Some news on this today...
Good news. Google responded yesterday evening to the appeal of the suspension of the MediaMonkey Ringtone Maker, and confirmed that the suspension was due to the inclusion of Album Art (it was in the description and in the default widget). We're cleaning that up now.
Bad news. Google's branding team responded to the request for clarification re. whether 'android' in the package name is a violation of branding guidelines by referring us to the branding guidelines. i.e. it's still unclear.
Since the Play Store team didn't bring up the issue of 'android' being in the product name, and since it's still unclear whether it's a violation, and since changing the product names will void purchases for existing users, we plan on republishing MMA later today with new Album Art images using the existing product names.
Again, thank you all for your patience.
To any developers reading this thread, what I've learned from all this is:
1) Be aware that every update to your product or description can trigger a re-assessment regarding adherence to policy. Don't make changes unless you're ready for a review.
2) Don't assume that a policy warning that is triggered by a product/description update is related to the changes made in that update.
3) If you've received a warning/suspension, carefully review the contents of the
Google Apps Policy Center and ask other developers about their experiences if aspects of the Guidelines are unclear.
4) Remember that just because other apps are shipping with policy violations doesn't mean that it's not a violation.
5) If you receive a warning, don't take it lightly. Consider unpublishing your app voluntarily until you're fairly sure that the reason for the violation has been rectified, or risk app suspension and/or account suspension.
6) Use the appeals process. On 2/3 occasions, it failed to yield meaningful results for me, but on the 3rd attempt it worked.
7) Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Set up alternative avenues for users to download/purchase your app (e.g. the Amazon App store).
To any Googlers reading this thread, please try to improve this process.
1) If your goal is really for '...a healthy investment in policy education for developers is a much better experience than being notified via a warning or app suspension', then please clarify your policies so that ambiguities that occur repeatedly are eliminated. e.g. Ventis is not the only developer that isn't clear as to whether 'android' in the package name is a violation or not. Just make it clear.
2) Make your warnings and suspension notices meaningful (or at least more granular), so that developers have a better idea of what to rectify. As an example, the IP warnings that Ventis received were so vague that we spent hours fixing insignificant problems and contesting irrelevant issues without actually solving the problem. This led to wasted effort on our part, but also wasted effort for Google (re-processing appeals, etc.).
3) Understand that in many cases, the violations are accidental and developers want to resolve them. Many of us are Android promoters and tech influencers. Treat us as partners rather than as problems.
Hopefully this story is over...
-Rusty
Some news on this today...
Good news. Google responded yesterday evening to the appeal of the suspension of the MediaMonkey Ringtone Maker, and confirmed that the suspension was due to the inclusion of Album Art (it was in the description and in the default widget). We're cleaning that up now.
Bad news. Google's branding team responded to the request for clarification re. whether 'android' in the package name is a violation of branding guidelines by referring us to the branding guidelines. i.e. it's still unclear.
Since the Play Store team didn't bring up the issue of 'android' being in the product name, and since it's still unclear whether it's a violation, and since changing the product names will void purchases for existing users, we plan on republishing MMA later today with new Album Art images using the existing product names.
Again, thank you all for your patience.
To any developers reading this thread, what I've learned from all this is:
1) Be aware that every update to your product or description can trigger a re-assessment regarding adherence to policy. Don't make changes unless you're ready for a review.
2) Don't assume that a policy warning that is triggered by a product/description update is related to the changes made in that update.
3) If you've received a warning/suspension, carefully review the contents of the [url=https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/4430948?hl=en]Google Apps Policy Center[/url] and ask other developers about their experiences if aspects of the Guidelines are unclear.
4) Remember that just because other apps are shipping with policy violations doesn't mean that it's not a violation.
5) If you receive a warning, don't take it lightly. Consider unpublishing your app voluntarily until you're fairly sure that the reason for the violation has been rectified, or risk app suspension and/or account suspension.
6) Use the appeals process. On 2/3 occasions, it failed to yield meaningful results for me, but on the 3rd attempt it worked.
7) Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Set up alternative avenues for users to download/purchase your app (e.g. the Amazon App store).
To any Googlers reading this thread, please try to improve this process.
1) If your goal is really for '...a healthy investment in policy education for developers is a much better experience than being notified via a warning or app suspension', then please clarify your policies so that ambiguities that occur repeatedly are eliminated. e.g. Ventis is not the only developer that isn't clear as to whether 'android' in the package name is a violation or not. Just make it clear.
2) Make your warnings and suspension notices meaningful (or at least more granular), so that developers have a better idea of what to rectify. As an example, the IP warnings that Ventis received were so vague that we spent hours fixing insignificant problems and contesting irrelevant issues without actually solving the problem. This led to wasted effort on our part, but also wasted effort for Google (re-processing appeals, etc.).
3) Understand that in many cases, the violations are accidental and developers want to resolve them. Many of us are Android promoters and tech influencers. Treat us as partners rather than as problems.
Hopefully this story is over...
-Rusty