Disable Pingjam for Apps on Google Play
Hello,
It would appear that Google decided this morning that it does not like Pingjam - despite the fact that Pingjam is in compliance with an opt-in dialog at app startup and their company apparently getting the 'thumbs up' from Google a while ago:
"An app downloaded from Google Play (or its components or derivative elements) must not make changes to the user’s device outside of the app without the user’s knowledge and consent."
I would recommend that you turn off Pingjam in your apps, rebuild and update in Google Play ASAP.
For further details, you may wish to read this thread:
http://forums.makingmoneywithandroid.com/advertising-networks/3195-10-apps-banned-because-pingjam.html
We're investigating further and apparently Pingjam's CEO Elnor Roz has reached out to his contacts at Google, but of course they are away for the weekend. In the meantime, they have disabled their service while clarification can be made. For now though, the safest bet is to remove Pingjam from your Android apps immediately.
It would appear that Google decided this morning that it does not like Pingjam - despite the fact that Pingjam is in compliance with an opt-in dialog at app startup and their company apparently getting the 'thumbs up' from Google a while ago:
"An app downloaded from Google Play (or its components or derivative elements) must not make changes to the user’s device outside of the app without the user’s knowledge and consent."
I would recommend that you turn off Pingjam in your apps, rebuild and update in Google Play ASAP.
For further details, you may wish to read this thread:
http://forums.makingmoneywithandroid.com/advertising-networks/3195-10-apps-banned-because-pingjam.html
We're investigating further and apparently Pingjam's CEO Elnor Roz has reached out to his contacts at Google, but of course they are away for the weekend. In the meantime, they have disabled their service while clarification can be made. For now though, the safest bet is to remove Pingjam from your Android apps immediately.
Comments
Hi Colin,
I am very sorry that the apps have been removed. I can
definitely feel the developers' pain and I really hope that all the apps
will be reinstated soon.
A small number of apps that have been
working with us has been removed today and we have reached out to our
contacts at Google to figure out what’s happening. We’ve been told that
before Monday there is nothing that can be done and that we can hope to be hearing back on Monday.
We
don’t know whether this is caused by us or not but to be on the safe
side, we have shut down our service so that the caller id isn’t working
anymore and neither are the ads. Hopefully this will prevent further
damage.
Throughout the past few months we’ve had multiple
conversations with Google and have repeatedly been assured that our
service is fully compliant and that as long as the user is aware that
they’re installing a caller id service then we are fine. If this turns
out to have changed - we will be very surprised. Regardless, we are here
to work with you to help get your apps back in the store.
I
recommend that the developers write an email to the Google team to ask
for explanation and to ask for the apps to be reinstated. We will keep
pushing on our end. If there’s anything that we can help with - please
don’t hesitate to let me know.
Thanks,
Elnor Rozenrot
Co-Founder & CEO, Pingjam
A further update from Pingjam that was emailed to all their customers this morning:
Since
yesterday we've received several reports of apps which use Pingjam and
other ad SDKs being removed from the Play Store, citing violation of the
“System Interference” clause (http://play.google.com/about/
I’m writing to explain what we are doing to deal with this situation.
First
I’d like to assure you that the Pingjam SDK hasn’t behaved in any way
that violates the policy. No changes have been made to the device
without the user’s consent, and banned ad methods (icons, notifications
etc) weren’t used by us in any case.
Our
primary concern is that developers aren't hurt, so although we are
certain that our system is compliant, we've disabled the Caller ID
service until further notice. As of yesterday none of our apps display
caller ID or ads.
We
are working tirelessly to reach out to Google developer relations to
investigate the apps removal, but since this is the weekend our ability
to create a meaningful conversation is limited. I assure you that if
indeed we verify that Pingjam was the reason for this we will let you
know. Our goal is to help fix the situation so that apps are restored
with their install base and ratings.
In
the meantime, as a precaution, I'd like to suggest to those of you that
haven't lost apps that you remove our SDK from your apps and republish.
Those
of you that have lost apps - we are working very hard to try to
understand and resolve this with you. Let's share what we learn so that
we can help the community get their apps back. Please share what you are
doing in regards to communicating with Google. Hopefully we can
identify a best practice that helps us all.
Link to Google's appeal page - https://support.google.com/
I will keep you posted on our progress.
Elnor
In any case, we'll come up with a way for affected Andromo users to build with another package name should that be the only option.
So I really have no idea why my app was suspended since i haven't used pingjam in a very longtime. Unless its one of those things where people are guilty by association, so maybe just having the name andromo is enough to make them think you are using pinjam.
I appealed, and got a letter this morning saying it was denied but they didn't give any further reasons other than to refer to the original email.
weren't using Pingjam, then it was for some other reason, like content.
They don't just suspend your app by 'association'.
All my videos are 100% my own copyright, and we don't do any shady ad display stuff.
The only two common factors here are:
1. Yes I did try out Pinjam once, I didn't like it and didn't think my viewers would either so we got rid of it a long time ago.
2. It's built with andromo.
Anyhee, here's the communication thread...
Their initial notification (Nov 1):
This is a notification that your application, Quetzal TV, with package ID com.andromo.dev245078.
REASON FOR REMOVAL: Violation of the System Interference provision of the Content Policy.
All violations are tracked. Serious or repeated violations of any
nature will result in the termination of your developer account, and
investigation and possible termination of related Google accounts. If
your account is terminated, payments will cease and Google may recover
the proceeds of any past sales and the cost of any associated fees (such
as chargebacks and payment transaction fees) from you.
If your developer account is still in good standing, you may revise
and upload a new instance of the app that is compliant with the
developer terms. Before uploading any new applications, please review
the Developer Distribution Agreement and Content Policy.
If you feel we have made this determination in error, you can visit this Google Play Help Center article for additional information regarding this removal.
The Google Play Team
=========================================My apeal on (Nov 2) Via their form...
On 11/02/13 11:44:11 toontitan@gmail.com wrote:
registered_email_address: toontitan@gmail.com
abuse_type: other
abuse_type--other: The email i received says, Violation of the System
Interference provision of the Content Policy.
package_name: com.andromo.dev245078.app22862
appeal_reason: My app is perfectly safe, it doesn't really require any
special permissions or require any sort of modifications on the users
device. All it does is it displays a list of episodes to watch (episodes
that we create and are our own work 100%) and when the user clicks an
option it displays the appropriate page on the web where the user can view
the videos. Its perfectly harmless.
Any ads that are displayed are ads by Google AdMob.
If you insist that there's something wrong with our app please let us know
what it is, specifically, so I can correct it.
:---- Automatically added fields ----:
Language: en
IIILanguage: en
auto-helpcenter-id: 203
auto-helpcenter-name: googleplay/android-developer
auto-internal-helpcenter-name: androidmarket
auto-full-url:
https://support.google.com/goo
auto-user-logged-in: true
auto-user-was-internal: false
IssueType: appappeals
form-id: appappeals
form: appappeals
subject-line-field-id:
body-text-field-id:
AutoDetectedBrowser: Firefox 24.0
AutoDetectedOS: Microsoft Windows 7
===========================================
An email from Elnor (Nov 3)... [It's a long and canned email so im truncating it, most of you got the same one Im sure.]
Hi there,
Since
yesterday we've received several reports of apps which use Pingjam and
other ad SDKs being removed from the Play Store, citing violation of the
“System Interference” clause (http://play.google.com/about/
I’m writing to explain what we are doing to deal with this situation.
First
I’d like to assure you that.... Blah blah blah ...I will keep you posted on our progress.
Elnor
==============The decision from Google This morning (Nov 4):
Hi,
We have reviewed your appeal and will not be reinstating your app.
This decision is final and we will not be responding to any additional
emails regarding this removal.
If your account is still in good
standing and the nature of your app allows for republishing you may
consider releasing a new, policy compliant version of your app to Google
Play under a new package name. We are unable to comment further on the
specific policy basis for this removal or provide guidance on bringing
future versions of your app into policy compliance. Instead, please
reference the REASON FOR REMOVAL in the initial notification email from Google Play.
Please note that additional violations may result in a suspension of your Google Play Developer account.
Regards,
The Google Play Team
The sad part is they wont even give you the courtesy of letting you peak with a live person. They obviously didnt take a look at my app otherwise they would have realized I don't use Pinjan and their stupid little response makes it impossible to get anywhere else in this issue...
"We have reviewed your appeal and will not be reinstating your app. This decision is final and we will not be responding to any additional emails regarding this removal. "
...I feel like I been f***d in the a** without lubrication or at the very least the common courtesy of a reacharound.
Hi, I think that you are been too hard with Andromo, they have gave us always new updates and trying to give us new ways of earning, I thin that the real problem is not Pingjam or Andromo, is actually Google, if you check out in the Internet they have banned a lot of developers and actually don´t care, they don´t give another chance, even if they were wrong.
You shouldn´t blame Andromo for this, as you all say, you removed Pingjam if that was the case, and you shouldn´t have any problem, the other is according to Pingjam they have always communicated to Google and say they are good with the Pocilies of Google even though they recently changed, they did the corrections.
I think that for some reason Google have a lot of apps and wanted to swipe some of them and refresh Google Play, I don´t know what can they earn doing that, or if they have problem with andromo users, or andromo apps for some instance, but they haven´t tell us that.
I hope this Google issue could be resolved and everybody is happy again, but certainly I dude it, knowing how Google works.
Best luck for everyone.
As someone else said in the another discussion, I think the reason is that Pingjam could be a competition for kit kat, here is how http://www.phonearena.com/news/KitKat-dialer-could-show-ads_id48982#2-Code-in-the-dialers-APK-suggests-that-ads-are-coming
But that doesn´t excuse Google for banning all the apps.
One of my users sent me an email (THE FIRST DAY I ADDED PINGJAM) saying he was uninstalling my app because of the new permissions. As it turns out, Pingjam adds a permission to read phone numbers, access, intercept and redirect incoming calls... If you click on the permission in google play to find out what it is all about, a message says that malicious developers can obtain private info with this permission, and that users should only download if they trust the source. (although there is no reason not to trust me as a source, I don't know the 10,000 users who use my app). I did not think twice to re-release updates, removing the new service from all of my apps. Tapgage ads went up seamlessly and unnoticed. NOT THE SAME (for me) with PingJam. So... did anyone else experience issues here? did I pull the service to hastily?
colinadamscolinadams April 25 Flag
@darth - Turning on Pingjam requires a number of permissions as follows:
So, it's not for everyone or all apps - but their research seems to show that most people don't care about granting the extra permissions, and I believe it also showed that something like 63% of users will elect to activate the pinjam service when they install your app.
So - try it out perhaps and see how it goes. Test the waters so to speak before jumping in head-first. But, they do pay well. If you have an app with 100,000 active US/Canada installs, it could add $500/month to your revenue...
Colin
- See more at: http://forums.andromo.com/discussion/comment/1695#Comment_1695 - See more at: http://forums.andromo.com/discussion/802/andromo-should-have-seen-this-comming#Item_2
It seems incredibly unfair that Google would ban an app that is currently compliant based on the behaviour of an older version. In fact, if that were the case, there are a lot of very popular apps I can think of that would be getting banned for prior behaviour, like showing push ads in the past.
Something doesn't really add up.
If you disabled pingjam, saved the settings, rebuilt your app, and updated the app in Google Play with the correct .apk file, then your app does not have any trace of Pingjam within it.
The only way an app can still have any trace of Pingjam in it is if you didn't disable the setting, didn't rebuild the app, or didn't update it in Google Play.
I've also taken the time to go through the database to see how many of our users have Pingjam enabled within their apps, and therefore how many of our users/apps are going to be affected. From what I can tell you were on that list with Pingjam enabled in five of your apps, however I can't say whether or not those apps were still in Google Play over this past weekend.
We'll post more when we know more.
mark.
You can do that right now if you have a Professional subscription, but as Colin mentioned earlier in the thread we'll make something available to all users soon so that at least you won't need to recreate your project from scratch in order to relaunch your application.