Google Play Publisher account has been terminated

in the past I have read on this forum stories from developpers who lost their developper account.
I was scared about that. So, Another story… sadly this is my story:

I receive this morning the Feared “This is a notification that your Google Play Publisher account has been terminated.

i received previously 3 mails (2minutes gap between emails) regarding 3 different apps with the same strike:

After review, APPNAME, PACKAGENAME, has been suspended and removed from Google Play as a policy strike because it violates the malicious behavior policy.
We determined that this app is promoted as a means of carrying out spying or surreptitious tracking of others.

Those old apps no more maintained since 3 years were Audio Recorder applications… you know record your voice, pause, restart, silence detection… why 3 apps with the same
topic? because i had “PRO versions” that were paid apps and a free light version. (because it was before appearance of inApp purchase).

So why it violates the malicious behavior policy ? because i had a functionnality wich can record audio without notification badly named the “Spy Mode”. So the 3 apps are suspended
for that reason. It was only a functionnality among 20 others, “spying” was not the main goal of the applications… only audio recorder; users were asking for such functionnality so i made it.
I know already that some of you will say: did you read the ToS, the guidelines?? yes i do… but since i forgot that i had this functionnality (it was 4 years ago…) and i had 20 other apps and some
of them had success… i was not focused on my old audio recorder application… too bad

2 hours later, i received a last email telling that my Google Play Publisher account has been terminated due to Multiple violations.

I’m shocked, confused and obviously sad… it was my full time job. I lost everything with 1 mail
i filled an appeal without any hope…

i can feel the inhumanity of the bot just because I am a human and I can feel the pain

Lately they have real people answering Appeal requests at least… I hope they can review your case and maybe consider it as a single strike (as they were free/pro version of the same App) and so reinstate your Account.

So sad, share the pain with you.

That’s why I unpublish all of my low-income apps, some of them may have problems. If someday they were suspended, your entire account (with other successful apps) will be at risk.

thanks guys,

it helps to share my story and find empathy…

Write them a detailed and very professional appeal.
Specially not the one you wrote here.

If you are telling them it was 4 years ago etc.
They will simply tell you to go fùck yourself and learn from your mistakes.

Be as much sorry as possible.
Make sure to be ready to remove all bad functions from your apps.
It will be even better if you remove them right now before making the appeal.
Remove the recording function, compile your app and attach the apk to the appeal.

Pray that they will accept which I doubt that.
Go try this and let us know.

Almost everybody in this forum has been there at least once.
You are not in this alone.

Best of luck body.

Once the app is suspended, the developer couldn’t update the app. Also in the appeal form, there isn’t any way to attach APK, only documents to prove copyright.

Try appeal for each case, so you can appeal for 3 times. If you get back any one of them, you can get back your account.

I can understand your pain right now bro because I used to experience this sh*t from Google. It is very risky.

Thank you all!

There is a life after you get banned? i mean what must i do next?
recreate another company but with the same products?

thanks for your advices

Create 50 accounts…and spam :smiley: ban will stay with you forever

Google has terminated my account .
I tried to create a new account , but received a message " transaction failed because of high risk " , I can not buy a new account , although I have used many visas and other email
Please help me.
I need new Account :frowning:

Google has terminated my account .
I tried to create a new account , but received a message " transaction failed because of high risk " , I can not buy a new account , although I have used many visas and other email
Please help me, i need buy new Account

Rename your app package and modify the code you are getting trouble with and change the game graphics and upload with a new account…stay hopeful …:slight_smile:

Some news,

The appeal has been accepted, i received an email telling me that my account has been re-enabled.
But 13 hours after i received this email, i still can’t connect to my developper account. Maybe it takes some times
to get it back…

Congrats :wink:

Yes but still no access to the developer’s console.
I sent again an email to the google play team (in reply to the email received from them telling that my appeal succeed)
telling them that i still can’t connect to the developer console… i received the same message telling that The account in
question has been re-enabled for further use

does anybody know how long does it take ?

Has it been more than 24 to 48 hours?

Congratulations my man :slight_smile:
Happy for you.

Learn from your mistakes now and don’t rely on Google in everything.

Yes… until now, i still don’t have access to my account! 5 days after having received the message that
my account has been re-enabled…

i replied to the google play developer support
explaining the situation and i received what i think is a bot answer… the last one received yesterday advised me
to change my password if i can’t connect to my account… i did but it did’nt changed anything…

I don’t understand, they told me that my account has been re-enabled for further use…

Even worse, i received this morning admob emails telling me that ad diffusion has been suspended in all my
apps due to Google Play suppression.

i try to find a phone number or the chat to get in touch directly with them… but i can’t find anything except forms
to fill

Does anybody have an idea?

What kind of error message you get exactly when you try to log in the Developer Console?
Are your other Apps now visible in Google Play if you search them? and what was their status during the time your account was terminated before you received the “re-enabled” email?