Note: Please don’t contact me with inquiries about your Google play app or account. I don’t work for Google play and I will not be able to reply to each app inquiry. If you have any questions, please contact Google play directly. With that being said, on this page you will find answers to most of your Google play/app questions so please take your time to read it. Thank you!
On this Page, I will show you how I was able to restore and re-publish my app after it has been suspended/removed from the Google Play store. I will also show you how I re-enabled Admob Ads to show inside that same app after ad serving has been disabled by Admob (Google’s mobile advertising company for monetizing apps)
Before my app has been suspended by Google Play it had over 2,300 installs, 28 reviews and it was making around $30/month in revenue from Admob ads, I had over 200 subscribers and I had some affiliate products listed in the app as well.
However, after my app got suspended I have lost all my app stats, Admob revenue and ability to edit or update the app on Google Play store. When Google suspends your app, you lose access to it and all you can see is this message:
Why My App Got Suspended on Google Play!
1) It has all started with an app update: When I first submitted that app on Google play store. It got accepted from the first time, there were no problems. Two months Later, I wanted to update the app so I recreated a new .APK version of the app and I submitted that update on Google Play. A few hours later, I received an automated email from Google play indicating that the update has been rejected. Here’s what the email looked like:
This is a notification that your application submission, MY App NAME, for package ID com.xxxx.app, has been rejected. If this submission was an update to an existing app, the version published prior to this update is still available on Google Play. Please address the issue described below, then submit an update with your changes. REASON FOR REJECTION: Violation of section 4.4 of the Developer Distribution Agreement. After a regular review, we have determined that your app downloads, monetize, or otherwise accesses YouTube videos in violation of the YouTube Terms of Service or YouTube API Terms of Service. Accessing content, a product, or service in an unauthorized manner is a violation of the Developer Distribution Agreement, and is not allowed on Google Play. All submission rejections are tracked. Repeated rejections due to policy violations will result in app suspension, at which point this app will count as a strike against the good standing of your developer account and no longer be available on Google Play. This notification also serves as notice for other apps in your catalog. You can avoid future submission rejections and/or app suspensions by immediately ensuring that no other apps in your catalog are in violation of (but not limited to) the above policy. Before publishing applications, please ensure your apps’ compliance with the Developer Distribution Agreement and Content Policy. If you feel we have made this determination in error, you can visit this Google Play Help Center article. The Google Play Team |
For those who know, Google Play considers each app update as a new app submission so when you submit an app update it is the same as when you submit an app for the first time. In my case, I was surprised because my app got approved the first time, but when I tried to submit an update .. the update has been rejected! Keeping in mind that the new version of the app that I’ve created was the exact same as the old version (same images, same content & same design) except for the ad placement (the main reason I was trying to update that app was to change the placement of ads from top banner ads to bottom banner ads).
But as clearly indicated in the email, the reason for rejection had nothing to do with ad placements, But with the YouTube Terms of Service. At that time I was using some videos from Youtube in my app and I never thought it would be an issue.
After receiving the email above, I was confused to whether or not I should use Youtube in my app. In the end, I decided to remove all the Youtube videos and resubmit my app.
2) Second Update: That time I have resubmitted my second update to the app, with no Youtube videos. I thought that I have fixed the main problem, but surprisingly within a few hours … that update has been rejected too. And I received an automated email from Google play indicating a new different reason for rejection. The email looked like this:
This is a notification that your application submission, MY App NAME, for package ID com.xxxx.app, has been rejected. If this submission was an update to an existing app, the version published prior to this update is still available on Google Play. Please address the issue described below, then submit an update with your changes. REASON FOR REJECTION: Violation of the intellectual property and impersonation or deceptive behavior provisions of the Content Policy. Please refer to the IP infringement and impersonation policy help article for more information.
Protected work could typically include product names, brands, images, logos, music, and similar works. Please make modifications to your app and/or its listing to bring it into compliance. To do so, remove any content that may be a protected work in your app and/or app listing. If you are authorized to utilize this content, please contact us via the Google Play Help Center and attach verifiable and accepted proof of permission. All submission rejections are tracked. Repeated rejections due to policy violations will result in app suspension, at which point this app will count as a strike against the good standing of your developer account and no longer be available on Google Play. This notification also serves as notice for other apps in your catalog. You can avoid future submission rejections and/or app suspensions by immediately ensuring that no other apps in your catalog are in violation of (but not limited to) the above policy. Before publishing applications, please ensure your apps’ compliance with the Developer Distribution Agreement and Content Policy. If you feel we have made this determination in error, you can visit this Google Play Help Center article. The Google Play Team |
After my app update has been rejected for the second time, I was clueless on what I should do !. At first, I didn’t know which part of my app was causing the violation. But later I realized that it was because I have used an image of a famous doctor in my app content and in the screenshots.
Although I realized that the images must be the main reason behind my app rejection, I did not want to resubmit an update for the 3rd time as I did not want to risk losing my Google Play developer account. For those who know, Google tracks all submissions and rejections due to policy violations, repeated rejections can lead to app suspension at which point can count as a strike against your Google developer account. I heard that 3 Strikes are enough to suspend your whole Google play account. You can learn more about Google’s policy violations here.
3) I Decided to Remove the App: I decided to avoid all the headache by completely removing that app, and maybe recreating a new one from scratch later. I have done that by clicking on the “Unpublish app” link next to my app, under my account.
A few hours later, I got an automated email from Google play but that time it was for an app suspension!
Yes, even though I have not submitted any new updates last time, Google play counted my request for Unpublishing the app as a new submission. And as a result, the app has been suspended and I got the email below:
This is a notification that your application, MY App NAME, for package ID com.xxxx.app, has been suspended from the Google Play Store.
  REASON FOR SUSPENSION: Violation of the impersonation or deceptive behavior provisions of the Content Policy. Please refer to the impersonation policy help article for more information. If you are authorized to publish on behalf of the original content or brand owner, please contact us via the Google Play Help Center and attach verifiable and accepted proof of permission. This particular app has been disabled as a policy strike. If your developer account is still in good standing, you may revise and upload a policy compliant version of this application as a new package name. This notification also serves as notice for other apps in your catalog. You can avoid further app suspensions by immediately ensuring that no other apps in your catalog are in violation of (but not limited to) the above policy. Please also ensure your apps’ compliance with the Developer Distribution Agreement and Content Policy. All violations are tracked. Additional suspensions of any nature may result in the termination of your developer account, and investigation and possible termination of related Google accounts. If your account is terminated, payments will cease and Google may recover the proceeds of any past sales and/or the cost of any associated fees (such as chargebacks and transaction fees) from you. If you feel we have made this determination in error, you can visit this Google Play Help Center article. The Google Play Team |
Google Admob Ads have been Disabled
A few days later, after I got the email above with the app suspension, I received another email from Google Admob indicating that ads have been disabled on the app, so at that time my Admob revenue for that app has stopped, and no more ads have been served to those who have installed the app.
I have pasted the Admob email below:
Hello, This email is to alert you that one of your applications is not currently in compliance with our AdMob program policies and as a result, ad serving has been disabled to your application.
  Issue ID#: xxxxxxx Ad serving has been disabled to: MY App NAME (com.xxxx.app) Action required: Check all other remaining applications in your account for compliance. Current account status: Active Violation explanation GOOGLE PLAY REMOVAL: AdMob publishers are not permitted to abuse or promote the abuse of any Google product, such as Google Play, YouTube, or Blogger. This includes circumventing, or providing the means to circumvent, the policies or terms of these or other Google products, such as by allowing users to download YouTube videos. If your app is removed by Google Play policy enforcement, please contact Google Play about an app removal here. If Google Play reinstates your app, please submit an appeal to our team. Action required: Check account for compliance While ad serving has been disabled to the above app, your AdMob account remains active. We suggest that you take the time to review the rest of your applications to ensure that they’re in compliance with our policies, and to monitor your apps accordingly to reduce the likelihood of future policy emails from us. Additionally, please note that our team reserves the right to disable accounts at any time if we continue to see violations occurring. AppealsIf you wish to appeal this disabling, please update your app with the required changes on the app store before you submit your appeal on our appeal form. Please note that we are not able to consider your case if we do not find the updated app. We also encourage you to explain what changes have you made to your app or account in order to comply with our program policies. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely, The Google AdMob Team |
Submitting An Appeal To Restore My App
Getting your app suspended will count as a strike towards your account, so not only you will lose your app but also you will risk losing your Google Play account if you have more app suspensions. In my case, even when I tried to unpublish the app due to the violation, it did not work and resulted in app suspension. That’s why I felt like it was totally unfair, and I have submitted an appeal using this appeal form.
In the appeal form, you can have up to 1000 characters to describe why you believe your app should be reinstated. In my case I wrote:
Hello,
  I had this application, MY App NAME, for package ID com.xxxx.app for some time on Google Play. The Problem is the same day I Unpublished this app, I got the email notice below with App suspension. I think that Google Play automatically counted that as an Update to the App while in fact, I was trying to remove the App not to submit any updates or new apps. I’m kindly asking you to remove that single Strike on my account. I was trying to remove the non-compliant app, and I feel it is not fair to count that as a strike. I’d appreciate your cooperation. Thank you & Best Regards, |
The appeal has been accepted, Below is what Google emailed me in response to my appeal:
Hi Andrew, Thank you for reaching out to the Google Play team. We appreciate the opportunity to review your appeal. Upon further review, we’ve accepted your appeal and have conditionally reinstated your app. You are correct in the previous email, so we would suggest you in the following two ways to prevent future removal. Opt1- update a plain, clean without images apk and unpublish it after we’ve approved the review. Opt2- since the app has been conditionally reinstated, it shows “Blocked/Removed” state in your developer console but it will no longer count as policy strike Both ways will not have an impact on your account at the moment. You will need to log in to your Google Play Developer Console within seven days to submit a compliant update. To prevent future removal, be sure to thoroughly review your update for compliance with Google Play Intellectual property guidelines. You can find more information in the initial enforcement notification from Google Play. Thank you for your understanding and please let me know if you could assist you further. Regards, |
Re-Publishing My App on Google Play Store
After they have accepted my appeal, I logged back to my Google Play developer account and I found that my app status has been changed from “Suspended” to “Removed” status as shown in the image below:
In order to re-publish my app on Google Play store, I have taken the following steps:
- I have recreated a brand new app with a new name, new content and of course, I have avoided using any images or content responsible for my earlier app suspension.
- I have clicked on the “Resubmit app” button and I’ve entered my new app name, description uploaded the new app file, then I submitted the changes.
A few hours later, my new app submission has been approved and published on Google Play Store, no signs of suspensions or removal. Everything looks good!
Re-enabling Admob Ad Serving to My App
If you remember earlier, my Admob Ads have been disabled after my app has been suspended. In order to re-enable Admob ads to my app, I had to submit an appeal to AdMob team here https://support.google.com/admob/contact/appeal_policy_violation?rd=1.
Admob did not re-enable the ad serving automatically to my app, I had to submit that appeal to restore the ad serving. They may or may not accept your appeal, so in order to convince them, you need to tell them exactly what changes have you made to your app or account in order to comply with their policies. That’s exactly what I have done, Here’s the email I’ve sent to them:
App package ID: App Old Name: App New Name (after I’ve reinstated the app): Hello, The AdMob ads have been disabled earlier while I had a problem with my app. I have successfully applied the necessary changes and updated the app with: 1) New compliant app name 2) New complaint content 3) New Interface, design and App icon 4) Removed all noncompliant imagesThe app has been reinstated and it has been accepted by Google Play, (after they have accepted my appeal request). Currently, I have no problems or suspensions on this app. Now, since I have an updated app with completely new content that is compliant with Google policies, I’m kindly asking if you could re-enable Admob Ads on this app? Looking forward to continuing developing and supporting this app in the future. I appreciate your help, Andrew |
And, they have accepted my appeal as shown in their email below:
Hello, Thank you for making the requested changes to your app in order to comply with our policies. We have now re-enabled ad serving to your app. Please note that because ad serving to your app was temporarily disabled, there may be a delay before ads begin appearing again. We appreciate your patience. As per the AdMob Terms of Use, publishers must adhere to AdMob publisher guidelines and policies, as well as the AdSense program policies. Â To help prevent policy violations in the future, we recommend reviewing these references to help keep your account in good standing. Thanks, The Google AdMob Team |
Finally, a few days later Admob earnings started to show up again under my account. As I said, although the earnings of this app were not much, only $30 month however it was my first app, and that ain’t bad for one app. Imagine if you can build 10, 20 or 30 apps like that! .. I must say that the App Market has a huge potential for everyone.
Few Additional Notes:
Here are some few things I have learned from my experience submitting apps on Google Play:
- If your app submission or update gets rejected by Google Play, you should Not try to unpublish your app. (unless you have fixed the app first)
- Rejections don’t impact the standing of your Google Play Developer account.
- Suspensions count as strikes against the good standing of your Google Play Developer account, 2-3 strikes can result in account suspension.
- If an update to an existing app was rejected, the version published prior to the update is still available on Google Play.
- Google will never tell you exactly what you need to change or fix in your app to comply with their policies. You will have to figure out the issue an submit a new complaint version of your application.
- Submitting an appeal is your only chance to speak with a real person. However, there is no guarantee that your appeal will be accepted.
- Most of Google’s actions against app developers are done automatically, I have seen stories of many angry app developers who’ve lost their apps or accounts overnight, so my last advice to you is to be very cautious when it comes to submitting/updating apps on Google Play. Better Safe rather than Sorry!
- Any new apps or app updates published will immediately be subject to the latest version of the Developer Program Policies. You can check the latest updates and resources here.
Google play’s policy update as of August 2017,
- We’ve introduced new policies on gambling apps, which are currently permitted only in the UK, Ireland, and France.
- We’ve clarified our User Data policy to provide detailed guidance on prominent disclosure.
- We’re now hosting Android Instant Apps policies in a new category dedicated to other Android programs.
- We’re now hosting content rating guidelines under our Store Listing and Promotion category.
I hope this guide has helped you. Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions.
Thank you for the neat and clear article.
My app also suspended due to Impersonation policy. I had already published my app on my friend’s developer account. Later on, I published the new app with the same name and logo.
Google did not reject when I submitted or even updated the app after 3-4 times. It was suspended after reaching over 1000 downloads.
Today I got the mail about the suspension. So now I have asked my friend to Unpublish the app.
After he un publishes, I am planning to appeal with the my radio station name registration document (Government document).
Do you think that it will possible to get the same app live back on the Play Store? or Should I resubmit the new app?
Thanks you.
Hello, thank you for your comment
Whether you try to fix your current app or resubmit a new one. It is basically the same thing, and Google Play will treat either one the same way.
The key is to look for what was the main reason your app suspension and try to avoid/fix that. Since your app was suspended due to impersonation issue, the chances are Google Play thinks that you’re trying to impersonate/pretend to be someone else. I’d recommend you review all the images, videos and files you are using in your app. Also, note that even the App name or Logo can lead to app suspension. Make sure you have everything fixed before you reupload your app or resubmit a new one. Good luck
My developer account was terminated without me ever breaking any policy. I was earning a living creating quiz games for users, my apps had thousands of downloads and ton of positive reviews it only took a minute for my whole life to be changed. The reason for terminating me was that I have apparently according to google I have associated myself with a terminated developer account.I have never had or associated myself with any developer account that has been terminated I am left speechless I have no way of contacting a real human from google to prove my innocence
Hey, thanks for your comment.
It’s very sad to know that your account has been terminated that way. I agree it can be very frustrating and discouraging for many people. What i don’t like about Googleplay is that they have very strict rules, most of their actions are automated and there is no way to connect with a real human directly if you have an issue. No wonder why Googleplay only charges one-time $25 fee Vs. Apple App Store who charges $99/year. Apple store wins when it comes to customer support.
Unfortunately, the only way to have a real human to look at your Googleplay account is to submit an appeal. There is nothing guaranteed, but if i were you I’d try to submit an appeal and do whatever it takes to get my apps back to life. I’d consider submitting my apps to Apple store and other app stores aswell.
Don’t give up. Wish you the best of luck
My google account is totally suspended after 3 app that have suspend. Even I appeal. It doesn’t help me at all.
Hey Kenny, thanks for your comment.
I’m sorry to hear that. I understand that it can be frustrating for many people because Googleplay is not only strict about their rules & policies, but they also don’t offer an easy way to detect the App issues, and they don’t have a customer support. They expect people to detect and fix their own issues with their apps. No wonder why Googleplay only charges one-time $25 fee Vs. Apple App Store who charges $99/year. Apple store wins when it comes to that part.
As i mentioned, your only chance to have a real person on Googleplay look at your account is to submit an appeal, however you will need to fix the issues first to increase your chance of getting your appeal approved.
Thanks for your article.
May I know during admob suspension, is the balance become zero? or it will show suspension status?
After admob resume, is the previous balance there?
Because my first app generates some money and then being suspended. But I get no problem in admob. Wondering whether I can get the payment….
can you get your payment because i have same proble
Hello Rice,
According to Admob policy, when your Admob account is suspended it will disable Ad serving to your app, meaning that ads will no longer show on your app and you will not generate any new clicks or revenue. however, your previous Admob balance/revenue before your app got suspended should be intact.
According to Admob terms, if your AdMob account was disabled, then you will not receive your payment, but i don’t think you should have a problem receiving your payment if your account is in suspension status, considering that you have reached the minimum payment threshold. In all cases, I’d recommend you submit a compliant app version, then submit an appeal with Admob to remove that suspension.
Additionally, please refer to this helpful Admob Q&A:
https://support.google.com/admob/faq/3364907?hl=en#3365304
Let me know how things are going. Good luck
My app got suspended but i am not getting any answer from google team. So how can i update my complaint version should i make and upload new app as a fresh?
Hello Akash, thanks for your comment.
First thing, make sure you understand why your app got suspended because it can be tricky sometimes. I’d recommend you check Googleplay policy page here: https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy
If you feel you have fixed the problem, you can go ahead and submit an update with your compliant version of your app. There is no need to submit it as a new app because it won’t make any difference in Googleplay eyes. Googleplay treats every update you make as a new submission, and it behaves in the sameway whether it’s an update or a new submission.
Hope that helps
Hi I have a question if you can help me ….I received an email from Google Play indicating that my radio app have been suspended for improper use of device and network., I don’t know what I have to do to fix this issue. Do you know what this mean?
Thank you
Hey Jasnai,
It is not clear enough for me what this actually means, but i assume that your radio app might be using a third-party network or device to work, and Googleplay might consider that as an “improper use”. This is just my assumption though, in order to help you identify the exact problem, please provide more information. Additionally, please refer to this page for GooglePlay policies: https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy
Good luck
need your help andrew!!! as i have submitted admob ads re-enabling several times but they are countinously rejecting my request,i dont know what i am missing … that’s why asking you for help???
Hello Angulum,
I will be more than happy to help you, but I’ll need to learn more about your problem:
1) Has the Adserving been disabled to a specific App of yours? or to all Apps in your Admob account?
2) What is your Admob current account status? (Active or disabled)
3) Did Admob mention the reason why they have rejected your requests (for ex: violation explanation)?
4) Do you currently have one or more apps in your account that not currently in compliance with Admob policies?
Please answer these questions so that i can better assist you.
I get emails google admob ads has been disabled
ACCOUNT STATUS: ACTIVE
Violation explanation
GOOGLE PLAY REMOVAL: AdMob publishers are not permitted to abuse or promote the abuse of any Google product, such as Google Play, YouTube, or Blogger. This includes circumventing, or providing the means to circumvent, the policies or terms of these or other Google products, such as by allowing users to download YouTube videos.
If your app is removed by Google Play policy enforcement, please contact Google Play about an app removal here. If Google Play reinstates your app, please submit an appeal to our team.
please help me, how i can re-enable my ads for this apps ?
My application is books. In the application there is no video.
Should I appeal, or just ignore?
Hey Daryanto,
To re-enable the ads for this app, you will need to figure out what could be the main cause for the violation and apply changes to the app.
Even if you decided to submit an appeal, you will need to first update your app with the required changes before submitting an appeal .. that’s how it works.
I understand your frustration but the problem is, most of the time the violation explanation provided by Google play is ambiguous or generic. I have seen some people who received the exact same violation explanation with radio apps and photography apps, there could be many reasons why Admob ads have been disabled on your app.
You mentioned that your app is a Books app with no videos, but as mentioned in their explanation it could be the abuse of any Google product, Google Play, YouTube, or Blogger. It’s tricky but you should review the Admob policies, then evaluate your app and see if there is any possible Admob violation.
Briefly, if you decided to appeal you will need to fix/apply changes to your app.
If you decided to ignore you should remove the ads completely from this app, and you may want to use a different monetization network/Admob alternative.
As long as your account is active, you should have no problems running Admob ads on your other apps though.
Hope that helps
I have an app that’s been on Apple App store since 2012, with ~300k downloads. I tried to publish an Android version last year on Amazon and Google Play. Amazon took it no problem, but google claimed it violated their violence policy. Google Play offers several apps very similar to mine (that came out after my iOS app), but far more violent, so their ruling is obviously unfair.
I tried appealing for 3 months, asking what specifically is wrong with the app, asking for a screenshot, trying to submit a different version with no direct depictions of violence, but I only get automated responses that my app violates the policy and that if I think other apps violate the policy I can just report them (which I did and they never took them down).
Any ideas of what I could do?
My app update recently got rejected. As per the mail from google, the app title violates the impersonalization policy. If google is doing an automated check, can they show us the list? So we could manually check before submitting the update.
Hey Jasmeet,
I wish it was that simple, however, GooglePlay assumes that everyone is aware of their terms & policies. Their system won’t tell you what’s wrong at the time you submit your update but it will reject your app later on if it believes that you are impersonating other entities, brands, or otherwise infringe on intellectual property rights of others including trademarks, copyrights ..etc.
You can learn more about their Impersonation policy here:
https://play.google.com/about/ip-deception-spam
Hi Andrew,
I am using zapable and published my first app on the play store which quickly got suspended for impersonation. I developed the app for a friend and used the images from his website and his own picture. The same app was approved by apple and is working fine.
Any suggestions what i can do to figure out what is wrong. All the images for his website were custom developed.
Thanks
Arif
He Arif,
Infact, images are not the only cause for the impersonation. According to Googleplay, impersonation can occur if your app is using another app or entity’s brand, title, logo, or name in a manner that may result in misleading users. “Don’t try to imply an endorsement or relationship with another entity where none exists. Impersonation can occur even if there isn’t an intent to deceive, so please be careful when referencing any brands that do not belong to you. This applies even if that brand doesn’t yet have a presence on Google Play.”
I recommend you learn more about their Impersonation policy before reinstating your app. In most cases, it could be as simple as changing your app title, logo, or removing the content that might mislead users. Wish you the best luck.
Hi, great article man, it was very helpful.
Also, I have a question, my developer account was terminated even before I uploaded any app in it. you may imagine how disappointing that is. like for no reason, they just put the whole thing to an end. I applied(twice) without using a sample of appeal, but got rejected. So I wonder, is it because my appeal was not kind of official that they didn’t accept it? Also how come the removed my account for no reason(you know the email they sent is just too vague, like “you broke privacy policy” but how can I can even touch privacy policy without having an app) :/
I would appreciate your help =)
Hey Abdeljalil,
I’m sorry to hear that. I understand your disappointment.
Many developers have had their accounts terminated without a warning or a chance to correct their mistakes. Google play is very restricted with their policies. Obviously, their system is not perfect, they automate pretty much everything and there are no humans to assist developers so many flaws are expected.
I recommend you try reaching out to Google Play again here: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/troubleshooter/2993242
There is no guarantee that they will accept your request however it is worth trying. Unfortunately, that’s the only way to have a human to look at your account.
Also, I recommend you sign this petition: http://goo.gl/ixfBFl
Let’s get GooglePlay to listen to all the small developers out there and to apply a reasonable warning with human intervention before account termination.
After your app was reinstated and republished did you have to start again from 0 (ex: start again from 0 daily downloads and wait for to to grow again/work your way up again) or did your stats return to normal right away (ex: you had 50 daily downloads before suspension and those continued as normal or grew etc.)
?
Would really appreciate an answer on this, thank you.
Hey Paul,
That’s a good question. When my app was reinstated and republished everything was the same including all the installs & downloads I’ve had before the suspension.
I made a app and submit it on play console and after few hours Google Suspend My App Directly.
i submit my app for alpha testing and they suspend my app and said this( after review ipl live tv 2017
has been suspend and remove from google play as a policy strike because its violets the unauthorized use of copy right content policy.)
but may app have no copyright content. all image and logo are created by me so whats the problem.
please help me what should i do now
Hi Khalid,
Copyright violation is not restricted to the use of a copyrighted logo or image. You may be using copyrighted content in your app and that seems to be the case. It’s hard to determine the reason why your app is violating Google play content policy as I don’t know your app and no one knows your app better than you. But It seems like you were trying to create a live tv streaming app to stream copyrighted content and you were not authorized to do so.
Hi Andrew
I had my app on Google play for 2 months and had 207 downloads already my app got removed because i was violating one of their policy i quickly fixed the problem and submit a new update 3 hours later i was told that my app was suspended for violating the impersonation policy. This app was begin used by school learners and i have been promoting the app going to various school and even got interviewed by one the largest radio stations in my country. People are now contacting my Facebook page saying they can’t find the app. This is really giving me serious stress because people are rely on my app and i was going to strick a deal with the department of education. Should i upload a new app and change the name, but the app will be exactly the app. The app names is called MatricLive what if i separate the word and name it Matric Live. ?
thank for share
Hey Andrew. How much time did you wait before you got answer from ADMOB appeal, and what was the automatic reply message after sending the Appeal ? Thank You
Hi Hristijan,
You should get an answer within one week maybe longer as it depends on how many requests they are getting. I don’t remember if there was an automatic reply after sending the appeal.
After update, my app has been suspended.
“Hi Developers!
After review Game Danh Bai Doi Thuong, com.beanstudio.candytaptap has been susbended and removed from Google Play as a policy strike because it violates the spam policy by posting repetitive content.
Next Steps
Read throught the Spam Policy for more detail and example of police violations.
Make sure your app is compliant with on other policies listed in the Developer Program Policies .
Sign in to your Play Console and submit the policy compliant app using a new package name and a new app name.”
Help.
You will need to revise the Google play Spam policy which is found: https://play.google.com/about/spam-min-functionality/spam/repetitive-content
Google play doesn’t allow repetitive content or duplicate content (copied from another app). Also, If you have more than one app with very similar content that will violate their policy so you should aggregate all your content in one app. After making the required changes, you can submit your updated app to Google play and you should be good.
How long does it take Google to review an appeal?
Hi Farouk,
It is usually fast (within 2 business days) for Google play to review your appeal. To avoid any delays, make sure you submit all the required information and any legal documents related to your appeal.
my google play developer account terminate due to suspend app how I regain my account tell me a valid reason to tell google
Hi Tejinder,
You should have received an email from Google play explaining the reason for why they have decided to suspend your publisher account. Some common reasons for app suspension include:
– using a copyrighted logo, image, or video
– using unsafe download links
– violating the privacy information for users (permissions to read, write, download, etc).
– embedding a website in a web view in your app to make money.
In some cases, if you got 2 strikes on your account your developer account may get banned or suspended. You know your app better than anyone. You need to determine the reason why your app was suspended and fix those issued before submitting an appeal. There is a slim chance of recovering your account on filing an appeal. But that’s the best thing you can do.
Hi andrew! i have a question about guides. how can i add a guide for a famous application. like snapchat without the fear of losing my google account.
Hi Zouhir,
I’m sorry, I can’t advise on that.
My visual novel on google play was suspended and when I filed an appeal to ask what exactly I violated, a human being actually replied and told me that my app had a full reproduction of “A Million Promises by DawnKisa.”
Well, as it happens, DawnKisa was the nickname I used when I originally released the game for windows back in 2010. I recently uploaded the game as a demo on google play and it was actually accepted. A few days later, I uploaded a “full version” which is basically the full version of this visual novel with 3 additional long chapters because the 1st chapter was meant to be a teaser but which also concludes in a satisfying note and works well enough as an actual ending.
Anyway, the full version was suspended after a day and now here I am waiting for google to verify my connection to DawnKisa after the initial appeal asking for clarification. My only verifiable documentation would be the original script for the story that only I happen to have and which was authored by my more commonly used public pseudonym “lordcloudx” with a timestamp that dates back to 2010. Also, I happened to have a #freenode chatlog where my co-developer and I come up with the nickname “DawnKisa” in order to prevent people who have a prejudice against me as an author from finding out that I wrote this particular story. The timestamp for the chat log on MIRC via freenode also dates back to 2010.
RIght now, I’m just hoping that a human will see the appeal and respond positively. Just sharing my experiences. It’s a bit exasperating that google thinks I violated my own copyright. Pretty sure it wasn’t a bot that made the copyright strike because the credits to DawnKisa were written inside a digital image file within the apk package which was used at the end of the demo.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I wish you the best of luck in getting your app reinstated.
hello sir,
my problem is I can’t app upload in my google play console. When uploaded my then after sometimes give me message your app is rejected….. and some message show like this ” Your recent app submission was rejected for violating the Google Play Developer Program Policies. If you submitted an update, the previous version of your app is still live on Google Play.”
please solve my problem sir……
Hi Jone,
As you said, our app was rejected for violating Google Play policies and as I explained earlier, that could happen due to several reasons. I won’t be able to advise you on what to do because every app is different. You should have received an email containing the reason for app rejection. Google play won’t accept your updated app until you solve or fix that violation. After you solve the violation in your app, it should accept the updated app that you were trying to upload. Hope that helps.
Hi andrew i am happy to find a live forum about such topic my admob ads are disabled and they have given this reason
GOOGLE PLAY REMOVAL: AdMob publishers are not permitted to abuse or promote the abuse of any Google product, such as Google Play, YouTube, or Blogger. This includes circumventing, or providing the means to circumvent, the policies or terms of these or other Google products, such as by allowing users to download YouTube videos.
Can anybody guide me on how to deal with it i have appealed that this might have been in error as i have reviewed my app and didnt find anything such can you tell me where i am going wrong
Hi Faiz,
If one of your applications is not currently in compliance with Google play policies and has been suspended, Ad serving will be disabled to your app by Admob.
Check your apps for a violation and fix that first, then submit an appeal to Admob to restore ad serving. The reason you’ve mentioned is what Admob sends out in their email after an app is rejected or suspended.
dear friend , my android application reject my google play 2 times. what can i do? can i upload new app in my account?? sir what is the difference between app rejection and suspension>>????
Hi Azizul,
If Google play has rejected your app 2 times, then you should not keep uploading the same app. You should look for the reason why your app was rejected and try to fix that before trying to update your app or upload a new app. You should be able to find the reason for rejection in the email that Google play has sent you.
I resolve my app suspension problem and apply for reinstatement and its almost 1 month and they are not reply my emails?what can i do?
Hi Leo,
It didn’t take that long in my case. If you have submitted an appeal, try to send a follow-up email. A real person should get back to you, that’s the best you can do. Wish you the best of luck.
Hello Andrew,
This is an awesome article you have written. I got 2 app suspended in google play. I got a DMCA notice and google suspend 2 of my apps. I downloaded youtube videos and upload to server .Then I played youtube videos from my server to my app. So after getting DMCA notice , google suspended my apps. What should i do now to get back my apps live again. Please help me. I am really upset now.
Bro same problems please help me
DMCA takedown notices is another issue in the Google play system that is affecting many app developers. It seems like the DMCA system is passed off to algorithms to recognize guilt without a real concept. I have heard stories about that but I didn’t experience going through a DMCA notice myself so I apologize that I can’t offer you advice here.
If you have found a way to get your app reinstated after getting a DMCA notice, please post it here so others can benefit from it aswell.
Hello sir,
My app was suspended for the first time itself. Google asking us to provide a necessary valid documents to reinstant our app.
Please help me out that what documents should i provide
Hi Goudappa,
Depending on the reason why your app was suspended, you may need to prove that you have fixed the reason for the violation and that your new app is compliant with Google play policies.
Each app is different and I’m not sure of what kind of documents they require in your case, but I’d say try to provide them with enough evidence to justify your situation.
My Account Has Terminated But It Contain Many App I Want Reupload That App From My Friend Acc But I Says That com.zyx has already In playstore … what should i do..
Hi Roshni,
If your account has been terminated and it had many apps on it, I’m not sure if there is a way for you to transfer or re-upload the same apps to a different account!. You may upload the apps under different names though.
Hi Andrew, Greetings from India! I have an app in Play Store which was suspended due to the use of Adobe logo in app icon. Now I want to change the icon and republish. Will Google allow me? I have visited the link you provided and I answer the following there:
Has your developer account been terminated? No (My app got suspended and not account so chose No)
Do you believe your app was rejected or removed in error? No (Because it was my fault which I wish to fix now)
Afterwards, it doesn’t allow me to proceed. It says “We do not provide guidance on bringing your app(s) into compliance. Please consult the Content Policy and Developer Distribution Agreement for more details.
Any ideas to get my app back to the Play Store/Re-submit the update?
Hi Paras,
If your account was suspended solely due to the use of Adobe logo in your app and there were no other reasons for the violation, then I think submitting an update with a complaint version (after fixing the logo) should be good. Yes, Google play doesn’t provide guidance on bringing apps into compliance, and that’s the hard part as you’d need to determine the exact reason for app violation. Most of the time the reason mentioned by Google play is vague as it’s automated and is not specific to your case. However, at least you know that the Adobe logo was the main reason for your app suspension so you should have no problems updating your app or uploading new apps as long as your account is in good standing. Good luck
I have two apps in suspended state. I am planning to transfer all apps to a new account and close my original account. Do they count the violations in the closed account associated with the transferred account?
Hi Jomon,
If you have apps that you want to transfer to a different Google Play account, you will need to follow some instructions and submit a transfer request. You can follow these instructions: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6230247
However, please keep in mind that you will need to fix your suspended apps before transferring them as Google play requires that apps being transferred need to comply with all policy guidelines.
Hi,my app was suspended from google play store and counted it as a strike. I don’t need the app to be published and i want to revert my submission,so that I can’t get any strike for my google play account. Is there any way for reverting my app submission and preventing my account from strike??
If your app was suspended due to violating one of Google play policies, then there’s nothing you can do to remove that strike. However, if you believe that your app was not supposed to be suspended in the first place (it doesn’t violate any policies), then that’s a different story and in that case, you may appeal to justify yourself and make them remove the strike for you.
Either way, you don’t need to stress it as I think that account strikes will eventually expire after some time. The weight of the strike can also be a factor as I heard that some accounts have been banned with only 1 strike. I’d say just move forward and play safe to avoid having any more strikes in the future.
Google is really trying,at least they acccepted your appeal
I’m happy for you that it later got restored.
Thank you Cynthia, wish you the best.
Hi, my apps in playstore got suspended as the policies got updated. When I try to re-submit the app the option is not enabled. Can you please help me how I can re-submit my app
so you don’t have an option to update your app? That’s weird.
Usually, when an app got suspended there is an option to update the app or upload a new version.
Hi PARAS SIDHU,
I ‘m also facing the same issue. how did you fix it?
My app is suspended due to violation of device and network abuse policy and sections 4.8 and 4.9 of the developer distribution agreement. They notify that “We don’t allow apps that interfere with, disrupt, damage,or access in an unauthorized manner the user’s device, other devices or computers, servers, networks, application programming interfaces (APIs) , or services including but noy limited to other apps on the device, any Google Service, or an authorized carrier’s network.”
What i Change in my app?
I just add privacy policy for the app because i want to publish facebook audience network ads into my app.
In my app, i may not collect any personal data from user and sensitive data from users but i only use admob and facebook ads together in app? is there any issue to publish both ad networks together?
Or Can you suggest the solution of this violations?
Is there any problem with my privacy policy??
Please Give me a solution because my app have more than 300K Downloads and 140K Active Users.
Hi Akshay,
The violation of device and network abuse policy (just like any other Google play violation) could mean different things. Each app is different so it’s hard for me to advice on what you need to change as I don’t know the exact problem with your app. According to Google play, here are some examples of common device and network abuse violations:
– Apps that block or interfere with another app displaying ads
– Game cheating apps that affect the gameplay of other apps
– Apps that facilitate or provide instructions on how to hack services, software or hardware, or circumvent security protections
– Apps that access or use a service or API in a manner that violates its terms of service
– Apps that attempt to bypass system power management that is not eligible for whitelisting
Review your app to see if it falls under one of the above categories then fix the violation before updating your app on Google play. You can refer to the device and network abuse violation policy here: https://play.google.com/about/privacy-security-deception/device-network-abuse
In regards to app monetization, Yes, I’ve seen people using both Facebook ad network with Admob together in a single app but the rule of thumb is to show only one ad at a time in your screen irrespective of how many ad networks you are using in the app.
Also, you may make more money by sticking with just one ad network (you don’t need to use both networks) but it all depends on your app and how you monetize it so the choice is yours.
Good luck
my google play account was suspended ..there are two reasons 1- trademark policy on account name . and 2- multiple account violence .what can i do for reinstate my account
Hi Ramesh,
1) Your app or account seems to have a problem with using a registered trademark without permission. You need to investigate that. For example, if you are using a trademarked logo or name in your app, you will need to remove that.
2) Google play doesn’t allow apps that depict or facilitate violence or other dangerous activities. Some common examples include:
– Graphic depictions or violent threats.
– Suicide, self-harm, choking games, or similar acts where injury or death may result.
Examine your app for common violations and fix them before resubmitting your app to Google play.
You can review the policies of trademark infringement and violence below:
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/1085703?hl=en
https://play.google.com/about/restricted-content/inappropriate-content/violence/
Hope that helps