r/androiddev • u/TheBadgerSlayer • 19h ago

Question SPAM

Hi guys, we have built an app and its runnig great. Now we got in touch with some customers who asked if it would be possible to have said app as a whitelable version for their businesses which would not be a problem to us, but after checking this through with AI we are now concerned as we were warned that uploading the app with a few adjustments for customers this will be marked as "Spam". BUT it also told us if we create separate accounts for each customer, it will NOT be marked as spam.

Seems a bit nonsensical to me as its still on the same platform. Anyone who has experience with that? Whats the best practice in reality? Thanks for any help!!

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5

u/madushans 18h ago

I’d recommend separate accounts owned by customer than one account. Given that Google is batshit crazy, if there were to be a ban on your dev account that would affect all your customers where if they have their own accounts, this will be isolated.

Plus this is better if the customer wants to buy the codebase etc in the future, you can just tell them it’s already there and hand over the credentials, without getting Google involved in the transfer.

Turns out Google themselves agree.

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/15884185?hl=en

1

u/TheBadgerSlayer 18h ago

Thanks! Makes sense while I still can't believe they have no system for stuff like that in place that does not require 50 accounts :D

2

u/madushans 17h ago

It is for the business and legal reasons and how the account has been structured historically.

Also an account has a business identity where if you push apps for multiple businesses, thru will show up as developed by your company and not your customers company. Which may not be desirable for your customers.

Should they add a mechanism? Yea probably. But they also want to make sure that apps are not seen as some commodity white labeled product, rather bespoke. Obviously it happens, but they don’t want to encourage it.

1

u/TheBadgerSlayer 17h ago

Year in that case it makes sense. Just hope they add a possibility to upload versions of an app in the future as our app (Safari Wildlife Tracker) would make sense all over the world but in different versions which we can't upload currently on one account as it's risky :)

3

u/One-Program6244 18h ago

I've worked with different product flavours in the past with core functionality and different branding, graphics, colours and text. It shouldn't be a problem having several on the go.

Maybe if you knocked them all out one after the other in a short space of time it may raise suspicions.

1

u/TheBadgerSlayer 18h ago

Okay so never had any problem with google hitting you with a spam warning there?
We would too change colors, some content available, some infromation etc.

4

u/farber72 18h ago

Have you vibe-coded the app? Your description of "spam" sounds like you have little IT experience.

Which "spam"? Are you mass-mailing?

1

u/CodeNinj4 17h ago edited 17h ago

There is a section "Spam" in Google Play Policy Center. So Spam is the correct word here.

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9899034?hl=en&sjid=4298942362298386021-EU#!%3Fzippy_activeEl=made-for-ads%23made-for-ads

For this specific case, there is also a separate help page.

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/15884185?hl=en

1

u/farber72 15h ago edited 15h ago

Ah, then I am sorry. Yes, many use AI, I just thought that you really have no idea (like "look at my vibe coded server at 127.0.0.1" no idea).

A similar thing happened to a word game of mine: I had it published in 3 languages (is similar to "Words with Friends", so the language dictionaries are different for different languages, not just GUI) - and then Google has banned the 2 non-English apps ("Suspended by Google"), but luckily has not banned my dev account (we know how easy Google does that).

At the end I have put all languages (the list has grown to 5) into the single app and it works ok. I doubt anyone is playing all 5 languages, so UX is worse, but whatever.

And now the Google have even registered my suspended apps in "Android developer verification", fantastic.

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u/TheBadgerSlayer 18h ago

Who is not vibe coding these days?
I am not talking about Mail-Spam, I am talking about Multiple App versions (for example for different regions with differen content) which are marked as "Spam" as they are based on the same core app structure.

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