In the world of mobile applications, ensuring compliance with the stringent policies of Google Play and AppStore is essential for developers who would like to make their apps popular and get loyal users. Google Play and the App Store maintain strict guidelines to uphold user safety, security, and overall experience. In this article, we will discuss the top reasons that could lead to the ban of your application on these stores, providing crucial insights to help developers navigate the app submission process successfully and protect their apps from the ban.
Policy Violations
Apps can get banned from app stores mostly because they break the rules set by those stores. Google Play and the App Store have clear and simple rules that cover everything from what’s okay to put in your app to how it should handle user info. If an app doesn’t follow these rules, even by accident, it could face quick consequences like getting removed from the store.
These rules, called “policies,” are like a guide for developers to make sure their apps are safe, fair, and respectful. For example, they might say you can’t use someone else’s stuff without permission or that your app should always keep user data private.
If an app breaks these rules, the app store managers might take it down fast. It doesn’t matter if the violation was on purpose or not – the consequence is the same. This is to keep the app store a trustworthy place for users and to make sure all apps play by the same fair rules.
So, if you’re a developer, it’s super important to read and follow the policy carefully. By understanding and sticking to the rules, your app can stay in the store.
Malicious Behavior (Malware) and Security Concerns
Apps that do bad things or mess with user safety might get kicked out of the app store. Doing things like trying to trick people (phishing) or collecting info without permission is a big problem. To stay in the store, developers need to make sure their apps have strong security and follow the good ways of doing things that the app stores suggest.
Apps need to keep user info safe and make sure they’re not up to any sneaky stuff. The app stores have a list of good ways (best practices) to do this, and developers need to follow them.
If an app doesn’t play by these security rules, it might face serious consequences, like being banned. That’s bad for the app’s reputation, and users won’t trust it anymore. At the same time, such actions may lead not only to an application ban, but to a developer account ban, and in the future, this may be a problem to create a new account for the developer, especially if we are talking about AppStore where the rules are even more strict than on Google Play.
Inaccurate or Misleading Information
Sometimes, apps can get into big trouble if they don’t tell the truth about what they do or how they work. If an app says it does one thing but does something else, that’s a problem. Both Google Play and the App Store care about being clear and honest. If an app tries to trick users or the people checking the apps (app review process) by giving the wrong info, it could get taken down.
It’s super important for developers to be honest about what their app can and can’t do. If not, their app might be shown the door, and users won’t be happy when they find out things aren’t what they seem. Remember, honesty is the best policy, even for apps.
The same actually may be applied to ASO. For example, showing the wrong details about the app in screenshots or promo videos will lead to update rejection or app ban as well.
Intellectual Property Violations
Sometimes, apps can get into real trouble if they use things that belong to others without asking. This includes stuff like logos, songs, or ideas that are protected by laws. Both Google Play and the App Store are very strict about this. If an app takes someone else’s stuff without permission, it might get kicked out of the app store.
Developers need to be careful and make sure their app doesn’t use anything that belongs to someone else without asking. That is applied to text and visual ASO as well. It is not possible to use the Instagram brand if you have no permission, even if you mention that it is not the original app or write something like “filters for Instagram”.
Payment and Monetization Issues
Sometimes, apps can get into trouble when it comes to how they make money. If an app doesn’t follow the rules about how it charges users or handles payments, it might face big problems. Both Google Play and the App Store have strict policies about this. Developers need to be careful and follow these rules to avoid their apps getting banned.
Let’s look at some examples to understand this better:
Consider an app that tricks users into subscribing to a service without making it clear they’ll be charged every month. This is not playing fair. App stores want users to have a smooth and trustworthy money experience, so apps that try to be sneaky with subscriptions could face serious consequences.
Developers need to be careful about how their app makes money. They should follow the rules about purchases, subscriptions, and payments.
Of course, if to talk about this topic further, it is possible to find many more reasons for app bans, especially if we are talking about blackhat applications which are forbidden to be published in the stores. Still, if you are going with app release, first of all, it is needed to follow at least the rules we mentioned so the app goes through store moderation we do understand that even if the app breaking the store rules goes through the moderation process, sooner or later store will get back to its checking and ban it. Be careful and fair with the rules and your app will succeed for sure!
