Physical contact adress on Google Play

Android Android Development
21

I don’t remember seeing this in alerts etc. … and was not aware of this until I saw this forum thread.

The Google Developer Console announcements icon - however is showing this message:

Add a physical contact address Beginning September 30, 2014, you need to add a physical address to your Settings page. After you’ve added an address, it will be available on your app’s detail page to all users on Google Play. If your physical address changes, make sure to update your information on your Settings page.

If you have paid apps or apps with in-app purchases, it’s mandatory to provide a physical address where you can be contacted. If you don’t provide a physical address on your account, it may result in your apps being removed from the Play Store.

Here’s an androidpolice.com article about the irritating effect of this on developers:

Google Will Now Require All App Publishers With Paid Apps Or In-App Purchases To Have An Address On File And Displayed Publicly In Google Play
Google Will Now Require All App Publishers With Paid Apps Or In-App Purchases To Have An Address On File And Displayed Publicly In Google Play
Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Development, Games, News

Currently I am only distributing free apps (cannot sell paid apps yet from current developer location).

In Settings I cannot see a place where a physical address is visible (or can be entered). Although I DO know I did have to have identity verified when I signed up for Google Play developer account (or was that Admob). In any case, I currently cannot see a place where physical address is visible in Google Developer Console.

Looking at the LANGUAGE of the Google announcement above however - notice one thing it says about the physical address is that it is MANDATORY if you sell paid apps or use in-app purchases. However it DOES NOT say it is mandatory for free app developers ! With that in mind if you re-read the first sentence it COULD be interpreted to mean that Google is saying that you CAN add a physical address (for your user’s information) - although the phrasing “you need to add a physical address” does suggest there maybe some coersion involved (even for free app developers).

Already I cannot sell paid apps on Android. If Google is going to be making life more difficult still, I may have to seriously think about forgetting about exploring iOS development (which I have been postponing).

On the other hand for iOS App Store - you need to provide your REAL name (or if you have a business then you can use that name) - so it is worse in that respect on Apple App Store. Although I don’t think the Apple App Store reveals the developer address (which for individual developers is often the home address). If you publish an app that works badly you could have pissed off users throwing stones through your home windows! So revealing developer home addresses is opening up a SERIOUS threat to developers.

22

A ton of comments in that androidpolice.com article - from users and developers - generally all finding the address-reveal stuff a privacy breach for developers working at home - with families whose safety could be compromised because of some one in a million errant user (since apps CAN have millions of users - the likelihood increases of a cranky one-in-a-million user threatening a developer).

23

Serious, I only have some Iap item and don’t have any paid app.
It only generate small money. If i remove all iap, it’s not the problem.

But Google don’t provide more info. If i remove all iap it safe when i am not provide physical address?
Google will verify this address like new admob?

I don’t know why Google force us to provide real address in public (like company), if they want to protect user, just display it to who purchase paid app or iap item.

24

I think it’s so funny, google cannot keep away push notification apps or paypal apps from market and they will check 100k+ developers physical adresses? Good joke, but worth to buy some accounts before 30 September.

25

Welcome back after long long pause in your dev activity:P hahhaa:D
New account will give you nothing… It’s only for IAP and paid apps. And if you will now create an account - you have to give them contact later, no metter when you were registered

26

Unlike Apple App Store - on Google Play if Google is burdening developers with all that VAT/tax stuff (one-by-one by country etc.) - as Google acts as if it it not the seller (how do they manage that when it is THEM who are charging the money from the user).

And if Google is now going to offload the responsibility for checking developer behavior - by revealing personal details about developers to users (so developers can face the wrath of users).

Then why not allow developers to do whatever they please - to charge using credit cards directly from app - and all that stuff. And to use push notifications etc. - IF Google is going to be offloading the responsibility for checking out developer credentials to users directly.

Now contrast this with how Google ITSELF likes to present itself to users - just HOW contactable is Google (not just by users but by developers even). HOW present is Google for users or for developers ?

Perhaps the Google Play store has gotten big enough now that Google doesn’t “need” developers - and doesn’t need to kowtow to the whims of “individual developers” now. Now that they have their Clash of Clans etc. and the multi-million dollar apps (which are responsible for the BULK of the revenue for Google). So has the “long tail” experiment failed ? (the “long tail” Google was so good at - or championed - i.e. using the power of automation/computers to make the “long tail” viable for business etc.).

27

Money is money :wink:

For me this case is a joke, I hope it’s only for IAP and paid apps because there is no way to control 100k+ developers if adress isn’t fake. Cost is too big, send a letter to many countries, build verification system and send more, more and more letters if somebody want new account. I think it’s only for VAT purpose. Spam devs are safe for now and I have solution, always can hire some man on ebay/allegro to receive letter for 50 pln (10$), so account can cost me 35$ not 25$, easy.

28

Well, you can find it over your profile settings page, I can’t share the screenshots because it may effect my privacy but I would just say look closely its available over there !

29

Additionally Google will state the price range of IAP items on the app page. I don’t like this change either since I always have very pricy items not needed in the game but aimed at people who buy anything they can.

30
  • No, you’re right, sorry about that. I looked through some order receipts and all you can see is a contact link which routes you into Google Wallet from where you can email the vendor. I think I was mixing it up with the partial customer addresses you see in orders in Google Wallet.

BTW I got a lame stock reply from Google in response to my complaint:

Thanks for contacting Google Play Developer Support.

As of September 30, 2014, we are implementing a number of new changes to how apps are listed and displayed on Google Play, in accordance with consumer protection laws and current best-practices, ensuring a more transparent and positive experience for users. They include:

  • We are requiring developers to provide a physical address for all paid apps or apps that enable in-app purchases. The address will be displayed to users in the app store listing page. By September 30, 2014, you’ll be able to add a physical address by going to your Settings page on the Developer Console (Google Play for business | Launch & monetize your apps | Google Play Console). Please comply within 30 days of the warning notification on the developer console. If you do not provide an address within this period, Google may take action affecting your account. This may include restricting your ability to update apps or publish new apps. Continued failure to provide an address may result in published apps being removed from the store.
  • We will display the price ranges for apps that offer in-app purchases and/or subscriptions on the app’s store listing page.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions and I’ll be happy to help.

Hmm, looks like they’re watered it down a bit: "Continued failure to provide an address may result in published apps being removed from the store. " Let’s keep up the pressure on them to water it down even more, or better still, abandon this new requirement of theirs!

I haven’t responded to them yet; will ponder my next step…

31

@Thrips - it turns out you were right. :slight_smile: You can see the developer address in Google Wallet, but it’s not easy to find (its on the right side of the screen when you click your order, at the bottom of the view).

32

Hmm, I can’t find any such address but maybe you’re in a different country to me (the UK) and different rules apply there?

33

Go to https://wallet.google.com and click on an order. In my browser a new pane apears on the right side where there are order details and “Purchased from” information that contains address.

34

You’re right. Before I had been going to the Google Wallet - Merchant Center (https://wallet.google.com/merchant/) which lists Orders on the left-hand-side. These are the sales I made through my app and show the customer’s address. Whereas any purchases I make as an individual are listed in Google Wallet (not Merchant Center) under Transactions, and they do show my address (and telephone number!) in test purchases I’ve made through my app. So yes, customers will see your address when they make purchases.

BTW I replied to Google yesterday, asking them to elaborate on what exactly they mean by ‘physical address’ and imploring them to change or relax their policy for indie developers who don’t have a company and only their home address. No reply yet. If they don’t change their policy I’m hoping I’ll be able to get away with something like ‘Private home address’ in the address field…

35

I wonder the way Google is behaving with poor developers(migration to new admob, migration to google-play-services), very soon they might demand our GPS latitudes and longitudes with 5 meter accuracy. In case if few stupid users cannot locate you from your address,they can use our GPS location to make sure our so called phydical location and ask for refund because they have enjoyed the app/game completely and want to purchase new game with that money.

After this Google must demand that we should attach one google street view clip showing driving straight to our home.

Bastar*s !!!

36

Hey guys, I don’t have this option yet, but since all my apps are free and I don’t have IAP, I guess I won’t need to provide my physical address, according to some news articles on the net. Do I understand this correctly?

37

Yes. Its only for paid Apps

38

On my Google Developer Console - when I click on the gear icon on left side (for Settings) - and click on the Account Details - all I see are:
Developer name
E-mail
Website
Phone number

At the bottom is the Merchant Account section - which is greyed out - since Merchant Accounts are not allowed yet for my developer location.

So from the looks of it - either:

  • Google will be adding an “address” section to the sections that are visible (i.e. they haven’t added yet)
  • OR the address section will ONLY appear in the Merchant Account section
39

In Google Wallet for Merchants there is a spot a settings tab labeled “Public Profile” where the address goes

40

Hello,

Those changes are required by “EU Consumer Protection Law and Information Obligations”.

Ebay require such information too.
EU Consumer Protection Law and Information Obligations_Update_eBay Southeast Asia

Some quotes:

Under EU consumer protection law, business sellers who sell items over the internet to consumers must provide their customers with information about their business, their contact details and provide further details that may be important to complete the transaction prior to the conclusion of the contract.

Please note that eBay reserves the right to delete or block certain listings, which appear to not meet statutory requirements for online B2C Sale. This might especially apply to possible cases of invalid notifications about the consumer’s withdrawal rights.

Unfortunately Google can’t do anything about it. If you don’t want to provide your adress, you probably could stop selling aps to EU. Theoretically then you don’t break any law, so Google shouldn’t ban you. But it’s Google - who knows.

And now, worst information to anyone who thought about PO boxes.

As a business seller you have to provide the following information in a clear and comprehensible manner in all your listings:

  1. Contact details
    […]
    the geographic address of the company (a PO Box is not sufficient)
    […]