this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2024
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17702667

Google is putting the clamp on low-effort apps in the Play Store. Apps that don't offer basic functionality or quality may be removed.

top 20 comments
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[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wouldn't that leave like 3 apps on the srore

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Sick burn. It's just garbage on there except for the big players.

[–] SleepyWheel 32 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Thing is, there actually are some good basic apps out there. Things like pomodoro timers with no ads or tracking. Super basic but useful, and hard yobfind because they get buried below other 'slick' versions stuffed with ads and trackers.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Not only that, it's outright against the rules to "market" on the playstore as ad-free

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That's why it's better to download as many apps as possible from F-Droid. All apps are Free Open Source and checked for anti-features (like ads, tracking, etc.). Lots of basic (and not so basic) apps which are ad free, tracker-free and free to advertise that way.

[–] SleepyWheel 5 points 1 month ago

Really? I shouldn't be surprised but that's depressing. I'm happy to pay for good apps mind

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Maybe Google could institute a better search function, like by Price/Free, Date, Category, etc. They are a Search Engine, maybe activate that on your scammy Play Store.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago

Best we can do is more scammy suggestions(Ads) when you use the search bar in play store. - Google

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

no. we shouldnt let google decide what apps are good or bad. they should just not promote them.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Interesting point of view, I think that is hard to establish a limit about how bad should be an app for being removed. Maybe malware only or if the app don't do the intended function.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

in my opinion, google should never remove an app that is just bad quality. Thats what the app's rating already exists for. if the app is promoted and if people will download it. Everything they do, makes it more difficult for independant devs, that cant follow Google's new policies which they come out with every two months.

[–] Outtatime 8 points 1 month ago

Bot farms boosting the rating of shit apps.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

The more I think about it, the more I believe that you are right. If an app is not malware, shouldn't be removed. Also this could be a way for censorship.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

We've seen how Google's filters work. They'll take a ton legitimate apps out with no recourse for the devs and leave tons of "scammy" ones.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Epic Games Store and Fortnite is a low quality app in their opinion.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

And maybe all Meta apps too

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

Nintendo could use to do the same.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Frequently unresponsive or very unstable apps shouldn't have been in the Play store in the 1st place.

Anyway, to the Play store's credit, I downloaded many bank apps and I never got a fake bank app.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

So we will be having an annual purge from now on?