Google has thrown out an ad blocker from Google Play

A few days ago, Samsung released a mobile browser update for the Samsung Internet Browser with ad blocking. The developers of other programs quickly implemented support for this browser into their programs through the Content Blocker extension API . And now all these developers have suddenly found out that their applications are excluded from the Google Play catalog , and updates are not accepted.

The function in the Samsung browser works much the same as ad blocking in the latest version of Safari for iOS 9. Third-party programs can add this feature to themselves through special software interfaces.

But Google doesn't seem to like this functionality too much. It is worth recalling that Google receives the lion’s share of revenues from advertising.
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One of the first third-party ad blockers that introduced Samsung’s new functionality was Adblock Fast . The application quickly reached the first line in the ranking of free programs in the “Productivity” category, but then it was excluded from the Google Play catalog.

At the time of exclusion, the program had about 50,000 downloads, which it scored very quickly, and an average rating of 4.25 points.

According to the executive director of Rockship Apps, developer Adblock Fast, Google Play moderators sent them a letter explaining that the application was blocked by violation of clause 4.4 in the Android Software Distribution Agreement .



This clause states that developers do not have the right to distribute software that interferes with the "devices, servers, networks or other property or services of any third party, including but not limited to users of Android, Google or any mobile operator."

As you can see, the concept of violation is defined quite widely. This is done intentionally, so that you can register many applications for it, so Google has power over applications in its directory. Google moderators said that the developer can re-submit the application to the directory if it modifies it so that it does not “interfere with the work of third-party services” (the text of the letter ). In other words, if he removes the ad blocking function from the ad blocker.

At the moment, other ad blockers have not yet been driven out of Google Play, including Crystal and Adblock Plus , but they can be removed at any minute.

Crystal developer says that Google rejected the update to its program for the same reason - a violation of clause 4.4 of the Agreement, that is, interference with the operation of the Samsung Internet Browser. He filed an appeal, in which he cites the corresponding clause from the Samsung documentation, where such an “intervention” is allowed, it is declared as a separate specially developed feature. Now he is waiting for an answer.

The creators of Adblock Plus said that so far there have been no complaints against them, despite using the Content Blocker extension API from the Samsung Internet Browser. True, they have not yet updated their application.