New Google Play Policies

[thedesolatesoul]

I posted some of my thoughts on the new policies here on my blog to reach a wider audience.
http://habeebq.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/new-google-play-store-policies/

I am not sure yet what I will do, probably just leave my account until google closes it.

 

[WAZUMBi]

Interesting.
I had to accept the new policy this morning when checking my developer account.
I don't think any of this will affect me much.

All my apps are free.
Besides, all you have to do is a Who-Is look up for wazumbi.com and my address shows up anyways.
I suppose Justin Beiber or Knaye west might show up one day.

People either like my apps or hate them but rarely do I ever get an email concerning
any of my apps that is not spam or a gimmick from
someone in India or China wanting me to pay them to promote my app.
I'm not sure that's a problem for me either but I can see how that would be an issue for some developers.

 

[MikeH]

I agree with you. I don`t need my customers address to help them and they don`t need mine. That doesn't mean I`m trying to avoid supporting my users. There are more than adequate means to provide support already.

There is no way I`ll be putting my home address for all and sundry to see and if it means losing my Google dev account, so be it. Maybe there are other outlets that don`t impose these rules, if there are, they`ll be doing very well soon.

 

[thedesolatesoul]

I dont intend to accept it either. I dont think it is worth losing my privacy over. Also, I dont see how an address is going to make any difference except for a gold-mine for scammers and spammers.

 

[NJDude]

Where is that?, you can read the new agreement HERE, I don't see where Google is asking for your address.

 

[thedesolatesoul]

I quoted them directly from the announcement in my developer console.

Where is that?, you can read the new agreement HERE, I don't see where Google is asking for your address.

 

[sorex]

I wonder if our tax friends will abuse this "show your address" rule to give fines for not indicating/handingover your extra income via your app/ads.

In Belgium they already have an eye on people who sell on ebay and other second hand sites aswell.
Income is income so you're supposed to pay for it again, sigh.

 

[HotShoe]

I wonder if this is only true for certain counties. I haven't been asked for my address.

--- Jem

 

[LucaMs]

There are more than adequate means to provide support already.

I wonder if this is only true for certain counties. I haven't been asked for my address.

--- Jem

I do not have an account but an Italian friend said that he has not yet received this request.

(and we Italians are famous for many things, including tax evasion )

 

[thedesolatesoul]

Hmmm...maybe its possible its related only to the EU?
Here is a screenshot from my dev console: http://prntscr.com/4qxgid
Also here is a link from a news article: http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...es-to-have-an-address-on-file-in-google-play/


Regarding Tax, well they will force VAT on it, I am not entirely sure how it will be handled as I thought the consumer pays the VAT.
Income Tax, I guess is still up to the developer to declare, after income is offset after expenses, just show higher expenses.

 

[sorex]

that's my point. For a google dev account you don't even need to give your VAT number (or whatever it's called) for your company. so an official link to your company is not on that "invoice". Also, VAT should drop off when doing payments between companies of different EU countries. (not sure if Google is US only as business or if they have a euro or euro country specific sub companies).

I guess a lot of people just earn money without declaring anything to the taxing department of the government
as they just give a paypal address for payments.

 

[johndb]

The requirement for a "physical address" also applies to Canada unfortunately

 

[Informatix]

In case anyone doubt that we can be bothered after publicly revealing our home address, I am one of the unfortunate examples. A few years ago I had to sue a big french company because of the use which was made of my name and who was pushing people to find my address (easily since I was in the phone book) to make me dubious jokes and utter death threats. Did these people know me or have a reason to blame me or threat me? Not at all. There's a whole bunch of insane people in this world, you know. I won the trial, my name disappeared from the television screens and inconveniences ended. Now I don't fear to make my name public (Frédéric Leneuf-Magaud) and people does not react any more to my name but I really know what problem you can have when morons and mad guys know where you live. In France, we have a proverb: "to live happily, hide away".

 

[thedesolatesoul]

A big french company put your name on TV? Its bad that you actually had to go through the courts, I would have hoped they would just remove it on request.
And this is the problem with this kind of information, once it is out there, there is no way to put it back in.

 

[Informatix]

A big french company put your name on TV? Its bad that you actually had to go through the courts, I would have hoped they would just remove it on request.
And this is the problem with this kind of information, once it is out there, there is no way to put it back in.

Advertisements showed a big moron, in a silly situation (e.g. with the thermometer in the ass), that everyone was encouraged to call (the company, Neuf Telecom, was a phone operator). The problem is that this character, now famous, bore my family name (which is quite rare). So it was not directly against me (I'm noone in this big world), but I became a public figure without my consentement and had to face the tremendous amount of stupidity and nastiness of some people.

 

[thedesolatesoul]

That must have been very annoying. I am surprised how dumb people could be to harrass a random person like that.
Good thing you managed to get out of that situation.

So I am guessing you are not putting up your address on the Play store either?

 

[Informatix]

That must have been very annoying. I am surprised how dumb people could be to harrass a random person like that.
Good thing you managed to get out of that situation.

So I am guessing you are not putting up your address on the Play store either?

Only my city and my country. Two data already available about me.

 

[KMatle]

Wasn't asked (Germany). And even if, I wouldn't give it (I'm doing this for a hobby).

 

[MikeH]

Google say this is for paid apps but I found that they also add your address to your free apps. I had added my city and country but removed it again after seeing that.

 

[Peter Simpson]

I've just read your blog post H, yes you make some good points. BTW they have to sell 20 copies not 40.

Anyway you made some good point, I had no idea about cheeky Google and their 3 day customer support policy, they are cheeky b....... If you ask me. They do not respond to your support questions and their apps are all over the Play Store, they do not respond at all let alone in 3 days. Send them a question, something serious about one of their many apps and you will be waiting until hell freezes over before you get a response, if at all. I mean look at what Google did to Microsoft about their YouTube app for Windows Phone. They blocked the stream twice, the second time because Google says that apps need to be written in a certain way and that all developers should do the same. The fact that their own YouTube app was not written in the way they claimed every app should be written was just a joke.

Yep, the big G have been winding me up a treat lately, but forcing home grown developers to publish their address is just absolutely ridiculous.