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Tasker briefly disappears from the Play Store due to automated removal
Google's automated app review system strikes again
Tasker is one of the most popular power-user tools for Android, giving people the ability to automate many functions. As great as the app is, Tasker hasn't been exempt from Play Store approval issues, and was even briefly removed from the store back in 2015. Tasker was one again pulled from the Play Store yesterday, but has thankfully already returned.
Google's history of draconian and arbitrary decisions regarding developer infractions on the Play Store is extensively documented. In this latest episode, the open-source torrent client LibreTorrent has been removed from the Play Store due to "spam," with Google claiming that the app is a low-quality duplicate of several others on the Play Store. The twist this time is that LibreTorrent is actually the original app, and it's the others that are the ad-filled "spam" clones.
Given the popularity of our previous coverage for the app, many of our readers are fans of App Cloner, which — as the name suggests — allows you to duplicate an installed app. That's especially useful when a given app only allows one account login at a time. Unfortunately for its many fans, App Cloner was just yanked from the Play Store after allegedly violating Google's policies, and the communication received by the developer from Google during the process stands as another example of the company's ongoing support failure.
Weather Timeline, the award-winning, material design-toting weather forecast app by Sam Ruston, has just been unpublished on the Play Store. Those that already bought the app will continue to have access to it, but new customers are out of luck.
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We might be fans of Android in general here, but we've also been vocal critics of Android TV—though Google promises to make things better someday. But even in its current form, it's a popular platform for many via devices like Nvidia's SHIELD TV. In a strange development, Viacom appears to have removed Android TV support for many of its apps, including Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, and BET. Even weirder, for a brief period some of the apps themselves seemed to have disappeared from Android TV devices.
The removal of Facebook posts that violate some of the social network's policies can now be appealed. Content flagged for certain violations will be made private, and the poster presented the option to begin an appeals process to restore the post.
Remember those shortcuts at the top of the Feed in the Google app for things like weather and restaurants? They've been missing from the app for the past week or two. Turns out, their absence isn't an oversight. Google has intentionally removed those shortcuts from the Feed.
UC Browser is massively popular in India, with over 500 million installs on the Play Store. But just two days ago, the app was removed from the store. Now it appears that a setting in the browser itself, rather than rumored data theft or misleading promotions, is the reason it has been removed.
The original Moto 360 was the smartwatch to have - the first with a round display (barring the 'flat tire'), and one of the first powered by Android Wear. Unfortunately, the lack of an always-on display, the ancient TI OMAP 3 processor, and small battery were sources of frustration for early adopters. The second-generation model fixed many of the original's shortcomings, but it did arrive with a hefty price tag of $300.
OK, Amazon, I can sympathize with your plight. As both the legal operator of a massive software distribution service and a TV, movie, and music vendor beholden to various rights holders, you might be tempted to remove anything from your app store that even whiffs of piracy or copyright infringement. Hell, I could help you spot some examples if you want. But that really doesn't excuse booting legitimate, useful apps off of your store without a second thought, as appears to be the case with Kodi Media Center.AFTV reports that Amazon removed Kodi, a highly technical open-source media manager (formerly called XBMC), from the Amazon Appstore last week. The developers were given no warning or explanation. When they contacted Amazon directly, they were told that, "[Amazon] determined that it can be used to facilitate the piracy or illegal download of content," and asked not to resubmit the app again.
Feel free to change the channel if you've seen this one before, but the widely used SeriesGuide app has disappeared from Google Play. This piece of phone and tablet-friendly software is great for tracking which episodes and series you've watched and keeping up with new releases. Earlier today the developers sent out a tweet alerting users to the app's removal.
The typical Update Wednesdays, wherein Google released new versions of its many and varied Android apps, will be a little less busy from now on. Not that Google released many updates for the Android version of Google Finance anyway - according to the Internet Archive, the last time the app was touched was way back in January of 2013. In any case, it's gone now: Finance disappeared from the Play Store without ceremony last night.
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- And now Yatse's back in the Play Store where it belongs. The takedown apparently had to do with the use of copyrighted images (such as TV shows) in screenshots. The developer asserts that this was not the case. You can read his account of the experience over on Google+.
Last year the XBMC project changed its name to Kodi, giving the media manager a much-needed fresh start considering how it has long since expanded past its original Xbox roots. Yatse is a popular remote app for use with the platform that recently got a spiffy material redesign.Fast forward several months, and Yatse has disappeared from the Play Store (though you can still find the unlocker and several plugins).
Google introduced the Helpouts service, a special version of live video Hangouts specifically intended for instruction and guides, back in November of 2013. The Android app followed shortly thereafter, allowing users to access paid and screened experts for a variety of skilled or specialized tutorials. Apparently it hasn't been as popular as Google had hoped: the company has informed users that the service will be shutting down on April 20th.
Go to the Play Store on your Android device and look for Tiny Death Star, the Star Wars-themed version of Nimblebit's smash hit casual game Tiny Tower, and you won't find it. If that's surprising, you're not half as shocked as Nimblebit. According to a report from Pocket Gamer, Lucasfilm's new owners at Disney decided to un-publish the game without even telling the developers their plans. Disney also pulled a Star Wars card game, Assault Team, though that me-too CCG title is hard to get upset about.
Spotify still doesn't support streaming its music to Chromecast. That's bad. The third-party Spoticast app allows you to stream Spotify audio to Chromecast for free. That's good. Spoticast has been taken off the Play Store, allegedly for violating intellectual property rights and "app impersonation." That's bad. Want some frozen yogurt?
Alas, poor Rando, we knew it well. Actually, not that well - that was kind of the point. This photo sharing app from the developer of Whale Trail eschewed the usual reputation and tagging systems of most photo sharing services in favor of a one-at-a-time approach. But after a Russian programmer created a script to game the system and upload thousands of identical photos, thus funneling all of Rando's unique content to himself, the developers shut down the app and the service. You can read more about it in this extensive TechCrunch interview.
Yesterday, Dong Nguyen, creator of the bewildering smash hit Flappy Bird, announced via Twitter that he would be taking Flappy Bird down a day later.
Apple Claims 2 Million Lost Device Sales, Judge Koh Removes Three Samsung Devices From Trial
Apple's trial against Samsung, which resumed today, has hit another milestone – Apple rested its case against Samsung today after a somewhat shocking
Apple's trial against Samsung, which resumed today, has hit another milestone – Apple rested its case against Samsung today after a somewhat shocking testimony from a financial expert who indicated that the Cupertino manufacturer may have lost up to 2 Million device sales (including both iPhones and iPads) because of Samsung's alleged infringement. This testimony came after last week's revelation that Apple asked Samsung for up to $30 per smartphone and $40 per tablet device for patent licensing.
[Update: Officially Dead And Gone] Google Listen Quietly Pulled From The Play Store, Previous Users Can Still Find It
Listen, the relatively popular, if neglected, podcast app from Google has been surreptitiously pulled from the Play Store recently. It's unclear just how
Listen, the relatively popular, if neglected, podcast app from Google has been surreptitiously pulled from the Play Store recently. It's unclear just how long ago Google pulled it (though it appears to be within the last week or so), and users are looking everywhere for it. There is also no indication on what Google has planned for it from here on out. We've reached out to Google for comment but have not heard back as of publication. For users who have previously installed the app, you can still find the Play Store listing here. Everyone else, however, will see the familiar 404 landing page: