{
  "id": 10506420,
  "title": "So long Google, and thanks for all the nudes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/so-long-google-and-thanks-for-all-the-nudes",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-28T18:04:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hacker News",
    "slug": "hacker-news",
    "url": "https://lecaro.me/20260921-google-less.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Google's review process has left a former developer frustrated and seeking alternatives to their store. The dev recently acquired ten old Android 6.0.1 devices, hoping to equip them with SMS gateway software and ship them to customers. The experience led him to explore degoogled Android, which sparked his interest in lighter apps. However, Google's policies have hindered his ambitions.\n\nHe had planned to publish his new game on the Play Store and charge for it, but the company's review process proved to be a nightmare. Despite repeatedly submitting apps, including a text editor called Tabby, all were rejected without clear explanations. The dev even faced a situation where Google sent him \"nudes\" as part of their review process, which he appealed but was denied without any explanation.\n\nThe dev suspects that Google's automatic translations and app listing issues may have introduced issues during the review. He is blocked from accessing the content he submitted, making it impossible to confirm. The dev believes that Google's review process is broken, and their monopoly over app development is detrimental to developers.\n\nGoogle's actions have left the dev feeling disillusioned with their store. He plans to continue building tools and games, sharing them with those who dare to explore outside the Play Store. He advises anyone relying on Google for app distribution to reconsider, stating that counting on Google is a bad idea.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}