New DANGEROUS google play requirement

[remixedcat]

but would you rather waste 20+ a month to comply with some silly EU directive or would you rather have your business website have a better hosting package and have a faster internet connection?

 

[newtekie1]

but would you rather waste 20+ a month to comply with some silly EU directive or would you rather have your business website have a better hosting package and have a faster internet connection?

Unlimited hosting costs $4 a month. That is unlimited bandwidth, unlimited space. It doesn't get any better than that. So you point doesn't work.

 

[OneMoar]

Exactly. In fact, this whole thing starts with the assumption that google will not accept P.O. Box addresses based on the fact that the current system doesn't allow you to use P.O. Box addresses. There has been no official statement from Google on if they will allow P.O. Boxes. For all we know they are working right now on updating the system to allow P.O. Boxes and when the deadline hits, or even before, you will be able to enter a P.O. Box address.



You don't need a good internet connection to develop apps. Unlimited hosting can be had for $13 a month, there isn't anything better than that.

If you are selling something, you should have a physical address that can be tracked back to you so you don't scam a bunch of people. IMO, a P.O. Box should be enough, but if Google's system isn't set up to do so, then there are plenty of inexpensive alternatives.

I don't think the address should be made public, but if that is what the EU wants, then so be it.

if people didn't abuse the system so much that it would't have become necessary
AFAIK its not like your address and phone number are gonna be listed on the front page
also come on the post was on reddit of all places

 

[repman244]

"Google will require require all developers with paid apps or in app purchases to provide a physical address."
Holding E-businesses to the same standards as a regular business, how shocking I fail to see the problem here.

Quoting this for page nr. 2. If someone has something to hide it's almost always something illegal.

 

[OneMoar]

Quoting this for page nr. 2. If someone has something to hide it's almost always something illegal.

Naa that`s silly

 

[remixedcat]

actually some people in the reddit thread are saying that POB#s aren't allowed.

 

[remixedcat]

Unlimited hosting costs $4 a month. That is unlimited bandwidth, unlimited space. It doesn't get any better than that. So you point doesn't work.

Unlimited is not true. they have fine print and they also throttle your CPU usage (f your site uses .006% they cut you, if you add .001 to the load average, they will cut you, etc) , have file size restrictions, don't allow certain file types, and the list goes on... (this kind of hosting is only good for a static single HTML4 page that gets less then 50 hits/mo) if it really were unlimited google, facebook, and apple are dumbasses for wasting money making their own datacenter when they could easily use one of these "unlimited" hosts right???

I know my way around the hosting industry and have been in it since 2002. So don't tell me about "unlimited" hosts.

 

[OneMoar]

i am gone remixxed is just plain ranting that the EU is gonna take his appstore monies away

 

[remixedcat]

Nope this is about privacy and security... and cutting down on bureaucratic BS!

don't want ripped off by a dev... LOOK AT APP PERMISSIONS....

don't want in app purchases running up bills DON'T BUY APPS THAT HAVE THESE!

and don't add your CC# to those....

 

[WhiteLotus]

So a hobbyist dev that does this to suppliment thier income should risk their security and privacy??? or pay hundreds a month for an office space they don't need negating the income they get from developing apps. This might make sense if you are a big company that has a seperate office, however this hurts indie devs and "at home" devs!!!

and whitelotus you've been brainwashed into thinking the EU gives a damn about consumers. They just want more bureaucracy, and big brother crap and they don't give a lick about you.

Unlike you I actually live in the EU and I am fully aware of the complete and utter bollocks they pull. This however is just an inconvenience to part time developers. It is quickly resolved, and aids in preventing the aforementioned shit from happening to consumers. I see nothing wrong with it.

 

[remixedcat]

My examples above are more avoided by reading app permissions list and not adding a CC# to an app. Not by knowing an address. Even if you know a devs address it doesn't make the data the app collects any more legit or not.

We all have facebook and google's corp addresses and they make BILLIONS off our data even without our consent. So just because an address is provided doesn't make it any better or suddenly that company is good or not.

Most people blindly click to download apps before they read permissions lists and they get burned....


I don't want facebook recording what I say or don't want them to access my camera so I don't install the app. I look at the permissions list, see stuff I don't like/agree with and I DON'T INSTALL IT!!!!

mabye instead google needs to make app permissions more visible and more obvious what is done with what data...

I don't install candy crush, or any of those stupid social games because I know they are money pit succubus games....

consumers need to learn to do this....

 

[TheMailMan78]

Sky Diving is DANGEROUS. An Angry Bird rip off developer having to have a PO box isn't on anyone's bucket list.

Also who gives a crap? Its the EU.

 

[newtekie1]

actually some people in the reddit thread are saying that POB#s aren't allowed.

Yep, and if you look at what they are basing that on, it is an assumption based on P.O. Boxes currently not working on the current system. It is not based on an official statement from Google.

Unlimited is not true. they have fine print and they also throttle your CPU usage (f your site uses .006% they cut you, if you add .001 to the load average, they will cut you, etc) , have file size restrictions, don't allow certain file types, and the list goes on... (this kind of hosting is only good for a static single HTML4 page that gets less then 50 hits/mo) if it really were unlimited google, facebook, and apple are dumbasses for wasting money making their own datacenter when they could easily use one of these "unlimited" hosts right???

While that is true, the limits aren't exactly as harsh as you claim. The $4 plan I was talking about gives unlimitted bandwidth and file space. However, the terms state you may not use 25% or more of the CPU or Memory for more than 90 seconds at a time and can't run SQL queries that take longer than 15 seconds. For a site of a developer of a indie app that is working out of their home, none of those restrictions will matter. They certainly will be able to handle way more than 50 hits/month. If their app is popular enough to generate enough traffic to the site to outgrow the $4 a month plan, they better have their own office...and some staff members at that point...

 

[remixedcat]

I had one of those hosting plans and 2500 hits in one of those months and I got shut down and my site was a simple static HTML page.


Those unlimited hosts are false advertising

Moved to a better host and don't have that problem but have to pay a lot for. (Over 35/mo

I even use cloudflare to help with it.

I'm gonna end this with saying this...

As a consumer it might be good.. As a indie dev it just adds complications.

That's my final say on this.

 

[Mindweaver]

I cleaned up this thread of nonsense, stay on topic.

@thread
I think this is a good idea. Google play store is a joke as it is with the million of knock offs, and the amount of just plain crappy stuff.

 

[remixedcat]

I understand that but I still think users themselves need to look at permissions lists/ToS further. I check them thoroughly (google play listing and other websites dealing with security) before I even think about downloading the app.


I just think the whole play store needs an overhaul bad. They focus way to much on making it look different every 2 months instead of actually focusing on clean apps and keeping tabs on bad developers and bad user reviews (tons of the reviews are very misleading and often times are jibberish or wrong)

 

[Mindweaver]

I understand that but I still think users themselves need to look at permissions lists/ToS further. I check them thoroughly (google play listing and other websites dealing with security) before I even think about downloading the app.


I just think the whole play store needs an overhaul bad. They focus way to much on making it look different every 2 months instead of actually focusing on clean apps and keeping tabs on bad developers and bad user reviews (tons of the reviews are very misleading and often times are jibberish or wrong)

Oh yea I think so as well and yea the play store is 90% horrible apps and maybe 10% good apps.. The 10% good apps are buried in the trash. I use to browse the Google play store everyday.. But now I might look once a week. The amount of in game purchase apps is ridiculous.. I wish that feature would go the way of the dodo bird.

 

[remixedcat]

I don't like microtransaction games either. I REFUSE to play em. I would rather earn my swag thru gameplay!!!

 

[WhiteLotus]

Thought about downloading ebay app, I hit one button (read more) and scrolled down half a page. Found the permissions.
Also when I hit install/download it threw up a splash screen saying "this app needs access to the following...".

Not sure how more obvious they can make what app needs access to what...?

 

[Peter1986C]

So a hobbyist dev that does this to suppliment thier income should risk their security and privacy??? or pay hundreds a month for an office space they don't need negating the income they get from developing apps. This might make sense if you are a big company that has a seperate office, however this hurts indie devs and "at home" devs!!!

and whitelotus you've been brainwashed into thinking the EU gives a damn about consumers. They just want more bureaucracy, and big brother crap and they don't give a lick about you.

They give more of a "fuck" then those in the US with their MIC and Oil Brothers, less than mediocre warranty regulations and so on. Stop that childish ranting and stop being so butthurt over shit you fail to comprehend.

 

[Mindweaver]

Hey people let's not turn this into Which country takes our money the best... They don't need TPU members to be their cheerleaders.

 

[Solaris17]

So you are totally ok with people SWATting people's houses then if they couldn't arrange for a virtual office and go through a lot of trouble to set this up?

It's just un-needed BS bureaucracy to please a minority of people that whine about little tommy running up mommy's credit card bill.... HOW ABOUT YOU PARENT YOUR KIDS INSTEAD!!!!

I don't plan on irritating people online or putting myself into situation where i give 15 yr/o boys my address over a video game stream because im an adult. This argument holds no water because this is not the same audience. People don't look up the address to their local bestbuy and have them swatted. People dont look at the address of apps they purchase on their phones (some being publically available) and have them swatted. What is the big deal? You seem to be using "SWATing" as the shock value term but I cant really understand the context or issue. Iv shipped merchandise to alot of people on TPU and im not going to SWAT them I can SWAT my neighbors because i can read a mailbox they have had ample opportunity to SWAT me. Its really just not as a big a deal as you think this is not a wide spread event this is not something that people need to think about when they wake up in the morning or stream a game. This is simply not really an issue.

and for the record in the US I can call the police and simply tell them someone at your address pulled alot of white packages wrapped in plastic wrap and they will kick down your door its literally something that is not address related or stream/twitch related this has been possible for years.

 

[remixedcat]

Not everyone is a good person. There's lots of crappy people out there and this whole issue wouldn't be a problem if people weren't destructive and they wouldn't go around swatting or pranking people. If people weren't so mean then we wouldn't have to worry. But since we can't change people and make them nice and not want to do this we have to do what we have to do as devs.

 

[Peter1986C]

Hey people let's not turn this into Which country takes our money the best... They don't need TPU members to be their cheerleaders.

Sorry.

 

[Cheeseball]

Guys, I can confirm that PO Boxes (and fake/indirect addresses) are allowed to be used in the Settings page. I just set one of the Marriott Residence Inns in CA as one of them.

TAKE NOTE, your real address will STILL show up on the Google Wallet receipt. I just asked one of my trusted users what the receipt looks like, and it reveals my charging/billing address. This is normal and Google has been doing this for years.

Google is most likely doing this to comply with Europe's shit, which is understandable as they wish to protect the consumers, however this change publicly reveals developer's addresses BEFORE a purchase is even made.

EDIT: I just tried a P.O. Box. It looks like it's not allowed. Retarded move, Google.

Invalid P.O. Box number address: Currently, we do not allow merchants to register their account using a P.O. Box. Please attempt registration again using a physical address rather than a P.O. Box.