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Nextcloud cries foul over Google Play Store app rejection (go.theregister.com)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[-] [email protected] 58 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I've experienced this exact issue with the Google Play Store with some clients and it's just the worst. This kinda thing happens because Google is essentially half-arsing an Apple-style comprehensive review of apps. For context, Apple offers thorough reviews pointing to exactly how the app violates policy/was rejected, with mostly free one-on-one support with a genuine Apple engineer to discuss or review the validity of the report/how to fix it. They're restrictive as hell and occasionally make mistakes, but at the end of the road there is a real, extremely competent human able to dedicate time to assist you.

Google uses a mix of human and automated reviewers that are even more incompetent than Apple's frontline reviewers. They will reject your app for what often feels like arbitrary reasons, and you're lucky if their reason amounts to more than a single sentence. Unlike Apple, from that point you have few options. I have yet to find an official way to reach an actually useful human unless you happen to know someone in Google's Android/Developer Relations team.

I'm actually certain that the issues facing Nextcloud are not some malicious anti-competitive effort, but yet more sheer and utter incompetence from every enterprise/business facing aspect of Google.

[-] [email protected] 41 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I’m actually certain that the issues facing Nextcloud are not some malicious anti-competitive effort, but yet more sheer and utter incompetence from every enterprise/business facing aspect of Google.

That both may be true and anticompetitive at the same time. Google cloud services apps certainly aren't randomly getting blocked or going through the same system. Google has steadfastly refused to reply to them or consider their needs.

[-] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Oh yeah for sure. Google, extremely large companies, and government apps essentially have different streams and access to support than the rest of us mere mortals. They all receive scrutiny, and may have slightly altered guidelines depending on the app, but the most consequential difference is that they have much more ability to access real support. I just don't think it was an intentional and specific attempt to be anti-competitive, this is better explained by incompetence and the consequences of well-intentioned but poorly implemented policy.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I get what you're saying, but giving yourself a fast lane in other business areas is an explicit choice to be anticompetitive. That decision on its own is inherently malicious. It doesn't allow you to then say the consequences of that decision are neutral because you didn't single out this specific competitor to block (or at least there's no evidence you did). This is frankly a slam dunk case in the EU that will result in heavy fines for Google.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

There are plenty of legitimate reasons for Google to provide extra support and exceptions to parts of their guidelines to certain parties, including themselves. No one is claiming this is a consequence-neutral decision, and it's right to not inherently trust these exceptions, but it is not a black and white issue.

In this case, placing extra barriers around sensitive permissions like MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE for untrusted parties is perfectly reasonable, but the process they implemented should be competent and appealable to a real support person. What Google should be criticized for (and "heavily fined" by the EU if that were to happen) is their inconsistent and often incorrect baseline review process, as well as their lack of any real support. They are essentially part of a duopoly and should thus be forced to act responsibly.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Sin of omission?

[-] [email protected] 51 points 2 months ago

[-] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago

Sounds like good news for f-droid adaptation at least.

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago

Just for curiosity, is Nextcloud competing in any way with Google's business lines, such as Drive or others?

[-] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

Pretty much, especially now with NextCloud Talk, which they are working on to compete with teams.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

I was unable to successfully set up my turn server. So I will forever live with the high-speed back-end missing error. I opened all the ports. Everything seems like it's alive. Yet the shit doesn't recognize it.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Voice and video are always tricky to handle. I hope you find out what the problem is !

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Great news. Maybe someone else will think about the rejection of Google.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Honestly anyone who's using nextcloud can install the apk

[-] [email protected] 33 points 2 months ago

The person who set it up sure, but what if grandma Ruth is one of your users? That's not a fun task to explain to them why and how to get that happening. They just want to go to the store click a few things and then login, and even that much is challenging for many people.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Grandma Ruth got no business on nextcloud. It's not software that's aimed at grandma Ruth so she got no business using it. Do you even know what nextcloud is

[-] [email protected] 34 points 2 months ago

Yo I self host a Nextcloud server and I don't know what an apk is. Please stop being a gatekeeper. Grandma Ruth deserves alternatives to big tech just like the rest of us.

All freedom to all the people. These tools aren't supposed to be some special privilege for 1337 hackers. They should be ubiquitous.

[-] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago

What are you on about?

Unless you're the admin, using nextcloud involves nothing more complicated than google drive or dropbox.

I have half a dozen "normies" on my instance as users, and they figure it out just fine.

[-] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago

Actually, it is. And she does.

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago

Various government and educational entities are using Nextcloud. I guess that severely limits who they can hire.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

And after you install your monthy server update, things break because Grandma's client is suck in the Obama era.

this post was submitted on 13 May 2025

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