7 ms·

Google Play rejecting app update without substantive reason

74 points by proactivesvcs 2y ago

anononaut 2y ago
I'm in a similar boat with one of many android app updates on Google Play. Over the last couple of weeks I pushed out updates to dozens of app listings with one app review rejected due to failing to disclose data my app absolutely does not collect. Specifically, a user's phone contacts. An app has to disclose on the store listing that type of data if it's transmitted off of the device. So I have this false positive with my initial appeal denied. I'm not sure how to move forward. Concede and change my Data Safety form on the listing? Insist false positive again? I'm in a bit of deadlock.
- izacus 2y ago
  How about you check all the dependencies you loaded into your app and determine whichone is a data stealing malware? :P
myko 2y ago
Getting this right now with Google and Apple. Extremely frustrating, especially after years of working in the space.
compootr 2y ago
honestly just use F-droid. If you're on Android already, might as well use the wonderful feature sideloading is
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
__rito__ 2y ago
I like having one-purpose simple apps with no ads, and OSS if possible. I have switched to FDroid and download apps from there even if the same apps are available from Google Play Store. Like VLC, Syncthing, Ankidroid, etc. I also switched to OSS alternatives from FDroid, deleting Play Store apps, and I have zero regrets. Some examples- 1. Antennapod is better podcast player than anything on Play Store, like Pocket Casts, Podbean, etc. 2. Voice is the best audiobook player for local files for Android. 3. Feeder is a great RSS reader. Can't use anything else here. FDroid is not only useful, it is fun, too. I have an app called Bubble which is a spirit level app using the phone's sensors. It's like using Windows in the 00s, and discovering indie apps and playing with them. It also has apps like Exodus where you can check permissions used by apps to check suspicious permissions.
leeeeeepw 2y ago
[dead]
proactivesvcs 2y ago
Background: Syncthing is an open source automatic file synchronisation project. As such it needs permissions for full access to a device's filesystem. Since Feb 2024 Google Play has been rejecting updates to the app because it requests this permission, but without any sensical reason. The maintainer who handles this has repeatedly re-submitted with clear reasoning, but has no option but to cease requesting reviews as a result of repeated insubstantial rejections.
- nixosbestos 2y ago
  When I use Syncthing-Fork, it uses the Android storage system to request access to the specific folders it syncs too. Does the OG SyncThing not have this? Is that somehow still not sufficient?
  - flanbiscuit 2y ago
    I've been using OG Syncthing from the Play Store for a long time but was just looking through F-Droid and noticed this Syncthing-Fork and then I see this comment about it. Looks interesting. You recommend it?
    - iforgotpassword 2y ago
      I absolutely recommend it, at least if you're somewhat tech-savy you'll enjoy the more detailed status display, advanced options etc.
  - proactivesvcs 2y ago
    I don't use the fork but I can see it has scope to request storage permissions: https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.github.catfriend1.syncthingandroid/latest/ https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.github.... Perhaps it only does this if the user wants to sync data outside the SAF?
    - nixosbestos 2y ago
      FWIW, I just checked and the only permission I have granted to SyncThingFork is "notifications". I think it optimistically requests all, but I can testify that it works fine without granting it all storage access. I just had to create/select a subdir in my SyncThingFork directory. I don't really know how the restricted storage access works. Maybe it's that if /another/ app has already claimed a directory, that SyncThing needs more permissions to be able to sync it? But that seems unlikely, just speculating.

74 points by proactivesvcs 2y ago

I'm in a similar boat with one of many android app updates on Google Play. Over the last couple of weeks I pushed out updates to dozens of app listings with one app review rejected due to failing to disclose data my app absolutely does not collect. Specifically, a user's phone contacts. An app has to disclose on the store listing that type of data if it's transmitted off of the device. So I have this false positive with my initial appeal denied. I'm not sure how to move forward. Concede and change my Data Safety form on the listing? Insist false positive again? I'm in a bit of deadlock.

izacus 2y ago
How about you check all the dependencies you loaded into your app and determine whichone is a data stealing malware? :P

myko 2y ago

Getting this right now with Google and Apple. Extremely frustrating, especially after years of working in the space.

compootr 2y ago

honestly just use F-droid. If you're on Android already, might as well use the wonderful feature sideloading is

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

__rito__ 2y ago

I like having one-purpose simple apps with no ads, and OSS if possible. I have switched to FDroid and download apps from there even if the same apps are available from Google Play Store. Like VLC, Syncthing, Ankidroid, etc. I also switched to OSS alternatives from FDroid, deleting Play Store apps, and I have zero regrets. Some examples- 1. Antennapod is better podcast player than anything on Play Store, like Pocket Casts, Podbean, etc. 2. Voice is the best audiobook player for local files for Android. 3. Feeder is a great RSS reader. Can't use anything else here. FDroid is not only useful, it is fun, too. I have an app called Bubble which is a spirit level app using the phone's sensors. It's like using Windows in the 00s, and discovering indie apps and playing with them. It also has apps like Exodus where you can check permissions used by apps to check suspicious permissions.

leeeeeepw 2y ago

[dead]

proactivesvcs 2y ago

Background: Syncthing is an open source automatic file synchronisation project. As such it needs permissions for full access to a device's filesystem. Since Feb 2024 Google Play has been rejecting updates to the app because it requests this permission, but without any sensical reason. The maintainer who handles this has repeatedly re-submitted with clear reasoning, but has no option but to cease requesting reviews as a result of repeated insubstantial rejections.

nixosbestos 2y ago
When I use Syncthing-Fork, it uses the Android storage system to request access to the specific folders it syncs too. Does the OG SyncThing not have this? Is that somehow still not sufficient?
- flanbiscuit 2y ago
  I've been using OG Syncthing from the Play Store for a long time but was just looking through F-Droid and noticed this Syncthing-Fork and then I see this comment about it. Looks interesting. You recommend it?
  - iforgotpassword 2y ago
    I absolutely recommend it, at least if you're somewhat tech-savy you'll enjoy the more detailed status display, advanced options etc.
- proactivesvcs 2y ago
  I don't use the fork but I can see it has scope to request storage permissions: https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.github.catfriend1.syncthingandroid/latest/ https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.github.... Perhaps it only does this if the user wants to sync data outside the SAF?
  - nixosbestos 2y ago
    FWIW, I just checked and the only permission I have granted to SyncThingFork is "notifications". I think it optimistically requests all, but I can testify that it works fine without granting it all storage access. I just had to create/select a subdir in my SyncThingFork directory. I don't really know how the restricted storage access works. Maybe it's that if /another/ app has already claimed a directory, that SyncThing needs more permissions to be able to sync it? But that seems unlikely, just speculating.