By 
One of the best Craigslist apps for Android (LifeHacker said so), CraigsNotifica, has been pulled from the Android Market. The problem is its creator Rafael Sanches has no idea why. The app has been available for quite some time now, making the sudden removal from the Market even more mysterious. Sanches has reached out to Google support to try to find an answer so that he might correct the application and get back in the Android Market, but has yet to receive a response. While we are sure Google must have some reason for the app’s disappearance, we also are left scratching our heads as to why.
For now you can follow developments at the CraigsNotifica Twitter. Hopefully this issue will have a quick resolve as was the case with the recent removal and return of the Kongregate app. With quite a few similar stories over the past few weeks, could it be that Google is finally cracking down a bit more on the Android Market?
[thanks, Daniel!]
[Update]: Just checked back in on Twitter: they’ll be offering the .APK for download in three days if Google hasn’t responded to them by then. They want to wait and see if they can get the market situation resolved so they won’t have to deal with fragmented updates. -Quentyn
Need that back. Use it every day
What?!? I loved this app! Bring it back!
I’m very concerned that Google is going the route of take down and explain later. That’s an even worse paradigm than Apple providing a template/canned reason.
It’s not in the market, but my app still works.
I saw comments by others saying their app quit working
Google has a record of removing apps without notification and refusing to say why. I wonder if Kongregrate were big enough to get a response or just made a guess and tried again.
:(
It’s probably because Craigslist contains a lot of adult-themed forums, and the app (presumably) gave direct access to them. Google doesn’t have parental controls on the browser yet, but they do restrict adult content in the market.
I had an app in the market and Google had to pull it because it infringed on another companies trademark and that company’s lawyer contacted Google. Google put my app into a “suspended” state but they emailed me with in an hour of doing so.
I would think this dev’s app was pulled by accident if he wasn’t contacted at all. I believe in the developer agreement with Google, they agree to notify you of any actions taken with regards to your app.
I’m glad they did. Not that it is not a great app, it is. I just don’t like that it is one of those skype type apps that never stops updating/activating and has no option to disable it or set to manual. Maybe this action by google will make the developer take a closer look at his/her/their work and make it better. All apps should come with the manual option because for some reason the phone makers want to give their handsets only so much ram. Whats the point of having a super high-end phone with only 512megs of ram? I mean, seriously?!
Here’s a link to the petition for reinstatement:
http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/craigsnotifica
They restrict adult content in the market? Are you kidding me? Try searching on the word porn once.
I have this app and use it daily. It still works, you just can’t get it from the Market
I use the app everyday still working for me.
Sign the petition! 30,000 needed to put back on market, So I read.
I’m a developer and this has fucked me too!
I am starting a Union of Android Developers! If you are interested in joining and working to get better working conditions for Android developers, email me at newfreedomapps at gmail dot com!!!
Perhaps Google didn’t like the way he incorporated gTalk in his latest update?
Hi Guys,
I’m the developer.
Google did sent me a notification. But I don’t know what TOS it had problem with. I hope that they reply to my emails and we sort this thing out. I am willing to fix anything asap.
This was the email that I have received:
“Your Android Market
Publisher and Google Checkout accounts have been suspended due to
violations of our Terms of Service. You may view these terms here:
http://www.android.com/us/developer-distribution-agreement.html
http://www.android.com/market/terms/developer-content-policy.html
Please note that Android Market Publisher suspensions are associated with
developers, and may span multiple accounts.
We will not be restoring your account at this time.”
Or…perhaps it has something to do with the “Craigslist Killer” that’s offing Craigslist prostitutes in and around Long Island?
@InBlack Your glad nobody can get the app because you do not like it? Did your mommy forget to tell you the universe doesn’t revolve around you.
InBlack,
Quit tugging your pudding in public!
What a complete jackwad!
THE APP IS BACK GUYS!!! THANKS! I will send an email to the petition list as soon as I have a better understanding of what happen!
On January 27 of 2011 google has restored the app to the android market.
Hopefully it is back soon. I use this application quite often.
Google has put the app back on-line.
It appears there was some confusion at Google. Google thought this app was associated with another company that Google had also disabled the apps from. Rafael and the other company are not connected and Google re-instated the app.
Kind of a bummer though because it took almost a week to get it straightened out.
There’s another alternative available for Craigslist app for Android :
iCraigslist @ http://icraigslist.us
It’s a webapp, so simply open it with your browser, there is nothing
to download on install. Since it’s a webapp, it works well from most
of browser also, e.g. iPhone, iPod, iPad, PCs, etc.
They have pretty interesting additional features as well :
– Priority Ads : http://www.icraigslist.us/whatisthispa.html
– Search Agent : http://www.icraigslist.us/searchagent.html
Their search agent implementation is server side job, hence won’t
drain your phone battery.
Hope you all find it pretty useful as well as I do …
Enjoy !
Had my account removed by google too. No idea why. Is it so hard for them to explain the reason so that it can be corrected? Not the way I run my life, so I am steering clear of them in every manner possible from now on, and yes, that includes searches. Besides – 30% fee off developers labor is pretty steep anyway, don’t you think?