Google has started removing popular cleaner apps from the Play Store
Miscellaneous / / August 24, 2023
The Google protection system did not react to the applications themselves, but to their descriptions.
Google Play has started a war with Android cleaners. Such applications are designed to free the smartphone from unnecessary files and speed up the device. Now many android developers complainthat their apps have been removed from the store and their account has been suspended.
Apparently, the problem is not in the applications themselves, but in their descriptions. In early August, Google introduced a new no-deceptive behavior policy that all developers must follow. Under the new rules, developers must provide users with a clear explanation of how their app works and not use techniques that prevent bad reviews from being posted. Perhaps the moderators were not satisfied with the promises to improve the performance of devices, which such programs often promise.
In the case of cleaners, Google's defenses could also target words and phrases that bots might consider suspicious activity, although in the context of the program's operation, it is clear that they are harmless. Gizmochina editors
singled out examples of such phrases in the description of the popular SD Maid cleaner, which also fell under the purge:- Browse the contents of your entire device and manipulate files using a full-fledged file explorer.
- Track files left behind by uninstalled applications.
- Look for files by title, content or date.
- Get a detailed report about your device's memory.
- Track duplicate images, music or documents, regardless of name or location.
The developers of SD Maid claim that their application is completely safe and they have no way to track user data. Moreover, anyone can check it out, since the creators have posted the source code of the application on GitHub.
It is not yet known what awaits the affected developers and their applications in the future. Google has not yet commented on the situation.
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