Play time over for 60K low-quality apps as Google fights Android spam
Google recently undertook a considerable spring cleaning effort in its Play Store, sweeping away nearly 10 percent of the apps in the Android app repository in order to cut down on the number of "spammy" apps ? a move that could signal a more Apple-like approach to Google's handling of its marketplace.
"a company in the mobile app industry" with insight into the process said Google had played a part in the removal of some 60,000 apps since February of this year, TechCrunch reported this week. Some apps are said to have been pulled by publishers themselves, but the scale of the Play Store cleaning suggests that Google itself had a hand in the overall app reduction.
The 60,000 app figure represents, depending on one's estimate of the Play Store's size, between 7.5 and 10 percent of the apps in Google's Android app repository.
Google doesn't exert the same degree of control that Apple does over its App Store, preferring instead to simply delete only apps that violate its Terms of Service by spreading malware, infringing copyrights, or featuring graphic sexual material. The new round of removals, though, appears to have targeted ringtone/MP3 apps in large part, signaling perhaps that Google is looking to moderate its Play Store more thoroughly for quality.
Unlike Apple, though, Google appears to be going about its quality moderation in an almost entirely automated manner. Whereas Apple has apps go through an approval process before they can be posted to the App Store, Google looks to be exerting a looser form of quality control on the tail end of the process, removing unsatisfactory apps later.
"a company in the mobile app industry" with insight into the process said Google had played a part in the removal of some 60,000 apps since February of this year, TechCrunch reported this week. Some apps are said to have been pulled by publishers themselves, but the scale of the Play Store cleaning suggests that Google itself had a hand in the overall app reduction.
The 60,000 app figure represents, depending on one's estimate of the Play Store's size, between 7.5 and 10 percent of the apps in Google's Android app repository.
Google doesn't exert the same degree of control that Apple does over its App Store, preferring instead to simply delete only apps that violate its Terms of Service by spreading malware, infringing copyrights, or featuring graphic sexual material. The new round of removals, though, appears to have targeted ringtone/MP3 apps in large part, signaling perhaps that Google is looking to moderate its Play Store more thoroughly for quality.
Unlike Apple, though, Google appears to be going about its quality moderation in an almost entirely automated manner. Whereas Apple has apps go through an approval process before they can be posted to the App Store, Google looks to be exerting a looser form of quality control on the tail end of the process, removing unsatisfactory apps later.
Comments
They will be left with hardly 120000 apps. Out of them, 119900 are not at all downloaded at least once.
For comparison, Windows Phone had over 150,000 as of last December and Blackberry 10's app store hit 100,000 just last month.
Apple is still far in the lead with the best development platform, most efficient and best looking apps, most approved apps at over 1 million, and over 800,000 currently available apps (300,000 being designed specifically for the iPad), and most popular app store with over 40 billion downloaded.
Whereas Apple has apps go through an approval process before they can be posted to the App Store, Google looks to be exerting a looser form of quality control on the tail end of the process, removing unsatisfactory apps later.
In other words, Apple applies an ounce of prevention, Google applies a pound of cure.
But...but... Google is "open", and "Free", and not part of "The Man"!!!
Google can't possibly be thinking of telling developers what they can and can't put on on "open" store can they?
Hypocrites. Let's see what the Android fantards do to spin this story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sflocal
Google can't possibly be thinking of telling developers what they can and can't put on on "open" store can they?
You might want to correct yourself... it is an open platform, NOT an open store. There are policies and terms to get an app on the Google Play. Violate the rules and your app will be removed.
I am free to make all the "crappy" apps I want and place them on any number of third-party store or even on my own website for side loading. Just dont expect to have them on Google Play or at least for very long. The platform is open.
Was that enough spin for you and your "fantard" expectations?
How does google define "crappy"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jungmark
How does google define "crappy"?
Notice the " <---
You want a definition? Took all of 2 seconds. They are very very specific on this. This is good enough for you?
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So Google isn't as open as people try to make it out to be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
So Google isn't as open as people try to make it out to be.
Might want to look that up. Here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software and http://opensource.org/docs/osd in case you actually want to learn what open means. But, I know better.
So, not as open and care free as claimed. When it is Apple and the App Store, Apple may just pull your app and make front page news world wide. It is the danger of developing for iOS. Your app might get pulled and that won't happen with Android. Yes, there are hundreds of articles talking about that specific advantage of Android over iOS.
Big when Google culls 60,000+ apps (do we need 10,000 hellos world apps?) it is simply maintaining quality?
Massive double standard.
They seem to still exist: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=inutilsoft.HelloWorld&hl=en
At least they've released their search algorithms to the public domain¡
Could be that people have no idea what they're talking about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by malta
Might want to look that up. Here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software and http://opensource.org/docs/osd in case you actually want to learn what open means. But, I know better.
Maybe you want to take your own advice and read what open source actually means and then compare it to Android. Android is far from open source and is widely regarded as the "least open" of the open source projects out there.
Android used on Samsung, Motorola and other popular devices is not the same version of Android that is free to download and customize any way you want (like Amazon did). Once you do that you're no longer allowed access to Google Play.
Open Source is a buzz word thrown around by fandroids who don't have a clue about software development. But hey, it sounds cool to say you use a product that's "open".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven N.
Your app might get pulled and that won't happen with Android. Yes, there are hundreds of articles talking about that specific advantage of Android over iOS.
Cool, can you post a few links to a couple of those articles? I would love to read about how you can violate policies, terms and conditions with no repercussions. Just put any app you want on the Google Play store and they don't do anything about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
At least they've released their search algorithms to the public domain¡
Whoever said that their search algorithms was open source? I am sure it is a great business model to just release to the public the core of your product. Just think about all the companies out there that do that? Coke, Apple, Corning, etc.
For every Fandroid who has ever uttered the term "walled garden" to refer to the iTunes app store, that crow has to taste pretty bitter right about now.
What I want to know is, what changed? Why are 60,000 apps suddenly slated for mass removal? At that order of magnitude, these couldn't have all been new apps. What policy change went into effect that meant 1 out of every 10 apps had to be pulled. What does that curation process look like? And why institute a process that allows any app in, only to review them at a later time, then have to pull 10% of them? Why allow those apps into their store to begin with?
But Google is all for "openness". None of those companies claim to be open.
Google is evil.
Question is who set the standard? It could be that they're pulling apps that they're just now realizing violated policy. Apple has a approval process before the app is allowed into the app store so then why are apps pulled post approval?
Quote:
Originally Posted by malta
Whoever said that their search algorithms was open source? I am sure it is a great business model to just release to the public the core of your product. Just think about all the companies out there that do that? Coke, Apple, Corning, etc.
Ever heard of Darwin? Webkit? ALAC?
Quote:
Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee
Android used on Samsung, Motorola and other popular devices is not the same version of Android that is free to download and customize any way you want
Why did you just contradict yourself there when you claim Android is not open?