Those whom lost their Google Play accounts

edited November 2013 in General Discussion
This might seem strange, but people are getting banned left and right and we need to figure out what exactly Google is up to. 

I want to try to figure out whats going on, if I could just get people to post in this thread that lost their Google Play accounts and answer these simple YES /NO  questions...


1: Did you get a notice about System Interference or Ad Policy violation before you lost your account?

2: Was Ping Jam currently being used in banned app(s)? (if you removed Ping Jam before you got the notice then answer no)

3: If #2 was yes then YES/NO.. if #2 was NO than NA... Did you republish your app again after removing Ping Jam (Yes/NO/NA)

4: How many total apps got banned before you lost your account?

5: Any other ad networks being used in your banned apps?
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Comments

  • 1. not at all
    2. not at all i just using admob
    3. currently try to republish but still scare my new gogle play account will make same result.
    4. 300++
    5. no,just using admob.

    Fyi; i just create new account and it has 3 apps and still deleted by googel.
    my friend said it has to do with credit card we are using to open the market on google.
  • Might be interesting to have those people post that weren't banned, in terms of what they've been doing. For example I didn't use pingjam because I thought it sounded dodgy and annoying, and as such I've not had any warnings or bans, just used Admob. Any other monetization is used via the website activity and is not detected.

    I think Googles way of controlling the marketplace is ridiculous as a lot of innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire. Ridiculous as always from a power hungry, does what it wants when it wants machine.
  • Mr lookzor, neither do i, i just use admob. Never try pingjam once but still,my acc suspended.
  • Do you predominantly use youtube videos in your apps?

    I've seen people coming up with theories such as the Admob Interstitial that comes up is interfering with existing youtube ads.
  • yes..and that maybe the reason of it. thx mr lookzor.
  • Hi,My account was terminated on Nov 6.Before that on Nov 2 i got the same email with system interface which most of pingjam user got.Before Nov 2 i never got any warning for any of my apps.so i decided to wait till the andromo team launches the new version with alternative app name option and says you are now good to go and reupload your suspended apps.The new version is without pingjam so i rename my three apps with new id and upload and then i got account termination email with content bla bla.
    My two radio apps and three game walkthrough apps were suspended and i used pingjam and tapgage.No integrated baner ads.Only html mobile ads from leadbolt.
  • edited November 2013
    For those people using YouTube videos, where you embedding them into HTML archive, custom page or website activities?

    Andromo's YouTube activity specifically opens the video using the YouTube app in order to be in compliance with YouTube's terms of use. No interstitial, banner or ad of any type is shown if you use Andromo's YouTube activity.

    Showing ads with a YouTube video would be a compliance problem that perhaps they have decided to start cracking down on...
  • youtube videos were on coustom webpages and when the videos play it goes to full secreen without any ads.
    So i don,t think so youtube videos are problam.
  • Colin, I can see only that being the problem for those who didn't use pingjam, because I see other developers having problems and coming up with the idea of the youtube videos. I personally create my own playlists and add videos to them then add that playlist to my apps so I can create unique playlists for each app, and then edit those playlists on my YT account. 

    Other then that, I can't see any other problem that could cause developers to lose their accounts unless they use other network ads and have ads display or appear above a YT video which would be classed as interfering.
  • @admin I think in your case it could be both the YT videos on a custom page and the use of pingjam.
  • My other apps were also on same formula and were without pinjjam.They were not suspended on nov 2.But only five aps with pingjam destroy my earning and other 30 apps
  • The few developers I know haven't used youtube videos in custom pages and only monetize with admob. They do however use custom pages for written content and pictures, but use the youtube activity and appropriate activities to show certain things.

    It's the only two things I see stands out! Given it also happened at the same time for everyone, has to be it.
  • The first paragraph meant to say the few I do know haven't been banned and it's because they haven't done either of the two things that I reckon has gotten a lot of people banned.
  • So, using a YT activity (with links to your own playlist or other people's playlists) and interstitial ads should not be a problem, right? YT videos in the YT activity don't have any ads. If they had, it would certainly be a problem.
  • edited November 2013
    1. Yes I received a notice but it wasn't specified that it had anything to do with Pinjam.

    2.   i hadnt used pinjam in a long time. I thought it was annoying and had removed on my own a long time ago.

    3.   I've not had a chance to replubish. But the version that was on there did not have pinjam. Though google doesnt remove the old apk either so yes pinjam was still part of one of the original apks on their system.

    4: I don't know.

    5: I've been using Admob, which is funny cause someone from Admob hads just recently contacted me about taking me on as an advertising partner. (I was a bit confused cause i was already using admob)

  • for all those who lost play account are there admob safe???
  • Only use the Andromo YouTube activity for ANY YouTube vids you want to display.  It is a BIG non compliance if you get caught.  Google has made a big deal out of this recently!  Don't even try and get round it by saying - The vids are full screen, no ads.  It's a non compliance, period.

  • What about a YT playlist on a website which is displayed as a webview in the app? I don't link to there, but users could find it, when they visit the About section and the link to my website is there.
  • Hi I have had my play store terminated today for accessing youtube unauthorized manner via a webview app.
    after reading this thread, I see it has happened to a few people.

    I see this post 
    (Only use the Andromo YouTube activity for ANY YouTube vids you want to display. )

    Now the apps that I was building were keyword rather than channel names
    I found this that works in a activity 
    If I used this would I meet the play store tos
    Thanks for any help

  • @billy - The issue is that it's against the YouTube TOU to show ads alongside YouTube videos. Andromo's YouTube activity does not show ads on the video page, as we're simply showing them in the official YouTube app. It's 100% compliant.
  • edited June 2014
    Hi @colinadams, i must confess that even with a andromo youtube activity, this time admob was th eone that disabled ads on my app for "Other Google product abuse" so its official that they dont want us to use their precious youtube in our apps.. both admob and play store, and if their bots havnet caught you yet they will catch you sooner or later...SICK GOOGLE... they need to be sued big time...wish i was in america to sue them. treating us like trash, when we paid 25$ to register. I blame the android guys for selling android to them. they could see the future.. i also blame the youtube guys for selling youtube to them..and yet i also blame the admob guys for selling to Google.. what is wrong with these people, why do they sell for some few billions today. imagine if facebook also sold to the crazy Google guys.. thank God mark didnt sell... anything Google touches, the put their stinking bots to govern human beings.....i call their bluffs. they will meet their match soon!!!
  • edited June 2014
    @wole8029: What kind of videos did you display in your apps?
  • @wole8029
    From what I've seen, the biggest causes of bannings regarding YouTube are showing ads on pages with videos (embedded content, not YouTube activity), showing prohibited content (i.e pornography), showing copyrighted content, and/or the app itself impersonating the authors of the content. Also possibly lack of content as well, like if all your app does is show other people's YouTube videos. Aside from that, I've yet to hear of a case where one of those didn't apply.

    However if you have evidence to suggest otherwise, we'd certainly like to know further details.
  • @hendrixs, i put simply movies channels on my apps, soemtimes i use youtube search phrase. eg "Korea movies" if youtube thinks its copyrighted then it should not be public. but its a public video and the video does not play inside the app but on youtube app, so even if its a copyrighted video, number one its public, number two, my app simply just organizes the niche in youtube rss and the video plays inside youtube, so they can as well go to youtube and search for it and play it same way. Google Play Team and Admob needs to be SPOKEN TO seriously
    [..]
  • Given what you described, I could see four potential causes. The first is the individual content that you're showing. Second is related to their impersonation clause, meaning that you're maybe leading people to believe you have an affiliation of some sort with the content authors. The third being the fact that you're possibly just providing the same functionality as YouTube itself using it's content, but nothing more. And lastly, you also have to be careful about the terms/names you use in the app title/description etc. For example, if you use a copyrighted name like YouTube in the title, that will definitely do it. Since I haven't seen the app, it's just speculation on my part. In the end Google's the only one that can answer that, but I suspect it's item 3 or 4 that's the culprit.

    What specific terms did they say you violated when they notified you?
  • @wole8029: Thanks for explaining the situation. Yeah, movies should be avoided, also music.
  • A few questions related to how to avoid losing your GPlay account:

    1. If I have an app which I consider to be risky, is it safe unpublishing from Google Play or I have to totally delete it from GP and Admob too?
    2. If I choose to upload a risky app on other stores and not Google Play, do I risk my Admob account used in that same app?
    3. If I lose GP account, will I lose my Admob account as well?
    4. Is Admob in any way connected to what apps I create, like for example apps with copyrights, images of others, etc?
    5. What is safe to do if one has few apps which are in the grey zone and would rather get rid of them than keep them and risk his accounts?

    Thanks!
  • 1) Just unpublish (suspend) it. You can' delete apps or AdMob ID's. Suspended apps don't pose any risks for your account.

    2) I think that yes, but I'm not 100% sure. I believe they have a way of knowing the content of your apps. I'd avoid using AdMob if I knew the app is risky.

    3) In most cases no, but it can happen. Things change from month to month.

    4) It's in their TOS that you can't use AdMob on copyrighted stuff.

    5) Unpublish everything you find risky. It's not work risking the account. It will be a temporary setback, but you'll be OK on the long-run.
  • edited July 2014
    Thanks hendrixs, as always you are helpful, fast and up to the point.

  • hi, just I wanted to know if we keep first activate ( dashboard of app wallpaper and in second activate can we use website activate and upload referral program url of affiliate website inside my app will that be a risky show , will that can be trace by Robot , ?
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