Google removes adblocking apps from Play store

PogMoThoin

Not impressed with this, my Adaway removed itself from my phone during the night. As soon as Ubuntu is anyway near stable I'll be off

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/internet/3435092/google-removes-ad-blocking-software-from-play-store/

maggy_thatcher

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Not impressed with this, my Adaway removed itself from my phone during the night. As soon as Ubuntu is anyway near stable I'll be off

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/internet/3435092/google-removes-ad-blocking-software-from-play-store/

You can still install them from sources other than the Play Store. Technically, they are correct - ad-blocking apps violate the licence agreement that app developers agree to when publishing them (i.e. interfere with the operation of other apps). In the past, Google has been ignoring this fact, and is now sticking to their own rules. I don't see what they're doing wrong?

Kenny Logins

Eh? If these apps directly affect the revenue stream of other developers they can't possibly continue hosting them, just means you'll have to bypass the Play store.

PogMoThoin

maggy_thatcher wrote: »

You can still install them from sources other than the Play Store. Technically, they are correct - ad-blocking apps violate the licence agreement that app developers agree to when publishing them (i.e. interfere with the operation of other apps). In the past, Google has been ignoring this fact, and is now sticking to their own rules. I don't see what they're doing wrong?

That's not the point. Android is touted as being open. They are in the Chrome store much longer than on Android and have not been removed as they are fighting a browser war.

Kenny Logins

It is open, you can install the apps from another source. If it was iTunes you'd have no other option unless you jailbreak.

maggy_thatcher

PogMoThoin wrote: »

That's not the point. Android is touted as being open. They are in the Chrome store much longer than on Android and have not been removed as they are fighting a browser war.

It is open - that's why you can install it from other sources. If it was iOS, if Apple pull it from the store, it's gone and, without jailbreaking, it won't come back. With Android you can just go to a different appstore and download it from there.

Re: the Chrome store - I haven't read the developer licence agreement, but I know that fiddling with other pages is what many other apps do, so it's probably not as big a deal.

PogMoThoin

Hold on, I installed this app. Regardless of where I installed it from, I do not like the fact that they removed it from my phone

maggy_thatcher

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Hold on, I installed this app. Regardless of where I installed it from, I do not like the fact that they removed it from my phone

Did you have auto-update enabled? If the "latest" version of the app was a non-existent one, I can imagine that would cause the app to disappear. I don't know if it's possible for the app to be remotely uninstalled any other way (though maybe it is).

thebman

Their store, their rules

Professey Chin

maggy_thatcher wrote: »

Did you have auto-update enabled? If the "latest" version of the app was a non-existent one, I can imagine that would cause the app to disappear. I don't know if it's possible for the app to be remotely uninstalled any other way (though maybe it is).

Market apps have a killswitch that's usually used for when people download malicious apps so that they get deleted from users phones when they're taken off the store. The killswitch can be disabled and is in a lot of custom roms but is on by default

Kenny Logins

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Hold on, I installed this app. Regardless of where I installed it from, I do not like the fact that they removed it from my phone

It can only be removed/updated if linked to the Play store. I have a few 'sideloaded' apps, never get an update notification because the Play store doesn't even know I have them.

PogMoThoin

Kenny Logins wrote: »

It can only be removed/updated if linked to the Play store. I have a few 'sideloaded' apps, never get an update notification because the Play store doesn't even know I have them.

I have it in Titanium and can restore and detach from market.

What's next, Chrome? Ubuntu just couldn't come quick enough for me, I'm itching for a change. The last update for Google Plus allowed it permission to take an image with the camera at any time, wtf?

Kenny Logins

PogMoThoin wrote: »

I have it in Titanium and can restore and detach from market.

What's next, Chrome? Ubuntu just couldn't come quick enough for me, I'm itching for a change. The last update for Google Plus allowed it permission to take an image with the camera at any time, wtf?

Really? Without your knowledge?

Professey Chin

PogMoThoin wrote: »

I have it in Titanium and can restore and detach from market.

What's next, Chrome? Ubuntu just couldn't come quick enough for me, I'm itching for a change. The last update for Google Plus allowed it permission to take an image with the camera at any time, wtf?

First I've heard of that permission

PogMoThoin

Kenny Logins wrote: »

Really? Without your knowledge?

Where did I say without my knowledge? The app asked for new permissions, I didn't accept

PogMoThoin

Chinpool wrote: »

First I've heard of that permission

Maybe you're enjoying those new features
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-plus-updates-ios-android-events-hangouts/

Professey Chin

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Maybe you're enjoying those new features
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-plus-updates-ios-android-events-hangouts/

I don't see anything there about it using the camera at any time

Kenny Logins

Calm down, every app that can take a photo has that permission (check if you don't believe me) - the 'without confirmation' bit just means you don't have to click 'OK' every time to allow it to access the camera, that is all.

The phone isn't taking photos whenever it chooses to.

maggy_thatcher

PogMoThoin wrote: »

I have it in Titanium and can restore and detach from market.

What's next, Chrome? Ubuntu just couldn't come quick enough for me, I'm itching for a change. The last update for Google Plus allowed it permission to take an image with the camera at any time, wtf?

Why do you think that Ubuntu-Phone will be any different in terms of what the apps can/can't do? Reading through the Ubuntu App development guide I don't see any security considerations being referenced...which is a little concerning!

Regarding the camera permissions - it's a requirement for any app that can take photographs to allow access to the camera; it's not any different to the Facebook app, the Skype app, the "make you look fat app" that people have, etc. Why pick on Google+ for it?

PogMoThoin

Chinpool wrote: »

I don't see anything there about it using the camera at any time

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.plus&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5nb29nbGUuYW5kcm9pZC5hcHBzLnBsdXMiXQ..
Click the permissions tab

HARDWARE CONTROLS
TAKE PICTURES AND VIDEOS
Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation.

Kenny Logins

PogMoThoin wrote: »

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.plus&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5nb29nbGUuYW5kcm9pZC5hcHBzLnBsdXMiXQ..
Click the permissions tab

Every.App.That.Uses.The.Camera.Has.This.Permission.

Orion

Interesting - I've adfree on my phone installed from Play Store. It's gone from the store but still on my phone. It does nothing you can't do manually anyway - edit the hosts file on the phone to route all ad providers to 127.0.0.1

Professey Chin

PogMoThoin wrote: »

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.plus&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5nb29nbGUuYW5kcm9pZC5hcHBzLnBsdXMiXQ..
Click the permissions tab

Oh that. That's for any app that uses the camera. Plus uses it for hangouts and crap

maggy_thatcher

PogMoThoin wrote: »

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.plus&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5nb29nbGUuYW5kcm9pZC5hcHBzLnBsdXMiXQ..
Click the permissions tab

So I assume your phone doesn't have Facebook, Skype, Viber, Flickr, Firefox, Camera, Goggles, etc. installed either? These are the apps that from the top of my head I can think of that use that same permission.

PogMoThoin

maggy_thatcher wrote: »

So I assume your phone doesn't have Facebook, Skype, Viber, Flickr, Dropbox, Camera, Goggles, etc. installed either? These are the apps that from the top of my head I can think of that use that same permission.

Only Dropbox, but I use that for camera upload

maggy_thatcher

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Only Dropbox, but I use that for camera upload

Yeah I double-checked - Dropbox doesn't actually require it. How do you use Camera upload though if you don't have the Camera app to take pictures with?

listermint

Reads like a tad like hysteria, Android is still very much open.

PogMoThoin

maggy_thatcher wrote: »

Yeah I double-checked - Dropbox doesn't actually require it. How do you use Camera upload though if you don't have the Camera app to take pictures with?

You're being smart now. That is probably the only one that has permissions. I didn't download it

Kenny Logins

PogMoThoin wrote: »

You're being smart now. That is probably the only one that has permissions. I didn't download it

You don't have any apps that can use the camera installed? Is this permission an issue for you? Why exactly? I'm curious to know what the problem is...

maggy_thatcher

PogMoThoin wrote: »

You're being smart now. That is probably the only one that has permissions. I didn't download it

The "Camera" app is written by the same people who write the "Google+" app. If you don't trust the "Google+" app because you feel like it can take photographs without you knowing, how do you know the Camera app won't do the same?

Professey Chin

maggy_thatcher wrote: »

Yeah I double-checked - Dropbox doesn't actually require it. How do you use Camera upload though if you don't have the Camera app to take pictures with?

Dropbox doesn't access the camera directly. Just the storage after the pictures been taken

Sonics2k

I really don't see the major problem.

Google and app developers make their money from ads, and if you or I use the free versions of apps, then the least we can do is glance at an ad for 2-3 seconds.

Because Android is open source we do have the choice of getting the ad blockers from other sources.

I'd be very surprised if Ubuntu doesn't do the same way down the line for app devs.

maggy_thatcher

maggy_thatcher wrote: »

So I assume your phone doesn't have Facebook, Skype, Viber, Flickr, Firefox, Camera, Goggles, etc. installed either? These are the apps that from the top of my head I can think of that use that same permission.

So I took a brief look through my phone to see what other apps have Camera access that you may have - Amazon, Drive, eBay, Instagram, Talk, Translate, Vimeo & Youtube.

I can assume you don't have any of these either? Youtube is even has the "Run on startup" permission, so if you're paranoid maybe it's taking a photograph every time you boot up the phone

Kenny Logins

Google search has this permission.

Atomic Pineapple

Good to see this happening, App developers already have a hard enough time trying to make Android apps financially viable without having to deal with ad blockers being available from Google Play.

If an app developer is allowing you to use something they have created for free the least you can do is allow them to try and create a revenue stream through adverts, if you don't like it uninstall the application and don't use it.

Wagon Watching

draffodx wrote: »

Good to see this happening, App developers already have a hard enough time trying to make Android apps financially viable without having to deal with ad blockers being available from Google Play.

If an app developer is allowing you to use something they have created for free the least you can do is allow them to try and create a revenue stream through adverts, if you don't like it uninstall the application and don't use it.

Would be nice to think it might reduce apps with constant bombardment of in app purchases but I doubt it. I would prefer it if app makers offered an ad free version to buy.

pickarooney

Orion wrote: »

Interesting - I've adfree on my phone installed from Play Store. It's gone from the store but still on my phone. It does nothing you can't do manually anyway - edit the hosts file on the phone to route all ad providers to 127.0.0.1

Same here - not even in the list of My Apps in the Play Store. If I back it up with Titanium will I be able to reinstall it if it does disappear?

Kenny Logins

Switch off the "market link" option -
http://www.titaniumtrack.com/kb/titanium-backup-kb/titanium-backup-troubleshooting.html#tb-does-not-save-restore-create-market-links

PogMoThoin

Easier than that, long press the app in Titanium and detach from market

Atomic Pineapple

Wagon Watching wrote: »

Would be nice to think it might reduce apps with constant bombardment of in app purchases but I doubt it. I would prefer it if app makers offered an ad free version to buy.

I'm hoping the Android user base matures over time to a state where we go back to the traditional pay and use method and adverts, push ads and in app purchases dwindle away but for now you can't blame developers for trying to make some money for putting their time and effort into making an app you use.

PrzemoF

http://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=adaway&fdid=org.adaway

I don't see that link in the thread, so it might be useful: AdAway on F-Droid market

My ad away is still on my phone.. There's a hosts file editor which is a work around if needed.

Stinicker

Makes a fair mockery of the android fanboys argument against Apple

Professey Chin

Stinicker wrote: »

Makes a fair mockery of the android fanboys argument against Apple

This should be good.....

Kenny Logins

Stinicker wrote: »

Makes a fair mockery of the android fanboys argument against Apple

Why so? You can still use the apps, all that has changed is that Play won't give them to you.

srsly78

Android and Google Play are two different things. It just so happens that Play gets installed on most devices as the default market, but there are lots of devices out there that don't use it as default (e.g: amazon devices, chinese devices).

Google can do whatever they want with their curated market, noone is forcing you to use it. Android itself is still open, there is no contradiction.