Independent developers are a key part of Google Play without whom there would be like a few dozen apps and games which users get bored of and most likely stop using the platform. Yet the indie and small developer has little voice. Appeals are like playing the lottery from what I have read online. If the real issue your app was suspended was due to a policy breach then its most important to make the developer understand without any doubt what that breach was. For one it saves a lot time for everyone, it gives a professional level of developer support and also means that the developer can focus on fixing the issue and is less likely to make it again.

So what can be done about this?

Maybe painting an overly pessimistic picture here but: Considering the vast monopolies of Google over various important sectors and the frequency of cases like yours posted on HN - maybe you're not the only one ?

In legal cases it helps a lot if you can band together with other people that have been hurt in the same way and create a single large case with a shared legal team rather than going for small isolated cases.

Seek out other people like you, maybe they show up in this thread, and go for it. Just my 2c.

I generally agree.

The way the courts work in the US is very much based on money. The more people involved in a class action suit, the higher the collective damages, the more seriously it's taken.

As a negative example, I consulted a civil rights lawyer about a rights violation that a trooper committed. They told me that there was a violation, but the courts generally don't care or view the case as legitimate unless you had substantial financial damages as a result.

Google will invest much more money to avoid setting a precedent if class action is taken.

As an individual, if you can fund this yourself and it's monetarily worth it - sue individually. Or collectively assign your IP to a single entity and sue as one, a class action will result in a LOT more investment in legal from big players like Google.

They'll appeal and re-appeal just to avoid a precedent.

Can you provide the app title and/or description after which it got suspended? Little to do here without context.

If you are based in Europe, you may want to look at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32...

This (not well known about) regulation applies across the EU, and introduces a number of obligations on platform-to-business relationships, that put the onus on platforms to behave more reasonably.

To enforce your rights under this, you might need to take legal action, but a lawyer can probably evaluate your situation and what your prospects look like.

Sections of particular interest would be article 4 (around termination) and article 11 (complaints) - depending on the circumstances here, it's likely that they may have broken both of these.

I assume you meant to link to https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32...

I didn't about this directive. It's also interesting, because it seems to apply to IaaS/PaaS/SaaS providers if they are an intermediary for e-commerce or SaaS with EU customers - https://www.scl.org/articles/10853-cloud-hosting-providers-b...

Thanks, that's the correct link. Looks like it's too late to edit the original now.

One interesting aspect is this is also a "regulation", so it takes effect "automatically" without implementing legislation in each member state (like GDPR did). I hope one day we see this law put to the test and applied, as it seems like it could materially change how platforms treat the businesses reliant on them.

>Then one day Google decided to suspended the app without warning because of 'deceptive behaviour'. Saying the app does not work as the title says.

>The only changed made was we copied and older (previously approved) title and short description to the current one and submitted it. The title was still accurate and true to the app. This title and metadata had been used in the past in experiments to

What was the title before and after the change and what does the app do?

To the last question. Nothing at all.

It is their platform and as such they do not care about your app. It is a monopoly so they have no interest in changing anything.

>Then one day Google decided to suspended the app without warning because of 'deceptive behaviour'. Saying the app does not work as the title says.

You're claiming that Google haven't told you what the problem is but you also say that Google said the app doesn't doesn't work as the title says and that there is some deceptive behaviour. These statements are contradictory.

I think it's going to be hard for anyone to judge what has happened without more detail about what the app is and what the title is.

I’m leaving a comment here in hopes of boosting this post so that someone more knowledgable sees it. Best of luck to you!

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