Google removes ad block apps from the Play Store

The popular Android ad blocker Adblock Plus, AdAway and the widespread AdFree Android fell victim to a Google cleanup last night and are no longer available in the Play Store . As one can see from a press release by the adblock developer, Google argues that these adblocker apps violate the terms of use of the play store.

As the reason for the sudden measure, Google cites a violation of point 4.4 of the Play Store guidelines for app developers with the heading "Forbidden Actions", where it is stated that one app may not intervene in another. Since the removal of advertising from other apps - and thus their manipulation - is the core task of every ad blocker, one can really only be surprised that such apps have ever found their way into the Play Store or were not removed earlier.

The whole thing will certainly cause mixed feelings in some people. On the one hand, advertising can of course be annoying. On the other hand, many users have now come to the conclusion that advertising in apps and on websites is not there to annoy someone or to stuff their pockets. Most site operators and app developers now also know that particularly annoying forms of advertising do not work well for the image of their own offer and keep their hands off flash banners with sound, layer ads and ads in the Android notification bar.

On the other hand, it is not possible to do without advertising: Professional free offers such as androidnext.de are urgently dependent on the funds raised in this way in order to finance themselves and continue to make content available free of charge. To put it bluntly: Without advertising, the Internet would not exist in its current form; if everyone were to use an ad blocker, androidnext could shut down tomorrow. Ad blockers pose a great danger to freely offered content and free apps because they undermine the financing models of the providers - neither calls for donations nor well-intention concepts such as Flatt manage to replace the concept of online advertising. In this respect, we expressly welcome Google's cleanup campaign.