cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17702667

Google is putting the clamp on low-effort apps in the Play Store. Apps that don’t offer basic functionality or quality may be removed.

    • yeehaw
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      82 months ago

      Sick burn. It’s just garbage on there except for the big players.

  • SleepyWheel
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    322 months ago

    Thing is, there actually are some good basic apps out there. Things like pomodoro timers with no ads or tracking. Super basic but useful, and hard yobfind because they get buried below other ‘slick’ versions stuffed with ads and trackers.

    • @[email protected]
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      112 months ago

      Not only that, it’s outright against the rules to “market” on the playstore as ad-free

      • @[email protected]
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        2 months ago

        That’s why it’s better to download as many apps as possible from F-Droid. All apps are Free Open Source and checked for anti-features (like ads, tracking, etc.). Lots of basic (and not so basic) apps which are ad free, tracker-free and free to advertise that way.

      • SleepyWheel
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        52 months ago

        Really? I shouldn’t be surprised but that’s depressing. I’m happy to pay for good apps mind

  • Zier
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    292 months ago

    Maybe Google could institute a better search function, like by Price/Free, Date, Category, etc. They are a Search Engine, maybe activate that on your scammy Play Store.

    • @[email protected]OP
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      202 months ago

      Best we can do is more scammy suggestions(Ads) when you use the search bar in play store. - Google

    • joewilliams007
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      202 months ago

      no. we shouldnt let google decide what apps are good or bad. they should just not promote them.

      • @[email protected]
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        142 months ago

        Interesting point of view, I think that is hard to establish a limit about how bad should be an app for being removed. Maybe malware only or if the app don’t do the intended function.

        • joewilliams007
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          72 months ago

          in my opinion, google should never remove an app that is just bad quality. Thats what the app’s rating already exists for. if the app is promoted and if people will download it. Everything they do, makes it more difficult for independant devs, that cant follow Google’s new policies which they come out with every two months.

          • Night Monkey
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            82 months ago

            Bot farms boosting the rating of shit apps.

          • @[email protected]
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            52 months ago

            The more I think about it, the more I believe that you are right. If an app is not malware, shouldn’t be removed. Also this could be a way for censorship.

        • @[email protected]
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          32 months ago

          We’ve seen how Google’s filters work. They’ll take a ton legitimate apps out with no recourse for the devs and leave tons of “scammy” ones.

  • Bone
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    92 months ago

    Nintendo could use to do the same.

  • @[email protected]
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    2 months ago

    Frequently unresponsive or very unstable apps shouldn’t have been in the Play store in the 1st place.

    Anyway, to the Play store’s credit, I downloaded many bank apps and I never got a fake bank app.