How to get in contact with Google Play store to challenge an app rejection [closed]

Question

Background

Our app had a write up in SALT magazine today (https://www.saltmagazine.com.au/feature/listen-up) which is an exciting moment.
The iOS version is being featured in the App Store later this year.
However, the Android version has been unavailable for the past 2 weeks despite every attempt I have made to get it back in the Google Play Store.

The app had been in the store for 8 years, but it was recently removed.
It was initially rejected saying the background permission was not required, but we have actioned that in numerous ways - including explaining why it is needed, and eventually actually removing it, reducing the functionality of the app in an attempt to get it back in the store. We are continuously being rejected in the Google Play Store, without any coherent explanation as to why being provided. What is said is that the app doesn't need location permission, or that we need a particular message - the app clearly needs location access, and the message has been provided - making these changes doesn't seem to have any effect on the rejection at the Google Play Store end.

I've sent this message in the most recent appeal :

You have failed to provide any coherent feedback at all about why the request for location permission is being denied -- the pre-permission-request has been put there, in exactly the wording you requested. We have removed the location request to order the stories. We have removed the background location permission. Each of these diminishes the functionality of the app. But now I can't conceive of how this app can be rejected. Each time you send a rejection it is randomly different. I feel we must be being targeted by some disgruntled employee at Google Play.

This is a good solid app, that has been enjoyed by many for many years. I'll send this out to the other Google departments. We do need to get this app out there again.

Google Play is not providing any clear information, nothing that is actionable. There is no reason the app should not be in the store -- as I said, we have even complied with things that don't make sense and reduce the functionality of the Android version of the app, in an attempt to comply with what seems to be being requested.

I don't see a pathway to reinstatement of our app via the channels made available via Google Play, those being :

1. The permissions declaration form (https://play.google.com/console/u/0/developers/[our dev id]/app/[our app id]/app-content/permission-declarations)
2. The permissions appeal form (https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/permissions)
3. This email address ([email protected])
4. The google contact form (https://support.google.com/accounts)

Context

I know this question might look like it doesn't quite belong here.
But this is a situation that many app developers are going to face, and there needs to be a solution.

For iOS apps it is so easy - When Apple iTunes has a rejection of an app, they send screenshots of exactly where the problem is and identify exactly what policy has resulted in the rejection.
It's also really really easy to talk with people at Apple - either directly via iTunes Connect interface, or else via multiple support options where you can actually talk to a person.

Android app developers need a pathway to communicate with Google in the case of an app rejection. Please, if you have found any that work, share them here for the benefit of all app developers.

Question(s)

Has anyone found a way to talk directly with someone at Google Play Console?

What other path is there when Google Play is rejecting an app without any clear, coherent, or actionable information included?

Liverwort

meta.#272665 -- you might try asking on Reddit, Android United, or other Android developer support sites – Arundel

Answer 1

Just my 2 cents from rejections in the last years:

• There is no talking to humans on Google Play Store. It's automated answers all the time.
• Appealing never works. Like you, I've always just received the same automated answer again and again.
• Rejections seem random. You can try uploading slightly different variants of the same app, and sometimes it comes through
• Try removing all functionality that is somehow linked to the rejection (like location permission), even if it makes the app useless. Submit it, then create an update re-introducing all those features. Sometimes that works. Might want to warn your users in advance though.
• The Google Play Store bots also sporadically suspend apps - which will quickly result in a termination of the developer account. Try to keep your apps in separate accounts to not get your complete portfolio killed once an app is suspended.

Good luck!

Phratry

@Liverwort were you ever able to resolve this? – Phagocyte

@Phagocyte Yes. I don't know how, but I think spamming Google on all of the channels in the above question, as well as ALL of the following email addresses helped: [email protected], [email protected], Google Payments <[email protected]>, Google Cloud Support <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected] – Liverwort

I have found Google dev support is somewhat improved from when I was going through this. If you don't want to do the awful spam approach, then try just making contact on this email: [email protected] That has worked for me twice recently, and fairly rapidly. Still no decent explanation of why Google had kicked off things in the first place (I got messages saying I didn't have a privacy policy on a couple of apps - but I did, and said so to that email address and relatively quickly got a response saying it was "resolved") – Liverwort

As of April 2023, We can sadly say that [email protected] does not help for situation like the one you listed. We have spent 2 weeks exchanging with them with no avail. the reason for the suspension is "Creating multiple apps with highly similar content and user experience." where we have provided proof that the content outside of the interface is totally different and doesn't have even 1 word being similar. – Bittner

As of Apr 2024, when you try to email [email protected], you will get an auto reply saying: "We’d like to help you, but currently we can only respond to requests submitted through our contact forms." – Enthalpy

Answer 2

July 2023, [email protected] no longer receives requests on email. Developers can only reach out using contact form on play console help centre. Chatbots have made everything worse, there's no support provided to general public by any tech company.

1

Barnard

Answer 3

as of 10/2023, there is a possibility to get in touch with a real person using this form. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/gethelp You can make phone calls during office hours in your time zone only, but you can help yourself with a VPN. Be prepared spending 3 hours or more in the waiting line.

In our case, the policy violation was triggered because testers were stuck on the loading screen with an error and unable to test the app itself. The reason for that again was that our app is using Play Asset Delivery, which only works when the app is loaded from the Play Store. Otherwise you will see the error APP_NOT_OWNED. We were experiencing the same behavior in our pre-launch report videos. If you are facing a rejection, make sure your app looks good in the pre-launch report videos.

To resolve this issue, we bundled-in low resolution assets in the app, so that it can still run if Asset Pack downloads fail.

Also make sure that your download content is not geoblocked and accessible to the testers. It seems some of them are located in India.

Hope it helps

Merrie