Google removed headphoneindicator from the play store

Two years after I put my Headphone indicator android application into the Google play store and earning a whopping profit of 57€, Google removed the app from the store.

From: Google Play Support <googleplay-developer-support+no-reply@google.com>
Subject: Notification from Google Play about Headphone indicator
Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2018 14:52:37 +0000

Google Play Developer update

Hi Developers at cweiske,

After a recent review, Headphone indicator (de.cweiske.headphoneindicator) has been removed from Google Play.

Publishing status: Removed

Your app has been removed due to a policy violation. This app won't be available to users until you submit a compliant update.

Reasons of violation

Issue: Violation of Metadata policy

We don't allow apps with misleading, irrelevant, excessive, or inappropriate metadata, including but not limited to the app's description, developer name, title, icon, screenshots, and promotional images.
For example:

The app's short description mentions other apps: Headphones Indicator of susomena.

[...]

If you've reviewed the policy and feel our decision may have been in error, please reach out to our policy support team. We'll get back to you within 2 business days.

Please help us improve the developer experience by completing this two question survey.

The Google Play Team

So the issue is that I mention the application that was the sole reason for me to write my headphone indicator app. Here is the relevant part of the description:

I wrote the headphone indicator app because I was immensely unsatisfied with apps like "susomena's Headphones Indicator" which are over 2 MiB in size, but 99% of their code is only related to advertisement.

Play store policy

But let's look at Google's play store policy for metadata:

We don't allow apps with misleading, irrelevant, excessive, or inappropriate metadata, including but not limited to the app's description, developer name, title, icon, screenshots, and promotional images. We also don't allow user testimonials in the app's description.

This is all. The rest of the article are "examples", with one line slightly relevant for my case:

③ ④ Misleading references to other apps or products

Is the mention of the susomena indicator misleading? No.

Is the mention of the susomena indicator irrelevant? No, it's the reason I wrote my app.

Is the mention of the susomena indicator excessive? No, I mention it only once.

Is the mention of the susomena indicator inappropriate? No.

Appeal!

I appealed Google's decision, even if that would mean nobody could buy my app, and me losing money in that process. I told them that I have a valid reason for the appearance of susomena's headphones indicator, and that all their adjectives do not apply.

They wrote back:

From: Google Play Developer Support <googleplay-developer-support@google.com>
Subject: RE: [4-2426000024340] Your appeal for reinstatement
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2018 01:44:53 +0000

[...]

I’ve reviewed your appeal request and found that your app still violates Google Play Policy.

[...]

For example, your app's description currently contains irrelevant keywords.

Ex: Locale *"en_GB"*

- susomena's Headphones Indicator".

Please remove excessive keywords from all translations of your store listing.

[...]

So Google says I use "excessive keywords", although I only tell the story of the app.

Fin

Because I could not risk to lose any more money, I removed the words susomena's Headphones Indicator from the play store description, and Google was generous enough to make it visible in the store.

If your business depends on Google, you will follow their rules. And you will do everything Google requests from you, even if you did not break them at all.

Written by Christian Weiske.

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