Google And Samsung At War Over Ads

Forbes ^ | February 4, 2015 | Ian Morris

[Swordmaker]

Samsung launched an Ad Blocker for its phones on the Google Play store called Adblock Fast earlier this week. Google has since pulled the app, claiming that it's in breach of the developer agreement. Specifically section 4.4, which prevents apps from messing with third-party services. It reads:

You agree that you will not engage in any activity with the Store, including the development or distribution of Products, that interferes with, disrupts, damages or accesses in an unauthorised manner the devices, servers, networks or other properties or services of any third party including, but not limited to, Android users, Google or any mobile network operator. You may not use customer information obtained from the Store to sell or distribute Products outside of the Store.

The app had, apparently, reached some 50,000 downloads before Google flipped the switch. Samsung doesn't appear to list the app on its own app store, which is beyond strange given that it only works with Samsung's mobile browser anyway.

In the past Google has pulled other ad blockers from Google Play. In 2013 Google went on a little mission, removing AdBlock Plus from the store along with some other, similar, products. Although in 2015 AdBlock Plus was able to get back into the Play store and is still there.

The reason Ablock Plus has survived is that Google does allow ad blockers if they are within their own, self-contained browser. So what was it about this app that didn't qualify for the exception, given that it was only accessible through Samsung's browser and couldn't affect either Android's OEM app, or Google's Chrome. Is this move another sign of the fraught relationship that Google and Samsung have?

[Swordmaker]

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