Google does not forgive mistakes: confrontation with Google Play
Here is another indie developer story without a happy ending. I am an Android bydlokoder developer for three years and most of them outlawed on Google Play.
Being still a freshman and dreaming with a huge passive income, I accidentally met a small niche of children's apps. Then she was busy with Chinese bydlofos and just jarred my eyes. Long or short, but it turned out that I settled well with several applications. One of them was about MLP , and the second about cats. In addition, there was a third application about MLP, which is a paid copy of the first (without ads and with additional content). It was then that I lost the first HP unit ( Relatively speaking, the developer’s account on Google Play has points. If the number of points in your account is zero, then the account and all applications are blocked. Basically, the application’s lock is removed point by point, but and exceptions. Some violations are removed by half a point ).
The paid version of the application was blocked for spam with keywords: I just listed additional content in the description (as a list of names) and violated a limit. This saved the free version: there was the same list, but less. About $ 10 was earned on the paid version. A week after the application was blocked, a girl from the USA wrote to me, she asked for a refund: the purchase was made around the parents and could be punished. I still can not forget her, but what could I do? The application is blocked. After that, I lost the desire to make paid applications for a long time.
')
Meanwhile, advertising in the free version has already brought a dollar a day. It was then that it dawned on me: you can make good money on series fans, and considering the quality of competitors' applications ... And it started: Winx, Adventure Time, Witch, Monster High, Minecraft, Minions. I had to make sure that the graphics fit the official canons , but it was worth it. Soon I approached $ 25 a day and increased the functionality of the engine quite well. Of course, most of the funds were taken by Google, the percentage of intermediary and the salary of the artists, but I managed to live decently and set aside a rainy day, which soon came. The corporation has introduced an autobahn violating foreign trademarks. My account flew to hell.
For me, it started like a game: registered new accounts and tried to make such a description, so that Google would not be banned, and users would find and download. Of course, this could not last long.
I remember this moment very well. Better than we would like. It was my first winter in a strange city. My applications were spread across different accounts to avoid simultaneous blocking, but there was only one Admob account.
When he was banned, I was only after Lasik and could not believe my eyes, although they had seen better than ever. Gathering my strength, I was able to update all applications with new ad identifiers. Income has doubled: this is how I learned that updating applications causes a surge in views.
Gone are the Catholic Christmas and New Year. The new year did not bring much increase in income, but many small Catholics, having unpacked Android devices, installed my applications. It was then that Google and struck a new blow by blocking my new Admob account with revenues for two months: 150,000 rubles, which I could not forgive them for.
Gradually, the game of laying out applications has become a routine. I almost stopped writing new code, but only published and published applications. What do you need to get away from Google and not get a block for the old sins? ( Google knows well how to identify a person by computer, bank details, phone number, and FIG knows what else. There was a case when a friend did not register with the market when I just stood nearby. Coincidence of course, but ... )
You are banned, but still want to publish applications in the market?
Who I just did not have to go during this time. I managed to even be Japanese, since I learned how to publish applications without paying attention to the locale. Of course, I was banned: income sagged, then grew, then sagged again. It was a swamp that attracted me with easy money. In the best days it was up to $ 50: big money for a student.
But Google has changed, in addition to the autobahn ( which can be easily deceived ) came the representatives of corporations. Specially trained lawyers who send requests to block your application: automatic blocking without checks.
The number of applications exceeded one hundred, and I had to write a script that automatically created apk files with the necessary content. There was entertainment when my schedule was stolen, I had to stand on the other side and send such requests myself. Once, Abuz even had to be sent to my worst competitor ( Ishara, hello, if you read this ): as a test of one of the theories of circumventing the ban, he laid out my application from his account.
Time passed, I was tired of playing races with Google. I stopped spreading applications that directly violate other people's rights and walked along the edge of the blade, changing the author's characters, transferring them to other realities. Of course, I did and "clean" applications, but the return on them was less. Income fell dramatically, although I still could pay for artists and buy quality food for myself. Only here I was still myself and Google could safely block any of my applications.
This summer there was a pause. Google banned everything that did not suit him, and I passively received regular payments from the remaining clean applications.
I was elated: I thought that I had found a balance point and that I could start moving on, having a constant passive income. Imagine that I managed to deceive the corporation, I even decided to help a friend reissue his manga reader.
Given:
Blocked developer account due to laying out an application for reading manga.
Problem:
The application allows you to access uncontrolled data (consider the browser), which leads to the maximum age category and a ban for any perverted porn that the moderator will find.
Clarification:
If you do not find porn when you first check, there is a chance that the application will be missed. And then, when updating, they will find and banned.
Taken measures:
Total:
Application in the market.
On the third day after the publication of the application with manga, Google blocked 4 of my accounts and more than 15 of the most profitable applications. I think that this is only the beginning, and soon all my accounts will be blocked. These applications did not violate the rules of Google Play. Yes, some were on the verge of a foul on someone else’s copyright (an adequate comparison can be given to the humanization of MLP characters ), but mostly they just pleased their users. The only fault of these applications is that, being their developer, I was once blocked on Google Play. Perhaps, I experienced something similar when viewing Babylon 5 , when civilian colonies of Narn were attacked. Stay alert, Google keeps an eye on you and attacks when you are relaxed.
There are no materials used. But if you are interested in this topic, I recommend reading this note and this article .
- How much did you earn in the end?
- Not so much. Not even enough for a studio apartment on the outskirts of St. Petersburg.
- There were funny situations?
- Once they banned my application for copyright infringement of another my account. Unblock did not work: TP received the "permissive" file and stopped responding.
- How many times have your applications been unbanned?
- Out of more than one hundred locks, only once. An application associated with wolves, flew because of the word "Balto" in the description. I managed to prove that “Balto” is a trademark of a museum, and my application is in no way connected with museums.
- Something else?
- After blocking your account, Admob called from there and called to Moscow for a conference on "how to increase your income."
- Taxes?
- It is better to talk about it in special posts .
- Links? Proofs?
- I do not see the point. Who needs it, they are easy to find.
- Do you think that Google is “in its own right”?
- These are their rules and somehow I violated them with multiple registrations.
- What now?
- I will drive into the deepest mink and drink a few feet. My desire to program is now broken for a long time. I'll try WP; maybe I'll get a job.
The text may contain inaccuracies and discrepancies with reality.
Outset
Being still a freshman and dreaming with a huge passive income, I accidentally met a small niche of children's apps. Then she was busy with Chinese bydlofos and just jarred my eyes. Long or short, but it turned out that I settled well with several applications. One of them was about MLP , and the second about cats. In addition, there was a third application about MLP, which is a paid copy of the first (without ads and with additional content). It was then that I lost the first HP unit ( Relatively speaking, the developer’s account on Google Play has points. If the number of points in your account is zero, then the account and all applications are blocked. Basically, the application’s lock is removed point by point, but and exceptions. Some violations are removed by half a point ).
The paid version of the application was blocked for spam with keywords: I just listed additional content in the description (as a list of names) and violated a limit. This saved the free version: there was the same list, but less. About $ 10 was earned on the paid version. A week after the application was blocked, a girl from the USA wrote to me, she asked for a refund: the purchase was made around the parents and could be punished. I still can not forget her, but what could I do? The application is blocked. After that, I lost the desire to make paid applications for a long time.
')
Meanwhile, advertising in the free version has already brought a dollar a day. It was then that it dawned on me: you can make good money on series fans, and considering the quality of competitors' applications ... And it started: Winx, Adventure Time, Witch, Monster High, Minecraft, Minions. I had to make sure that the graphics fit the official canons , but it was worth it. Soon I approached $ 25 a day and increased the functionality of the engine quite well. Of course, most of the funds were taken by Google, the percentage of intermediary and the salary of the artists, but I managed to live decently and set aside a rainy day, which soon came. The corporation has introduced an autobahn violating foreign trademarks. My account flew to hell.
For me, it started like a game: registered new accounts and tried to make such a description, so that Google would not be banned, and users would find and download. Of course, this could not last long.
Climax
I remember this moment very well. Better than we would like. It was my first winter in a strange city. My applications were spread across different accounts to avoid simultaneous blocking, but there was only one Admob account.
When he was banned, I was only after Lasik and could not believe my eyes, although they had seen better than ever. Gathering my strength, I was able to update all applications with new ad identifiers. Income has doubled: this is how I learned that updating applications causes a surge in views.
Gone are the Catholic Christmas and New Year. The new year did not bring much increase in income, but many small Catholics, having unpacked Android devices, installed my applications. It was then that Google and struck a new blow by blocking my new Admob account with revenues for two months: 150,000 rubles, which I could not forgive them for.
Bog
Gradually, the game of laying out applications has become a routine. I almost stopped writing new code, but only published and published applications. What do you need to get away from Google and not get a block for the old sins? ( Google knows well how to identify a person by computer, bank details, phone number, and FIG knows what else. There was a case when a friend did not register with the market when I just stood nearby. Coincidence of course, but ... )
You are banned, but still want to publish applications in the market?
- First of all, let's hide from it the hardware of your computer using a virtual machine and another browser;
- Change your IP through VPN (proxies are easy to determine);
- Let's buy a developer account on the black market with a suitable registration ip (from $ 50 to infinity). I recommend finding a dealer on the Android developers' website and using its services, and not the exchange: there you can run into carders;
- Update the keystore for signing applications;
- Forget about your old apps;
- Forget about your site if you link to it;
- Forget your email and phone, if you specify them;
- Forget about Admob;
- ...
- PROFIT?
Who I just did not have to go during this time. I managed to even be Japanese, since I learned how to publish applications without paying attention to the locale. Of course, I was banned: income sagged, then grew, then sagged again. It was a swamp that attracted me with easy money. In the best days it was up to $ 50: big money for a student.
But Google has changed, in addition to the autobahn ( which can be easily deceived ) came the representatives of corporations. Specially trained lawyers who send requests to block your application: automatic blocking without checks.
The number of applications exceeded one hundred, and I had to write a script that automatically created apk files with the necessary content. There was entertainment when my schedule was stolen, I had to stand on the other side and send such requests myself. Once, Abuz even had to be sent to my worst competitor ( Ishara, hello, if you read this ): as a test of one of the theories of circumventing the ban, he laid out my application from his account.
Time passed, I was tired of playing races with Google. I stopped spreading applications that directly violate other people's rights and walked along the edge of the blade, changing the author's characters, transferring them to other realities. Of course, I did and "clean" applications, but the return on them was less. Income fell dramatically, although I still could pay for artists and buy quality food for myself. Only here I was still myself and Google could safely block any of my applications.
This summer there was a pause. Google banned everything that did not suit him, and I passively received regular payments from the remaining clean applications.
Manga
I was elated: I thought that I had found a balance point and that I could start moving on, having a constant passive income. Imagine that I managed to deceive the corporation, I even decided to help a friend reissue his manga reader.
Given:
Blocked developer account due to laying out an application for reading manga.
Problem:
The application allows you to access uncontrolled data (consider the browser), which leads to the maximum age category and a ban for any perverted porn that the moderator will find.
Clarification:
If you do not find porn when you first check, there is a chance that the application will be missed. And then, when updating, they will find and banned.
Taken measures:
- The above points on developer disguise;
- Refactoring the application code in order to maximally change the structure of classes in the apk file;
- Full redesign of the application in other colors;
- New icon;
- New description;
- Galka User-Generated-Content;
- Hiding "adult" manga genres in search;
- By default, resources (directories) are available for search only with strict moderation;
- "Adult" directories can be added manually by entering their address. The addresses of the adult directories are hardcoded, like hints in the text field, so that the user can select them.
Total:
Application in the market.
The final
On the third day after the publication of the application with manga, Google blocked 4 of my accounts and more than 15 of the most profitable applications. I think that this is only the beginning, and soon all my accounts will be blocked. These applications did not violate the rules of Google Play. Yes, some were on the verge of a foul on someone else’s copyright (an adequate comparison can be given to the humanization of MLP characters ), but mostly they just pleased their users. The only fault of these applications is that, being their developer, I was once blocked on Google Play. Perhaps, I experienced something similar when viewing Babylon 5 , when civilian colonies of Narn were attacked. Stay alert, Google keeps an eye on you and attacks when you are relaxed.
Materials used
There are no materials used. But if you are interested in this topic, I recommend reading this note and this article .
PS
- How much did you earn in the end?
- Not so much. Not even enough for a studio apartment on the outskirts of St. Petersburg.
- There were funny situations?
- Once they banned my application for copyright infringement of another my account. Unblock did not work: TP received the "permissive" file and stopped responding.
- How many times have your applications been unbanned?
- Out of more than one hundred locks, only once. An application associated with wolves, flew because of the word "Balto" in the description. I managed to prove that “Balto” is a trademark of a museum, and my application is in no way connected with museums.
- Something else?
- After blocking your account, Admob called from there and called to Moscow for a conference on "how to increase your income."
- Taxes?
- It is better to talk about it in special posts .
- Links? Proofs?
- I do not see the point. Who needs it, they are easy to find.
- Do you think that Google is “in its own right”?
- These are their rules and somehow I violated them with multiple registrations.
- What now?
- I will drive into the deepest mink and drink a few feet. My desire to program is now broken for a long time. I'll try WP; maybe I'll get a job.
Pss
The text may contain inaccuracies and discrepancies with reality.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/265163/
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