Same here, Google unpublished one of our 10 million+ downloaded apps without warning. I appealed using the option to upload a PDF file to have a 2 page description of our processes and efforts to deal with user generated content, only to get the standard canned response
"We (...) will not be reinstating your app. This decision is final (...) We are unable to comment further on the specific policy basis for this removal (...)".
Needless to say, this is a very disappointing way to be dealt with when this concerns a significant revenue stream.
I'm on the same boat as you mate although my app didn't have 100 M+ downloads.
But they suspended the app under the claim of "Keyword Spam". I know I didn't do that. I appealed, only to get a boilerplate e-mail response saying that they will not un-suspend my app but I can upload it under a new package name.
How the FUCK am I supposed to resubmit if they don't tell me what exactly was wrong before? All they do is give you a vague explanation and point you to their terms and conditions, proving they REALLY don't know why on earth they are banning you.
I'm in a bit of a dilemma now. I had a lot of work and effort put into that app and I'm afraid that resubmitting it might get me another suspension (for no reason at all!) which can get my entire developer account banned and fuck all my other apps!
And before any blind Google defenders come here: no, my app was NOT in the grey area and it was 100% legitimate.
Truly disgusting. They just don't care about disrupting the livelihoods of developers who have poured hours upon hours of hard work into their apps, only to be whimsically squashed without explanation. Not to mention the 30% revenue share - where does that money go if not to some basic level of support that lets you speak to a human being in these situations?
This may seem like a rude question, but - why would you build a business that significantly depends upon the arbitrary decision of the owner of a walled garden? I mean, it's not like this hasn't happened many times in the past. Why would you invest your money to build on such a risky platform as Android or iOS?
I don't think the question why we develop for Android is relevant here.
The fact that the two most important smartphone platforms are walled gardens is interesting in itself. (Google has for long claimed that Android is more open than iOS, but with the current state of things where not being published on Google Play means your app doesn't exist, this claim is not really valid anymore).
Okay, perhaps a more general question then, for people who develop for walled gardens of all types: how can you justify the investment, when your app might be cut off at the knees tomorrow?
I would rather ask the opposite question: Is it possible to develop a fast growing mobile service without developing an app on iOS/Android? How could Instagram have grown the way it did without their iOS and Android apps?
I'm sure people occasionally post copyrighted content as a picture on Instagram, were they just lucky not to get pulled by Google for copyright infringement?
Put another way: you have $X to invest. Why would you invest in a mobile service that requires a native app, when the only viable 'markets' for same are walled gardens with arbitrary rules?
Courts exist in capitalist societies to provide the rule of law, and thus the stability, required for investment. There is no such thing in the Android or iOS world.
Gray area? This is a dating app just like Tinder/Grindr etc. It's been live on iOS for almost 2 years with no issues and a high rating. It's also rated high maturity (ages 18+), and we are talking about occasional nudity here, not pornography, and we work hard to take down the nudity as soon as we see it. Our mods work hard, it's a tough job, and it sucks that after all the hard work they put in, the app still gets abruptly removed without explanation.
The point is that if Google would just take 5 extra minutes to tell us what they found that was in violation, then everyone would be better off, instead of having to go through this cycle of guessing what the problem is and resubmitting while in the process losing all reviews and rankings.
IMO the issue here is actually grey areas in general. Why not be more specific with the content policy or more specific with the reasons for removal. I don't think anyone who has been removed would complain if Google did one or the other. The issue is almost 0 communication and an insanely vague content policy combined with no consistency. I'm sure there are 100's of apps just like the OP's who are in good standing on the market.
> Astute readers will notice that the app is not actually banned from Google Play. Since our account is still in good standing, we’re allowed to release a new app under a different package name, but that means all reviews will be erased, and the download count will be reset.
As an astute reader, I think that they are planning to rename and resubmit the app.
Needless to say, this is a very disappointing way to be dealt with when this concerns a significant revenue stream.