Podcasts about COVID-19 exist, therefore Podcast Addict is a Covid-19 app.
What you need to know
- Podcast Addict pulled from the Google Play Store as a result of new COVID-19 rules.
- Google currently bans apps from “referencing COVID-19” unless they are endorsed by public health agencies.
- Some podcasts which can be accessed on the app do reference the virus and associated disease, triggering the ban.
The Play Store’s policies currently warn “any apps referencing COVID-19, or related terms, in any form in their metadata will only be approved for distribution in the Play Store if they are published, commissioned or authorized by [official government entities and public health organizations].”
While it has helped clean up the Play Store from genuinely misleading apps, one podcast app—Podcast Addict—has fallen victim to an obtuse (or particularly robotic) reading of it.
Here’s the notification I got this morning… pic.twitter.com/UJF20ZnaPw
— Podcast Addict (@PodcastAddict) May 16, 2020
While the spirit of the rule is the prevention of the spread of apps offering fake and dangerous health advice, a rather strict reading of it would lead to any apps with coronavirus content being removed from the Play Store.
This isn’t a new thing for the app, Podcast Addict has been a victim of Google’s content policies in the past, and other content apps like this are likely to fall victim in the future due to Googles mostly automatic Play Store content moderation.
In the meantime if you want to install the official version of the app you can do it from here: https://t.co/bKR7nrEfW4 It uses the official signature, so you’ll be able to get future update from the Play Store (if it come back to the store)
— Podcast Addict (@PodcastAddict) May 17, 2020
As of now, the app has been suspended from the Play Store with no recourse other than to wait for the results of an appeal. In the meantime, anyone still interested in grabbing the app may download the APK file and sideload it.
Update: Podcast Addict returns
Podcast Addict has returned to the Play Store, with a personal apology from Google’s Hiroshi Lockheimer in tow.
Apologies to Podcast Addict fans today. We are still sorting out kinks in our process as we combat Covid misinformation, but this app should not have been removed. Carry on with your podcasts, folks! ?♂️
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) May 19, 2020
Google nukes all coronavirus Android apps in Play Store
