This story was originally published and last update .
The popular open source client Reddit Slide for Reddit is now back on the Play Store after Google mistakenly removed it on July 9. The company initially claimed that the app violated Play Store’s “spoofing” policy. However, after further review, the app was found to be in compliance with Play Store policies, and the app list was reset today.
This is not the first time that Slide for Reddit has problems in the Play Store. Although the app never did anything wrong, Google’s developer support (almost totally missing) is well documented. Last time out, the ban apparently came down to the word “ISIS” in a single screenshot, in the context of a story posted on Reddit. The slightest oversight in the process of kicking Google apps would probably have caught just how inconsequential the objection was, but sadly smaller developers can’t depend on the company paying attention, and most Play Store actions like these seem to be automatic or performed with minimal and apparently incompetent supervision.
This time, the app was accused (somewhat nebulously) of violating the Play Store’s intellectual property policy, with Google informing the developer that the app was pulled for “spoofing”; in all likelihood this was probably something as useless as the word “Reddit”. ” on a Reddit client. However, the developer noted that the app name and Play Store description have been the same for four years. The developer also confirmed the removal in a post from the app ad and support subreddit.
Is a Play Store slide missing? by slideforreddit
“Google robots have attacked again” – truer words were never spoken.
Earlier today, Carlos Crane of Haptic Apps (the developer behind Slide for Reddit) let us know that the app had been reset on the Play Store and that “after further review, we have found that its app is compliant.” We are told that a more detailed explanation of the original charge was not received. Based on the limited details provided by Google, it appears that our previous suspicions of automation or incompetence were correct, and Google made a mistake removing the app.
It is unfortunate that the Google error caused the app to be removed, and unfortunately not all the apps this happens to are important enough to get our attention here at Android Police. For developers who depend on the Play Store for income, it’s a shame Google can’t act together when it comes to supporting them properly. But at least there are always other platforms developers can diversify into, and they will probably also make more money. In that sense, a version of Slide for Reddit was also released on iOS.
In the meantime, the app returns to the Play Store, although it’s still available in other places like Android Police APK Mirror’s sister site and the open source app repository F Droid.
Back on the Play Store
Slide for Reddit is back on the Play Store after its short break, though an explanation behind Google’s action is missing. Our coverage has been updated with these details.
