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This happens so many times and some people posted it on HN before. The most common reply is that you should not put all your eggs in someone else’s basket. I’m

This happens so many times and some people posted it on HN before. The most common reply is that you should not put all your eggs in someone else’s basket. I’m amused no one has posted that comment yet. By the way, Google will most probably not restore the account, but I’d be interested to know whether it does because our startup is also similar to yours, and half of our eggs are in Google’s basket too. Please keep us (the community) updated.

ourmandave 5y ago
"You should not put all your eggs in someone else’s basket."
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
josephcsible 5y ago
So if you want to write a mobile app, what are you supposed to do? Aren't your only choices to put all of your eggs in Google/Apple's baskets?
- ant6n 5y ago
  To what extend could one use a website instead of an app?
  - 2cb 5y ago
    Depends on the app in question. OP is about a gaming company so using a website isn't a serious option.
- techrat 5y ago
  > So if you want to write a mobile app, what are you supposed to do? Not hire someone who had been banned before due to ad fraud.
  - busymom0 5y ago
    Google isn't even telling you that that's what happened. Also as a developer who used to use ads until 5 years ago, I got a wrongful 1 month suspension claiming I was clicking my own ads even though I never did. It's obviously my words vs theirs but I know what my truth is. Yet Google claimed I was clicking my own ads and therefore gave me a 1 month suspension. That convinced me to stop using ads all together and since then, I have become even more reluctant to build Android apps. I just work on iOS apps instead. I hadn't built any android apps for past 5 years except last month when I finally built one because I was getting many user requests to have one.
    - techrat 5y ago
      I guess you missed all those stories of Apple doing the same thing to developers... even going as far as to shut down accounts when they want to use the features from their apps in the next version of iOS.
      - busymom0 5y ago
        I have been making apps for both iOS and Android for past 10 years (I did take a 4 year break from Android though). While there's small bit of truth to your statement, I find dealing with Apple on pretty much every issue to be much better than dealing with Google. Maybe this is because of Apple charging the annual developer license fee. With Apple, I always get to deal with an actual human when they reject an app or update and while their descriptions can be a bit vague, it seems to direct me in the right direction to fix the issue. With Google, it's a nightmare. For example, recently they banned DroidScript, one of the most popular IDE on Android accusing them of committing Ad Fraud, and the developer had to create a whole media storm to get them to re-instate the app after 25 days: https://groups.google.com/g/androidscript/c/Mbh5TZ6YYnA https://groups.google.com/g/androidscript/c/Mbh5TZ6YYnA
  - laegooose 5y ago
    How do you know if a person you hire was banned before?
  - 5y ago
- kevingadd 5y ago
  Don't
- ipaddr 5y ago
  The answer is simple don't make a mobile game. Write a web app or desktop application. It is the same as console games or anywhere someone else controls the platform.
  - terrortrain 5y ago
    I am generally following that advice. IMO the fact that this is the best path is clear evidence that we need mobile app store reform. It's mind boggling to me that people still defend this status quo
    - ipaddr 5y ago
      If control was somehow wrestled from them a second golden age of mobile apps would emerge.
cblconfederate 5y ago
> I’m amused no one has posted that comment yet. It s probaly because it has become impossible not to put your eggs in the same 2 baskets. How else are people going to make an app / how are they going to launch a startup without an app? (I know it s possible to go web only, but they 'll probably not be taken seriously by investors)
- busymom0 5y ago
  I am not the author of the article, I just posted it. The article is about game development so webdev isn't a serious option for the author either.
- VLM 5y ago
  Very handwavy most of these stories seem to revolve around Google tying ad accounts and play store accounts, and having a VERY EXTREMELY heavy hand on ad accounts, which results in the banhammer smashing distantly related play store accounts. The safest way to handle this is probably to not use both google play store and google ads. Going to be pretty hard to make an app without Play Store so I guess that means no using Google Ads. Too dangerous and Google will not support. If you used, say, Facebook "audience network" ads, then no matter how angry Facebook gets, regardless if they're correct or not, at least your app would remain up. Also if you're launching a startup you're probably not making much from ads and as using google ads is a HUGE existential risk for any app developer, you'd best not use ads. Its not like any end user ever used a startup's app because they like how well they implemented the ads.

ourmandave 5y ago

"You should not put all your eggs in someone else’s basket."

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

josephcsible 5y ago

So if you want to write a mobile app, what are you supposed to do? Aren't your only choices to put all of your eggs in Google/Apple's baskets?

ant6n 5y ago
To what extend could one use a website instead of an app?
- 2cb 5y ago
  Depends on the app in question. OP is about a gaming company so using a website isn't a serious option.
techrat 5y ago
> So if you want to write a mobile app, what are you supposed to do? Not hire someone who had been banned before due to ad fraud.
- busymom0 5y ago
  Google isn't even telling you that that's what happened. Also as a developer who used to use ads until 5 years ago, I got a wrongful 1 month suspension claiming I was clicking my own ads even though I never did. It's obviously my words vs theirs but I know what my truth is. Yet Google claimed I was clicking my own ads and therefore gave me a 1 month suspension. That convinced me to stop using ads all together and since then, I have become even more reluctant to build Android apps. I just work on iOS apps instead. I hadn't built any android apps for past 5 years except last month when I finally built one because I was getting many user requests to have one.
  - techrat 5y ago
    I guess you missed all those stories of Apple doing the same thing to developers... even going as far as to shut down accounts when they want to use the features from their apps in the next version of iOS.
    - busymom0 5y ago
      I have been making apps for both iOS and Android for past 10 years (I did take a 4 year break from Android though). While there's small bit of truth to your statement, I find dealing with Apple on pretty much every issue to be much better than dealing with Google. Maybe this is because of Apple charging the annual developer license fee. With Apple, I always get to deal with an actual human when they reject an app or update and while their descriptions can be a bit vague, it seems to direct me in the right direction to fix the issue. With Google, it's a nightmare. For example, recently they banned DroidScript, one of the most popular IDE on Android accusing them of committing Ad Fraud, and the developer had to create a whole media storm to get them to re-instate the app after 25 days: https://groups.google.com/g/androidscript/c/Mbh5TZ6YYnA https://groups.google.com/g/androidscript/c/Mbh5TZ6YYnA
- laegooose 5y ago
  How do you know if a person you hire was banned before?
- 5y ago
kevingadd 5y ago
Don't
ipaddr 5y ago
The answer is simple don't make a mobile game. Write a web app or desktop application. It is the same as console games or anywhere someone else controls the platform.
- terrortrain 5y ago
  I am generally following that advice. IMO the fact that this is the best path is clear evidence that we need mobile app store reform. It's mind boggling to me that people still defend this status quo
  - ipaddr 5y ago
    If control was somehow wrestled from them a second golden age of mobile apps would emerge.

cblconfederate 5y ago

> I’m amused no one has posted that comment yet. It s probaly because it has become impossible not to put your eggs in the same 2 baskets. How else are people going to make an app / how are they going to launch a startup without an app? (I know it s possible to go web only, but they 'll probably not be taken seriously by investors)

busymom0 5y ago
I am not the author of the article, I just posted it. The article is about game development so webdev isn't a serious option for the author either.
VLM 5y ago
Very handwavy most of these stories seem to revolve around Google tying ad accounts and play store accounts, and having a VERY EXTREMELY heavy hand on ad accounts, which results in the banhammer smashing distantly related play store accounts. The safest way to handle this is probably to not use both google play store and google ads. Going to be pretty hard to make an app without Play Store so I guess that means no using Google Ads. Too dangerous and Google will not support. If you used, say, Facebook "audience network" ads, then no matter how angry Facebook gets, regardless if they're correct or not, at least your app would remain up. Also if you're launching a startup you're probably not making much from ads and as using google ads is a HUGE existential risk for any app developer, you'd best not use ads. Its not like any end user ever used a startup's app because they like how well they implemented the ads.