You're right, GP should have been more explicit: these aren't payments subject to Google Play's "us-only" policy.
Patently, yes:
-- "donation" means one can get the product independently of any money transfer;
-- «paying from work», «charging for apps», «require or accept payment for access to features or services», means that getting the product is conditional to money transfer.
"Donation" is not "payment".
In fact, I do not quite understand on which contractual reason the ban happened.
Google should have to compete on merit and if somebody doesn't want to give Google/Apple a cut, too bad.
These platforms should probably not be placed under the control of such large entities, Android/iOS should be split into their own organisation .
Google/Apple can then pick their OS or appstore, not both.
More like race to the bottom quality, security, spyware, malware, shitty ripoff of other people's work promoted over the original, fake bank apps, fake WhatsApp when you wanted the real one, etc.
Your Linux distro is not in a race to the bottom on any of these things. It works in a completely different way from an app marketplace on a money-handling device. And you know you are running Linux, you know what you're getting.
We should have multiple app stores. But don't be under any illusion that it can only turn out like Linux distros. I would expect some terrible "stores" just like there are some really dodgy apps, some of them installed on users' devices without their knowledge.
- on F-Droid, an app store dedicated for OSS software
- on Samsung Store, an app store preinstalled on most Android phones sold in US and other western world
- on Amazon store
- on Huawei app store
- on their own webpage as a downloadable APK
But what they really want is to use Googles distribution system while not paying the margin.
Besides, Google has to maintain the App Store to keep their OS afloat.