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Google have flat out banned any apps that have anything to do with combating COVID-19 if they aren't either funded by their government or are a registered healt

Google have flat out banned any apps that have anything to do with combating COVID-19 if they aren't either funded by their government or are a registered health company. I tried releasing a symptom tracker app before Zoe released theirs and it was rejected for this reason.

cwhiz 6y ago
They will ban and flag your account if your app just mentions the word Covid. It is absolutely absurd. Only Google is allowed to make a Covid app.
- jedberg 6y ago
  It may be a bit harsh, but it makes sense. Too many people are trying to take advantage of the situation to pull scams. It's a lot easier for Google to operate on a whitelist model than a blacklist model.
  - PaulKeeble 6y ago
    Then Google would be building a whitelist. They aren't doing that, they are using a position of power to isolate the market for themselves. That is a monopoly.
    - jedberg 6y ago
      They are building a whitelist. They even made the criteria public. You have to be a government or health entity to publish a Covid related app.
      - PaulKeeble 6y ago
        That isn't a whitelist, there is no way on it with a legitimate app when the entry criteria is being a state.
        int_19h 6y ago
        That is a whitelist. They don't have to be easy to get on, or, indeed, to even allow any new entries.
  - cwhiz 6y ago
    No, it doesn’t. They can do the exact thing Apple is doing which is to accept or reject each app on an individual basis instead of blanket refusing every app that is even related to Covid. What they’re effectively doing is creating a monopoly in the private sector. No other private company is allowed.
- buzzert 6y ago
  With the sheer amount of scam, privacy invading apps that are preying on people’s fear, can you blame them?
  - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
    A silver lining for the failure of PWAs: they can't really be used to get around the appstore requirements and defraud people.
  - cwhiz 6y ago
    Yes, I can. They should do their job of vetting the apps. They have a disclaimer that it will take 7 days then they just reject it for being tangentially related to Covid even if it could have a positive impact.
- vinay427 6y ago
  Download an APK if you want. Google doesn't have a complete monopoly on Android app marketplaces.
on_and_off 6y ago
I was lucky enough to discuss it with google people. There has been a huge influx of people trying to upload scammy covid apps. As a result the mere mention of covid is enough to get your app flagged automatically. I don't currently work on a covid app, but I know somebody who does. Their app was flagged but they were able to resolve it by contacting google.
- xkyscore 6y ago
  >they were able to resolve it by contacting google. Do they happen to be government-funded, or represent a health company as stated above? To be fair, I didn't follow up the rejection, I just assumed the rule would be set in stone and they wouldn't budge. The app was free, no ads or any method to profit from covid so I was pretty shocked.
  - on_and_off 6y ago
    not at all, it couldn't have been smaller : personal app from an unknown dev. I don't remember the specifics since I thankfully don't get my apps rejected often, but there should be a button to contact the play store support somewhere in the play store UI. Unfortunately in this kind of situation, the play store handling, while understandable, does not make it easy for legitimate covid apps to be posted.

cwhiz 6y ago

They will ban and flag your account if your app just mentions the word Covid. It is absolutely absurd. Only Google is allowed to make a Covid app.

jedberg 6y ago
It may be a bit harsh, but it makes sense. Too many people are trying to take advantage of the situation to pull scams. It's a lot easier for Google to operate on a whitelist model than a blacklist model.
- PaulKeeble 6y ago
  Then Google would be building a whitelist. They aren't doing that, they are using a position of power to isolate the market for themselves. That is a monopoly.
  - jedberg 6y ago
    They are building a whitelist. They even made the criteria public. You have to be a government or health entity to publish a Covid related app.
    - PaulKeeble 6y ago
      That isn't a whitelist, there is no way on it with a legitimate app when the entry criteria is being a state.
      - int_19h 6y ago
        That is a whitelist. They don't have to be easy to get on, or, indeed, to even allow any new entries.
- cwhiz 6y ago
  No, it doesn’t. They can do the exact thing Apple is doing which is to accept or reject each app on an individual basis instead of blanket refusing every app that is even related to Covid. What they’re effectively doing is creating a monopoly in the private sector. No other private company is allowed.
buzzert 6y ago
With the sheer amount of scam, privacy invading apps that are preying on people’s fear, can you blame them?
- MaxBarraclough 6y ago
  A silver lining for the failure of PWAs: they can't really be used to get around the appstore requirements and defraud people.
- cwhiz 6y ago
  Yes, I can. They should do their job of vetting the apps. They have a disclaimer that it will take 7 days then they just reject it for being tangentially related to Covid even if it could have a positive impact.
vinay427 6y ago
Download an APK if you want. Google doesn't have a complete monopoly on Android app marketplaces.

on_and_off 6y ago

I was lucky enough to discuss it with google people. There has been a huge influx of people trying to upload scammy covid apps. As a result the mere mention of covid is enough to get your app flagged automatically. I don't currently work on a covid app, but I know somebody who does. Their app was flagged but they were able to resolve it by contacting google.

xkyscore 6y ago
>they were able to resolve it by contacting google. Do they happen to be government-funded, or represent a health company as stated above? To be fair, I didn't follow up the rejection, I just assumed the rule would be set in stone and they wouldn't budge. The app was free, no ads or any method to profit from covid so I was pretty shocked.
- on_and_off 6y ago
  not at all, it couldn't have been smaller : personal app from an unknown dev. I don't remember the specifics since I thankfully don't get my apps rejected often, but there should be a button to contact the play store support somewhere in the play store UI. Unfortunately in this kind of situation, the play store handling, while understandable, does not make it easy for legitimate covid apps to be posted.