my app has been removed from Google Play

Solar2D Android
#1

I received the following email from the Google review team. What should I do?
Is it a problem that I solve with the following actions?

  1. update new daily build Corona SDK.
  2. appodeal.beta -> appodeal
    (I using Corona 2018.3449 and appodeal.beta plugin.)

thank you for your helps.

After review, Your app( ), has been removed from Google Play because it violates our personal and sensitive information policy and section 4.8 of the Developer Distribution Agreement. This app won’t be available to users until you submit a compliant update.

Here’s how you can submit your app for another review:

  1. Read through the Personal and Sensitive Information article and make the necessary changes to your app.

Your app is uploading users’ installed package information to https://a.appbaqend.com without a prominent disclosure. Prior to the collection and transmission, it must prominently highlight how the user data will be used, describe the type of data being collected and have the user provide affirmative consent for such use.

  1. Make sure your app is compliant with the User Data policy and all other policies listed in the Developer Program Policies. Remember that additional enforcement could occur if there are further policy issues with your apps.

  2. Sign in to your Play Console and upload the modified, policy compliant APK. Make sure to increment the version number of the APK.

  3. Submit your app.

If approved, your app will again be available with all installs, ratings, and reviews intact.

We classify user information including but not limited to, call logs, message logs, email address, phone number, name, social media account information, and contacts as private and confidential information. An app downloaded from Google Play (or its components or derivative elements) which transmits this information off of the device without obtaining the user’s explicit consent is in violation of section 4.8 of the DDA.

If you’ve reviewed the policy and feel this removal may have been in error, please reach out to our policy support team. One of my colleagues will get back to you within 2 business days.

Best,
Google Play Review Team

#2

  1. update new daily build Corona SDK.

  2. appodeal.beta -> appodeal

  3. Submit and solved :slight_smile:

#3

Interesting. So you reverted back and it is now working correctly. Did you inform the appodeal team? Did you send the consent flag as “false” and have a way to set the flag to true in the UI?

#4

Did you let Appodeal know about this?

Rob

#5

Hello!

After a recent update I have the same problem with one of my apps.

“Your app is uploading users’ installed package information to https://a.appbaqend.com without a prominent disclosure. Prior to the collection and transmission, it must prominently highlight how the user data will be used, describe the type of data being collected and have the user provide affirmative consent for such use.” 

The app was live and updated frequently for months without any problems.

Did some changes, built with latest versions and resubmitted the app but this time got rejected.

“Issue: Violation of Inappropriate Ads policy The ads shown within your app must be appropriate for the intended audience of your app, even if the content by itself is otherwise compliant with our policies. For example, ads that show mature content or services cannot be served in apps that have a content rating for younger audiences.”

I use only appodeal in my apps and 90% of my ads come from admob.

Unfortunately no response from appodeal.

Their support used to be amazing but last year is very hard to get some help for some serious issues.

Especially around holiday seasons,

#6

I am also waiting for Appodeal’s answer.

I think I have seen notice about Holiday. Maybe because of it.

In my case, appodeal usually solved it well, so I am still waiting for it.

#7

Without an in-app notice or dialog for personal data, a few of us have been rejected or removed from the Google Play in the past. This is what mine looks like at for one of my new app (bottom one):

#8

I have the same in app notice in all of my apps except that one!

But I had hasUserConsent = false as default and that should be enough (or not? :p).

Maybe this is another thing appodeal should check!

Also it doesn’t explain the rejection when I added it and resubmitted the app!!

#9

I have three privacy elements in my app:

  1. The switch you see above.

  2. A link to my privacy policy.

  3. A small disclosure that Appodeal is collecting data and a link to Appodeal privacy policy.

My last Android update was December 26th. It was approved and has not been removed. On top of Appodeal, I also use Ironsource for monetization  (offerwall).

I used the latest beta build of Appodeal at the time.

And yes Appodeal has had a few cost-cutting moves in the last year, not sure why. But support is still better than Google Ads or Facebook Audience Network.

#10

I’ve pinged Appodeal about this.

Rob

#11

Thanks Rob!

#12

Any news?

No answer from appodeal through their support (for me at least).

There are other problems too.

Video ads from several networks don’t work well (flickering, slow loading, crashes and freezes).

Especially on iOS.

#13

I’ve not heard anything.

Rob

#14

This may be due to your clone making and on marketing, you do a spamming like stuff.

#15

Hi!

I think you can post your app in some other stores, not play store

#16

Unfortunately we had a critical bug in 2.5.0 beta Corona SDK which may lead to integrated apps getting banned. 
We try to catch all issues before public beta but not always it’s possible, unfortunately. To avoid such bugs, I recommend you use the release version of Appodeal SDK.
Now, you should turn off advertising for a while, until you update SDK to 2.5.1 or roll back to the stable version 2.4.10.
We have Appodeal SDK 2.5.1 where we fixed this bug. You may rebuild apk again, we updated beta version for corona. More info you can find here - https://www.appodeal.com/sdk/corona_beta

I got this today from Appodeal. This issue should be fixed in the 2.5.1 beta.

#17

This just happened to me as well, but in another context, Appodeal support basically refused to offer any support for their plugin because Corona SDK is open source now. That should not affect users that are still building with the Corona build infrastructure right? Or are we supposed to be migrating to some offline build system that I missed?

At any rate, in relation to the questions and recent response here, when will we be getting 2.5.1 in the beta plugin in Corona builds? Because I’m still building with Corona simulator, and I need to resolve this, but the last response from Appodeal support said they aren’t supporting the plugin any longer. I hope that was a misunderstanding by the person responding to me, but I tried to follow up and received no response. So I came here looking for more info.

p.s., If someone from Corona or Appodeal wants me to forward the email, send me a PM.

#18

My game was just taken down as well. Would I be able to build with an older version of Corona to roll back to the 2.4.10 version of the Appodeal SDK?

#19

@oliver.kjellen

Just don’t use the beta version and you will be fine (if it’s appodeal related).

Also I got this message from appodeal (copy - paste):

" Now we have Appodeal SDK 2.5.1 where we fixed this bug.

You may rebuild apk again, we updated beta version for corona.

More info yuo may find here - https://www.appodeal.com/sdk/corona_beta "

@RayCardillo

Are you sure about not offering support for the plugin? 

Appodeal’s support is really bad in general this days and maybe there was a misunderstood!

#20

I hope that means that they’ll release the plugin as open source. I know they just got a big deal with Epic Games and that means they have to support another plugin and they want to limit the number of plugins they support. So maybe that means they drop Corona. Just Unity and Epic.

As far as the support they always seem great to me, I have asked them 2 questions in the last 5 days, 1 was answered in 2 hours and the other above in 5 minutes. Compare that to Apple where I have an open question about my game and have not heard anything in 2 weeks and 1 day.