Google Bans Apps From Displaying Lock Screen Ads (androidpolice.com) 58
Google is banning lock screen ads from the Play Store. In the new section on Google's developer monetization page, Google says: "Unless the exclusive purpose of the app is that of a lock screen, apps may not introduce ads or features that monetize the locked display of a device." Android Police reports: So, an app that bills itself as a photo editor, VPN, or file explorer cannot also cram a new lock screen on your device that's infested with ads. However, an app that is actually a lock screen can still monetize with ads. Presumably, you know what you're getting when you install a lock screen app. This policy change is long overdue. It's been a few years since these ads started showing up, and it's getting pretty out of hand.
Re: Took long enough (Score:1)
All notifications can be blocked on a per app basis. It's in the app manager.
This was a thing? (Score:2)
I had no idea Android (Google?) phones displayed ads like that. Why would people put up with it?
Re:This was a thing? (Score:5, Informative)
Presumably people put up with it for the same reason they put up with the far more annoying ads interrupting TV shows: they're used to it.
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I seem to recall that these devices have screen technology that doesn't drain the battery. They can be on all the time- no problem. Not so with most phones & tablets.
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That's kindle paperwhites, not Fire tablets. Fires have normal screens. They also have shit for sales.
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Amazon sells fire tablets running amazon ads on the lockcreens. They sell them for cheaper than the non-ad versions. Presumably people put up with it for the same reason they put up with the far more annoying ads interrupting TV shows: they're used to it.
Which can be removed with some adb commands while hooked up to a PC, BTW
The number of people who will do that is a rounding error, so everybody wins. (Not like somebody willing to remove them was going to tap on such ads anyway.)
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Amazon sells fire tablets running amazon ads on the lockcreens. They sell them for cheaper than the non-ad versions.
Which can be removed with some adb commands while hooked up to a PC, BTW. You don't even need root. The number of people who will do that is a rounding error, so everybody wins. (Not like somebody willing to remove them was going to tap on such ads anyway.)
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That seems like a different thing to me, though. Presumably Amazon is running ads for stuff that you can buy from them. At that point, they've already got my purchase history and are probably offering me things they know I'd like. If I were to buy a Fire Tablet, I'd almost certain want the one with ads even if it weren't that much cheaper; I'd be buying it for the service of advertising to me so I can buy from Amazon.
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Oh, I'm fine with ads in games or other apps that I use but aren't worth paying for. But that's only while I'm using the app. Having them fill up your lockscreen with no way to remove them is a step too far.
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I'm an android user and i had no idea that was a thing either. Ofcourse i don't install random apps on my phone like most people do.
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Because of two facts.
Android users are cheap, and Google features free over paid apps (in the early days). The latter came about when Google Pay/Wallet/Whatever was in two countries or so, so people with paid apps were hidden from all the other countries in the world. They adopted free apps in order to be sold worldwide, and to eat, so in-app ads and such were the way the developers were paid for free apps.
The fo
AdGuard (Score:3)
I have a phone that's not possible to be rooted and i've been using the paid version of this app to block all of the ads.
Until unlimited data plans become cheap and affordable AND malware ceases to be a vector from online ads, I will always block ads on principle and pay for my services I want to be ad-free.
Re:AdGuard (Score:4, Informative)
Until unlimited data plans become cheap and affordable AND malware ceases to be a vector from online ads
Wow, talk about low on the list of reasons to block adverts. Let's add some: ....
AND battery life isn't affected
AND web pages / apps don't take forever to load.
AND the device ceases interrupting me to view an advert (video ads are instant grounds for uninstalling apps)
AND the ads stop taking up most of the content space
AND
Common people, chime in. I'm sure we can make this thread go on for ever. Forget malware and bandwidth. Ads are a blight on the entire mobile world right now.
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Unfortunately, most Android phones aren't rooted. And if a phone isn't rooted, you can't install an APK flie to edit /etc/hosts.
phone shaped hole (Score:2)
google should go one step better (Score:2)
Re:google should go one step better (Score:4, Insightful)
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I don't think the OP was asking to block ads, but rather to not show apps with ads in the play store (as an option). In this case, the incentive for google would be the 30% cut they get from the sale of the app.
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Except that there are some really useful apps that are either ad-supported or subscription only.
If you want a lifetime sub, have you inquired with the publishers of these apps about the price of a lifetime sub?
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I am extremely annoyed by those ads (Score:3)
So much so, that as soon as I discover that an app uses the lock screen ads, I remove it immediately and make a mental note of that app.
So, I find this move by Google to be unreservedly positive.
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Don't forget to leave a review so others can discover those apps before installing them.
I just uninstalled 360 security for exactly that.. (Score:2)
I just uninstalled 360 security for exactly this reason. Some time ago they added this "feature", which wasn't too much of a problem as they had an option to switch off the retarded add filled custom lock screen. However, after installing a update it now ignores this setting, which caused me to immediately uninstall it.
is the narrative finally out? (Score:1)