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How to get back 100k users from your banned app
- Thread starter hookshy
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What did you do wrong? 
I don't know about getting back your 100K users but -
If your app was banned by Google Play then:
- Change everything that caused it to be banned and ensure that it is compliant with all Google Play Developer Guidelines
- Rename it
- Use a different keystore
- Upload from a different computer AND IP address
If your entire account was banned because of a specific app then:
- Create a new account from a different computer, IP, credit card, user name, email.
- Change ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that can link your new account to the old one
- Redo the app as outlined above
Take advantage of the alternative app stores and markets out there however many of them implement the same guidelines as Google Play.
Before utilizing these markets be sure to update the app to stay in compliance with each individual app market rules.
If your app was banned by Google Play then:
- Change everything that caused it to be banned and ensure that it is compliant with all Google Play Developer Guidelines
- Rename it
- Use a different keystore
- Upload from a different computer AND IP address
If your entire account was banned because of a specific app then:
- Create a new account from a different computer, IP, credit card, user name, email.
- Change ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that can link your new account to the old one
- Redo the app as outlined above
Take advantage of the alternative app stores and markets out there however many of them implement the same guidelines as Google Play.
Before utilizing these markets be sure to update the app to stay in compliance with each individual app market rules.
To have a possibility to "recover" at least some users in the event an app is suspended, I think a good solution is to provide a "news" message in your app which occasionally connects to a server of yours and retrieve some news to show to users. If your app gets suspended, you can publish it somewhere else or with a new name and inform users that a new version is available. Of course this has to be implemented before an app may get suspended.
Just my 5 cents
Just my 5 cents
Just my opinion, but if an app started to show me irrelevant news, I would uninstall it. If I had paid for the app, I would complain to the developer, unless I could switch it off. I would regard that as Spam. But then I use very few apps that show adverts, only if I absolutely need the app and there is no paid version that removes them. And I will uninstall it as soon as I don't need it any more.
Perhaps I am old fashioned, but I would rather pay a few pounds directly to the developer for an app I want to use than see adverts for which the developer will get pennies if I decide to click on an advert, which would be unlikely.
I fully understand your point of view but you can also use this method to communicate only very important news (like if your app gets suspended and redirect users to an alternative download site/app store). It is up to you as a developer how to use it. You could use this method only to show a news-message in the event your app gets suspended and don't use it for anything else. It is just a way to be able to reach out to your (loyal) users and make the best of the situation if disaster strikes.
Yes a one of message would be useful in that circumstance, if you know in advance that it's going to be banned. But then, if you know in advance it would give you a chance to put it right. And bottom line is, why have you uploaded an app that is in breach of the terms. It has to be part of the developers responsibility to respect things like copyright, privacy policy and content abuse in the first place.
Not always do we know if the app will be banned in advance. An app may be banned due to an icon which looks very similar to another app's icon. Am I supposed to know beforehand among hundred of thousands apps on Google Play if there is an app with a similar icon/logo as the one I am using? And yes, I know about apps that have been suspended for this very reason without a "warning". This is true also in the real world, what regards trademarks/logos but at least a trademark can co-exist with others (registered in a different class) as long as the product and the scope of the product is different from the others. This does not happen in Google Play! Each developer ought to try to adhere to Google Play's regulations but some definitions are ambiguous so if you are unlucky, your app may get suspended although you are convinced that your app is fine. As many things in the world, words can be interpreted differently.
That said, the method mentioned by me can be useful if your app gets suspended despite you knowing beforehand if your app will be banned or not. Another reason for using it is that currently I may be licensing an app of mine and have it published under my client's developer-account. If we decide to stop our collaboration, I may want to pass on the app to another client or publish it in my name and since in this case the package-name will be changed, at least I have an opportunity to inform current users that the app will be published under a different name.
@stevel05
Let us just say that Google's procedures are not always identical and let us not take it for granted beforehand that the developer is always "on the guilty side".
I guess we are off-topic by now so personally I will leave this discussion as it is. I believe we have both made our opinions clear by now.
Let us just say that Google's procedures are not always identical and let us not take it for granted beforehand that the developer is always "on the guilty side".
I guess we are off-topic by now so personally I will leave this discussion as it is. I believe we have both made our opinions clear by now.