Ad blockers removed from Play Store by Google

[blackangst1]

Bye bye ad blockers!

Popular app AdAway was among those removed, and received notice that its app was in violation of section 4.4 of the Play Store Developer Distribution Agreement. Here is the cited section:

4.4 Prohibited Actions. You agree that you will not engage in any activity with the Market, including the development or distribution of Products, that interferes with, disrupts, damages, or accesses in an unauthorized manner the devices, servers, networks, or other properties or services of any third party including, but not limited to, Android users, Google or any mobile network operator. You may not use customer information obtained from the Market to sell or distribute Products outside of the Market.

Lucky for those of us who back up their apps on Titanium or some such. AwAway is (was) simply the best.

 

[QueBert]

They should have never allowed the app on the market in the 1st place.

 

[Bateluer]

Meh, anyone smart enough to root and use an adblocker in the first place won't be deterred more than a few minutes by this. Download the apk from the web, install, done.

 

[Phokus]

You can still get the same adblockers on f-droid

 

[Midwayman]

Meh, anyone smart enough to root and use an adblocker in the first place won't be deterred more than a few minutes by this. Download the apk from the web, install, done.

No kidding. Sideload in 3...2...1....

The only down side is updates. I wonder if they'll continue. 1mobilemarket allows updates outside of play.

 

[Ravynmagi]

No kidding. Sideload in 3...2...1....

The only down side is updates. I wonder if they'll continue. 1mobilemarket allows updates outside of play.

I installed F-Droid and it automatically detected my install of AdAway that I installed from Google Play. So hopefully it'll update it too.

 

[lopri]

Bad, bad move by Google. While this doesn't affect me (rooted) I suppose this is a beginning - will keep a sharp eye on Google's policy changes.

Do they disallow adblocker for Chrome browser on desktop? (well, of course the answer is no)

 

[Munky]

What a shitty move by google. People don't forget that kind of stuff too easily.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

People who don't want to see ads should not use services supported by ads.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

People who don't want to see ads should not use services supported by ads.

Or they can adblock on their own.

What a shitty move by google. People don't forget that kind of stuff too easily.

I think they do when it's Google, but when it's Apple, then it becomes :thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown: RAGE!!!!11one

 

[lopri]

People who don't want to see ads should not use services supported by ads.

Easier said than done. Do you use a DVR? Ever skipped a commercial?

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Or they can adblock on their own.

Yes, nothing is stopping you except for the knowledge that you're taking from people who also need to put food on the table.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Yes, nothing is stopping you except for the knowledge that you're taking from people who also need to put food on the table.

I think there's many views on that. I remember Ars talking about this, and while I thought it was a well written article, I saw a good rebuttal:

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100306/1649198451.shtml

If you run a company, it's your responsibility to put together a business model that works. And if people are somehow figuring out ways to do what they want where you don't get paid, then it means you're doing something that needs to change. A good business model is one where everyone is happy with the transaction, not one where one party feels forced or coerced into accepting something they don't want.

 

[swanysto]

Yes, nothing is stopping you except for the knowledge that you're taking from people who also need to put food on the table.

Not really. Most of the time, they only get paid based on you clicking those ads. I don't have an ad blocker, but I don't click the ads, so does that mean I am taking from those people? And if they get paid based on the ads just being present, they wouldn't be losing anything cause it still reports that it was shown, the adblocker is client side.

 

[Oyeve]

Or they can adblock on their own.



I think they do when it's Google, but when it's Apple, then it becomes :thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown: RAGE!!!!11one

Must you always throw in an Apple ref when its not about apple at all? You make me sick. I barf in your general direction.

Anyway, op, I am not rooted on my s3 and ads never bother me too much. Its annoying sometimes but I think that if the app in question is free then you have to put up with something at the very least. I only have one app in 200 that annoys me, a fishing sim, but I love it and put up with the ads.

 

[Kingbee13]

An ad company that gives away a product so they can sell ads against it, I'm SHOCKED they would do such a thing.

I've never bothered to block ads anyway, if I use a product and it's ad supported I can choose not to use it but to deny the maker any compensation while using the product isn't ok with me.

I'm much more concerned about google's privacy abuses.

 

[waggy]

I used to not block ads. I thought heck the company needs to get paid too. Then ads got to be bigger, more annoying (roll over taking up half teh screen? fuck you) etc.

now i run adblock. sorry if you lose revenue but fuck you. having ads that annoy people causes this.

 

[bonkers325]

Not really. Most of the time, they only get paid based on you clicking those ads. I don't have an ad blocker, but I don't click the ads, so does that mean I am taking from those people? And if they get paid based on the ads just being present, they wouldn't be losing anything cause it still reports that it was shown, the adblocker is client side.

Client-side adblockers use a blacklist of domains and IP addreses so that the ads never load. To the advertiser, its as if you never received the ad.

 

[SunnyD]

Yes, nothing is stopping you except for the knowledge that you're taking from people who also need to put food on the table.

Indeed. Won't someone think of those poor underfed shareholders!

 

[Red Storm]

Indeed. Won't someone think of those poor underfed shareholders!

Isn't it used more to block ads in free apps that are ad supported? Or does it not do that? If it's only blocking browser ads I have no problem with that as desktop browsers work the same way.

 

[WelshBloke]

I installed F-Droid and it automatically detected my install of AdAway that I installed from Google Play. So hopefully it'll update it too.

Whats F-Droid? How legit is it, its not a repository of cracked apps is it?

Isn't it used more to block ads in free apps that are ad supported? Or does it not do that? If it's only blocking browser ads I have no problem with that as desktop browsers work the same way.

They block everything.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I used to not block ads. I thought heck the company needs to get paid too. Then ads got to be bigger, more annoying (roll over taking up half teh screen? fuck you) etc.

now i run adblock. sorry if you lose revenue but fuck you. having ads that annoy people causes this.

Yeah, online advertisers really need to think about what they are doing and the effects. They keep going further and further to draw attention to their ads. It started with Flash ads, animations, and strobing effects. Now we have ads that will literally jump around a website, ads that will pop up and fill the entire screen until you wait 15 seconds, adds that will take over the bottom inch of your browser screen (and cause major headaches for mobile browsers).

It reminds me of TV commercials where they decided to start playing commercials at a louder volume than regular content. People had to turn the volume down or off between the commercials (assuming they weren't just skipping them) and the government finally had to intervene and tell them you can't do that crap anymore.

Seems like advertisers might want to consider getting together and pulling back on the obnoxious factor of online ads. Before the government does it for them. Or at least before they drive everyone to installing ad blockers.

 

[Red Storm]

They block everything.

In that case I don't know if I really agree with them. A lot of apps are provided for free with paid non-ad versions. Is bypassing such a system any different than simply pirating the app? I'm all for blocking ads in web browsers, that's the internet. But I don't agree with circumventing ads in applications. If you don't like a developer's policy of using ads, then don't use the app.

Is there a good browser that has ad blocking capabilities?

 

[Ravynmagi]

Whats F-Droid? How legit is it, its not a repository of cracked apps is it?

I never heard of it before. But apparently AdAway specifically mentioned that is where they are moving their app to. So I found it and installed it.

Far as I can tell it looks very legit and mostly focused on open source apps. I don't see any cracked apps or even paid apps here.

 

[WelshBloke]

I never heard of it before. But apparently AdAway specifically mentioned that is where they are moving their app to. So I found it and installed it.

Far as I can tell it looks very legit and mostly focused on open source apps. I don't see any cracked apps or even paid apps here.

I might check it out for those.

cheers. :thumbsup: