14 ms·

No More Notification Ads and Icon Ads in Android Apps

101 points by thijser 13y ago

thijser 13y ago
This is quite significant as some of the bigger ad networks focus almost exclusively on these kind of ad units and have reasonable market shares (Airpush and Leadbolt are good examples): http://www.appbrain.com/stats/libraries/ad http://www.appbrain.com/stats/libraries/ad
- cheald 13y ago
  Airpush going away makes me very happy.
  - brandnewlow 13y ago
    Airpush has developed a DSP over the last few months, likely in anticipation of this happening.
icesoldier 13y ago
> "Smartphone usage has skyrocketed, and some advertisers have begun to experiment with aggressive, new techniques to display ads on mobile devices. This includes pushing ads to the standard Android notification bar, dropping generically designed icons on the mobile desktop, and modifying browser settings like bookmarks or the default homepage," explains Lookout. Wait, seriously? Perhaps I'm too accustomed to iOS, but I wouldn't expect a smartphone app to change the browser homepage.
- duiker101 13y ago
  PC applications have always been able to do it so I don't see why not, in the end it's the user that is accepting this, everything needs permissions, if the user doesn't pay attention it's partly his fault. This are features that can still be useful for legitimate uses.
  - corresation 13y ago
    There is a balance to be had, however, and the watch your back! approach to the market is not consumer friendly, and history has shown that it simply doesn't work. There's no reason to accept it. Honestly -- and I say this as an Android developer -- Google needs to perform at least rudimentary identity verification of developers/developer companies. Right now it is a joke, and is how fly-by-night scammers can roll in and out with impunity.
    - corresation 13y ago
      Here's an outrageous example of how utterly broken the vendor verification is on Google - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waefgrwegweawes34df34ffeg33edfrhfweferwaegawegagewgg345435323wefewa.flash.player&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waefgrwegw... It is hard to blame a user when they fall for garbage like this. The hundreds of fake reviews are the topping on the cake, and this is one of countless examples of this sort of horseshit.
  - marssaxman 13y ago
    I have always found the fact that Windows app installers routinely do this to be one of the irritating things about that platform. Apps should know their place: it's my machine, not theirs, and they should not presume to tell me how I should organize it.
    - MichaelGG 13y ago
      It's interesting that Android is rediscovering the same lessons Windows learned. As Windows progressed, they exposed less things via API, realising that the user wants control of their experience. For instance, pinning items to the taskbar. Devs call MS and whine "how can I make my installer pin the app to the taskbar" and the answer is "that's the user's space, so you're not allowed". Of course, without a sandbox or approved environment, applications can reverse engineer the system somehow. And if MS adds a mandatory sandbox/approval (WinRT) then it's "but it's not an open or fair platform; my machine is locked down; freedom etc.". Sure, you might say "but I want" this app to violate the sandbox. But if that's remotely easy to accomplish, then all apps just request you to violate the sandbox (just like the tons of sites that used to have "click yes to install the ActiveX control when the scary warning pops up").
drivebyacct2 13y ago
Stupid headline on Google's part - they make this sound far worse than it is. I've never, ever seen a single ad on any of my Android phones (minus in-browser) except for in a couple random games I have downloaded.
babuskov 13y ago
What Android really needs is a way to accept/deny each permission separately. I see some apps. asking for some permission they clearly do not need to function, and you're left with a choice of either not installing the app. at all or having to give it the permission you don't want.
- cheald 13y ago
  Many of the popular 3rd party ROMs have this feature. I think it's not in stock because it can break apps that expect "this feature that I require before installation should be here", which then blow up when the feature is not, in fact, there, but I guess that the assumption is that if you're savvy enough to run a custom ROM and to revoke permissions, you're savvy enough to place blame where blame's due.
  - stephengillie 13y ago
    This feature was added to Cyanogenmod at some point, then removed later. Many apps are designed to not work unless they have these unnecessary permissions. I removed phone log permissions from some media and game apps (Bejeweled clones & coin-drop games) and they simply crashed.
    - dsr_ 13y ago
      If you root your phone and use a packet filter -- DroidWall is very good -- you can gate network communications per app. This works very well for apps that you don't trust, as long as you're willing to forego network connectivity for them.
    - MichaelGG 13y ago
      Of course they're going to crash if the call is simply denied or returns invalid information. The OS should simply return valid, dummy information (empty array, array with single fake contact, etc.).
  - jra101 13y ago
    The OS could lie to the app after permission for some aspect was revoked and respond with no data or garbage data. For example if you revoked permission for access to pictures or something else like music, when that app queried for the number of pictures/music on the device the OS would just return 0. For something like GPS you could return a valid location (like say somewhere on the Google Campus).
DominikR 13y ago
Other important changes that will improve the ecosystem: "Do not post an app where the primary functionality is to: Drive affiliate traffic to a website or Provide a webview of a website not owned or administered by you (unless you have permission from the website owner/administrator to do so)" and "Apps that are created by an automated tool or wizard service must not be submitted to Google Play by the operator of that service on behalf of other persons." I wouldn't be surprised if 10% of all apps in the Play store fall in those categories.
ParkerK 13y ago
It would be nice if Apple would implement/actually enforce this as well. I have ads pushing out notifications on "deals" or whatnot daily. Good on Google for making this happen
- MBCook 13y ago
  It's been against Apple's push notification rules since, I believe, day one. I've had it happen a few times as well though.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
reginaldjcooper 13y ago
Mobile apps are such a shitty situation; it seems like one either has to submit to the ridiculous walled garden approach or stand constant vigil against every app one installs. All OSs need fine(r)-grained permissions, they need to supply fake data to apps that refuse to run without permissions, and in general make it deleterious to abuse the user's trust. My ideal vision is sandboxed applications that can reach out to shared data stores or open external apps via some kind of intents; but only if the user allows them to. Also apps should be signed and the user should have the option of installing third-party CA certificates.
adjwilli 13y ago
"The Google Search app will be able to show Google Now ads for nearby businesses". We'll that's good that at least Google get's to show its ads, because it's "open" and you are its product.

101 points by thijser 13y ago

This is quite significant as some of the bigger ad networks focus almost exclusively on these kind of ad units and have reasonable market shares (Airpush and Leadbolt are good examples): http://www.appbrain.com/stats/libraries/ad http://www.appbrain.com/stats/libraries/ad

cheald 13y ago
Airpush going away makes me very happy.
- brandnewlow 13y ago
  Airpush has developed a DSP over the last few months, likely in anticipation of this happening.

icesoldier 13y ago

> "Smartphone usage has skyrocketed, and some advertisers have begun to experiment with aggressive, new techniques to display ads on mobile devices. This includes pushing ads to the standard Android notification bar, dropping generically designed icons on the mobile desktop, and modifying browser settings like bookmarks or the default homepage," explains Lookout. Wait, seriously? Perhaps I'm too accustomed to iOS, but I wouldn't expect a smartphone app to change the browser homepage.

duiker101 13y ago
PC applications have always been able to do it so I don't see why not, in the end it's the user that is accepting this, everything needs permissions, if the user doesn't pay attention it's partly his fault. This are features that can still be useful for legitimate uses.
- corresation 13y ago
  There is a balance to be had, however, and the watch your back! approach to the market is not consumer friendly, and history has shown that it simply doesn't work. There's no reason to accept it. Honestly -- and I say this as an Android developer -- Google needs to perform at least rudimentary identity verification of developers/developer companies. Right now it is a joke, and is how fly-by-night scammers can roll in and out with impunity.
  - corresation 13y ago
    Here's an outrageous example of how utterly broken the vendor verification is on Google - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waefgrwegweawes34df34ffeg33edfrhfweferwaegawegagewgg345435323wefewa.flash.player&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waefgrwegw... It is hard to blame a user when they fall for garbage like this. The hundreds of fake reviews are the topping on the cake, and this is one of countless examples of this sort of horseshit.
- marssaxman 13y ago
  I have always found the fact that Windows app installers routinely do this to be one of the irritating things about that platform. Apps should know their place: it's my machine, not theirs, and they should not presume to tell me how I should organize it.
  - MichaelGG 13y ago
    It's interesting that Android is rediscovering the same lessons Windows learned. As Windows progressed, they exposed less things via API, realising that the user wants control of their experience. For instance, pinning items to the taskbar. Devs call MS and whine "how can I make my installer pin the app to the taskbar" and the answer is "that's the user's space, so you're not allowed". Of course, without a sandbox or approved environment, applications can reverse engineer the system somehow. And if MS adds a mandatory sandbox/approval (WinRT) then it's "but it's not an open or fair platform; my machine is locked down; freedom etc.". Sure, you might say "but I want" this app to violate the sandbox. But if that's remotely easy to accomplish, then all apps just request you to violate the sandbox (just like the tons of sites that used to have "click yes to install the ActiveX control when the scary warning pops up").

drivebyacct2 13y ago

Stupid headline on Google's part - they make this sound far worse than it is. I've never, ever seen a single ad on any of my Android phones (minus in-browser) except for in a couple random games I have downloaded.

babuskov 13y ago

What Android really needs is a way to accept/deny each permission separately. I see some apps. asking for some permission they clearly do not need to function, and you're left with a choice of either not installing the app. at all or having to give it the permission you don't want.

cheald 13y ago
Many of the popular 3rd party ROMs have this feature. I think it's not in stock because it can break apps that expect "this feature that I require before installation should be here", which then blow up when the feature is not, in fact, there, but I guess that the assumption is that if you're savvy enough to run a custom ROM and to revoke permissions, you're savvy enough to place blame where blame's due.
- stephengillie 13y ago
  This feature was added to Cyanogenmod at some point, then removed later. Many apps are designed to not work unless they have these unnecessary permissions. I removed phone log permissions from some media and game apps (Bejeweled clones & coin-drop games) and they simply crashed.
  - dsr_ 13y ago
    If you root your phone and use a packet filter -- DroidWall is very good -- you can gate network communications per app. This works very well for apps that you don't trust, as long as you're willing to forego network connectivity for them.
  - MichaelGG 13y ago
    Of course they're going to crash if the call is simply denied or returns invalid information. The OS should simply return valid, dummy information (empty array, array with single fake contact, etc.).
- jra101 13y ago
  The OS could lie to the app after permission for some aspect was revoked and respond with no data or garbage data. For example if you revoked permission for access to pictures or something else like music, when that app queried for the number of pictures/music on the device the OS would just return 0. For something like GPS you could return a valid location (like say somewhere on the Google Campus).

DominikR 13y ago

Other important changes that will improve the ecosystem: "Do not post an app where the primary functionality is to: Drive affiliate traffic to a website or Provide a webview of a website not owned or administered by you (unless you have permission from the website owner/administrator to do so)" and "Apps that are created by an automated tool or wizard service must not be submitted to Google Play by the operator of that service on behalf of other persons." I wouldn't be surprised if 10% of all apps in the Play store fall in those categories.

ParkerK 13y ago

It would be nice if Apple would implement/actually enforce this as well. I have ads pushing out notifications on "deals" or whatnot daily. Good on Google for making this happen

MBCook 13y ago
It's been against Apple's push notification rules since, I believe, day one. I've had it happen a few times as well though.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

reginaldjcooper 13y ago

Mobile apps are such a shitty situation; it seems like one either has to submit to the ridiculous walled garden approach or stand constant vigil against every app one installs. All OSs need fine(r)-grained permissions, they need to supply fake data to apps that refuse to run without permissions, and in general make it deleterious to abuse the user's trust. My ideal vision is sandboxed applications that can reach out to shared data stores or open external apps via some kind of intents; but only if the user allows them to. Also apps should be signed and the user should have the option of installing third-party CA certificates.

adjwilli 13y ago

"The Google Search app will be able to show Google Now ads for nearby businesses". We'll that's good that at least Google get's to show its ads, because it's "open" and you are its product.