The War Against Spam Continues: Developer “Will Still Flood the Android Market”
If you thought Google and a few “spam app” developers simply had a misunderstanding with the disappearance of their entire catalog of apps the other day, then guess again. One developer – So Wallpapers – had a representative contact AndroidGuys to inform them that their apps had been wiped clean from the market, too. Over 1,500 apps would see their demise, but it wasn’t just the ones Google might’ve considered “spam”.
“I can’t believe it. Our other good apps were also removed.” That’s quite unfortunate, but perhaps he has a point as to why he had to use spam apps to make up for the lack of revenue they were getting from other apps. “We didn’t want to have to [spam the market]. But the Android Market doesn’t have many people who like to pay for apps. So how is a developer to live? Just off of ad revenue?”
According to their source, the developer has more than one account which they can use to submit apps to the Android market with all of them accounting for more than 1,000 apps. These apps are adult in nature and have yet to be pulled from the market. Irony ensues, but the developer isn’t waiting to play nice with Google:
We will still flood the Android Market until it provides a better profit environment. We will fire in the end! We welcome other developers to join with us.”
Anyone that’s read my commentary on the subject of different revenue models in the Android market will know that I can’t stand to see developers (that truly earn it) not get money from their userbases (the people that actually express interest in their apps before the developer realizes they need to make some money). But it’s another thing when you’re polluting the market to get a buck from apps you couldn’t care less about because users don’t find your other apps worth spending money for.
Ad-based revenue isn’t always a dead-end either: more than a few developers have expressed joy from the revenue they’ve generated through ads. One developer – MHGames (the one-man team behind the Bejeweled clone Jewels) – has been making quite a nice living off of his lone Android game for a while now. Even if he needs to start his project up for the iPhone (due to a newborn baby that he needs to support), he still claims Android to be his “baby” project that made him quite the collection of pennies over the months.
“I’m not allowed to share any numbers, but it’s been waaay over my lowly expectations..
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Make a good product and the numbers will come. Don’t pollute Android’s (admittedly sloppy) marketplace with useless apps, though, as it’s a very painful experience for other developers, users, and Google alike. I hope no developer takes him up on his offer and I can’t bring myself to feel sorry for his particular situation with Google due to how he handled it. For all you other developers? This is how not to get into anyone’s good graces.