What to do if your app was declined on Google Play Store?

If your app lately suffered Google’s lash and got rejected on Play Store, it’s actually not a big problem and can be resolved easily. It happens quite often now-a-days that app declined by Google. The reason behind app rejection might either be that they do not meet the publishing guidelines or they have performance issues. Google has made its approval process for app more strict to offer bug-free apps for the users. Removing such apps from the play store which could damage our smartphones or steal any important data, has somehow benefited us all.

To understand how to resolve this issue, first, let us discuss why it happens in the first place. There are plenty of app rejection reasons which one should keep in their mind before getting them published on Play Store. The apps being declined after so much hard work might be scary for you, but it can be fixed. The discussion below would the do’s and do not’s in case your app declined on Google’s Play store.

Here are the few reasons that may lead to app rejection and the ways to deal with them:

1. Crashing of App

Whenever the users download an app after going through tedious searches on Play Store, they want them to work flawlessly. An app that crashes every now-and-then, might frustrate the users. Google doesn’t allow such apps in its store and thus it becomes one of the basic reasons for the app decline.

How to deal with it?

Try to test your app until you are fully satisfied with its functionality. Make sure that the app is tested as per the guidelines shared by the Play store. Get your app properly functional before publishing it to a website. If your app is already rejected, curb out its technical errors and republish it.

2. Cloning of App

Google follows very strict guidelines against copyright issues. You should be very careful before infringing on them. Your app should not be a cheap imitated version of any popular application. Concept, design or code, your app should be original. Often it happens that we somehow use a trademarked title for our app, knowingly, or by mistake, but this is restricted by Google.

How to deal with it?

If your app gets rejected due to copyright/trademark issue, just review your app title, its description, images and remove all the copyrighted names from them. If you have taken any permission from the owner regarding the same, it will be allowed by Google, prior to proper proof submission.

3. Data Breach

If you don’t want this to happen with you, keep your app enriched with the privacy policies. If your app has already been declined for the same reason, take important measures to remove data breach from it and republish it on the Google Play Store with a new account. (Refer to section 1.2 for the creation of new Google Play account)

How to deal with it?

If you don’t want this to happen with you, keep your app enriched with the privacy policies. If your app has already been declined for the same reason, take important measures to remove data breach from it and republish it on the Google Play Store with a new account. (Refer to section 1.2 for the creation of new Google Play account)

4. Inappropriate App Content

App content should not have any instance of graphic violence, racist comments or sexual content. If there is any kind of mature content available in the description, you should clearly mention at the time of app rating. If you try to hide the fact or consider it less important, you will ultimately find your app in Google’s bin.

How to deal with it?

If your app gets rejected because of inappropriate content, accept the rejection carefully and seriously. Don’t try to repeat it again with other apps linked with your account. Repeated violation of this guideline could get your entire account permanently terminated from Google’s Play Store. For the app which has been already rejected, publish it with a new account and be careful about spamming this time. Keep the address of this account different from the previous one and don’t link both of them in anyway. (Refer to section 1.2 for the creation of new Google Play account)

5. Improper App Rating

Google’s Play Store gives app content rating feature to provide info about what age group is suitable for that app. For this, there is a questionnaire that needs to be filled. On the basis which your app will be rated. You should provide all the correct info about your app and make sure it has been rated correctly for the right audience. Often people try to mislead the moderator with wrong details and ultimately their app gets underrated.

How to deal with it?

Google provides an easy solution for it, by giving you second chance to fill up the questionnaire. You should take this opportunity seriously and provide all the correct information about your app this time and get your app rated correctly on Google’s Play Store. However, if you keep on repeating this mistake, instead of being unrated, your app will be permanently rejected from the store.

6. Design Quality Issues

If your app follows proper design guidelines, you need not worry about the app rejection. Google’s design guidelines describe all the basic principles required for building your app’s UI. Keep your app’s color, fonts and graphics as per the rules and it will be easily published on the Play store or else it will be rejected.

How to deal with it?

If your app gets rejected because of design issues, I would recommend you to invest some money and get your app re-designed as per the shared guidelines. It is the best possible solution available in this scenario.

7. Suspicious Products

If an app tries to pose any type of risk on user’s security, it will be at once rejected by Google. Any type of malware, Trojan horse or other viruses and bugs if found either in-app or linked with app description, Google will catch it.

How to deal with it?

Make sure that every links and ad network used in your app are clean and does not contain any malware issues. If these ads or links are pointing to something suspicious or dangerous content, it violates Google’s guidelines. If your app already got rejected, try to remove all the malware and add a privacy policy with it if any private information is being asked by the user. Publish an app after this with a new account. (Refer to section 1.2 for the creation of new Google Play account)

1.2 How to create a new account on the Google Play Store?

You can easily set up a Google account from your Android device or laptop. Following are the few tips regarding developer account registration:

1. Create a separate Google Account through your device.
2. Make sure this Google account is not personal, keep this account organizational.
3. Review all the developer and seller countries where you can target your audience before going for account creation.

Following are the four simple steps for publishing a new account on the Google Play store:

Step 1: Open Google Play Android Developer Console with the following link:

https://play.google.com/apps/publish

Either log in to an existing Google Account or register a new one through the sign-up option.

Step 2: Enter the following information for your registration –

• Developer name
• E-mail address

Step 3: Read Developer Distribution Agreement of country and accept it. You should keep in mind that apps which are published on Google Play Store must comply with the Developer Policies.

Step 4: Now, in the final step pay developer registration fee using Google Checkout. If you haven’t Google Checkout account just create one with the available option.

Conclusion:

There are various other reasons for app rejections, but the above-discussed one is most basic and often ignored by the developers. Google uses both manual and automated app review system, so, keeping a track of the developer guidelines could save you from the trouble. To make app publishing easier and convenient for you, build it with robust an eCommerce app builder that provides feature loaded fully functional app.

Knowband is providing one such module that can help you create a feature-rich App. We also help you in making the app live on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

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Also Read:

• How to download Android/iOS app from Diawi link
• Alternatives to publishing your android app on Google Play Store
• What to do if your app declined on Apple App Store
• How to save data to Firebase in swift language using iOS?