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[GH-ISSUE #1463] Comply with Google Play Payments Policy; deadline Oct 22, 2025 #1030
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Originally created by @binwiederhier on GitHub (Oct 12, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/1463
The ntfy Android app has been flagged to by Google for violating the Payments Policy. This issue is to track the efforts to avoid ntfy from being removed from Google Play.
Efforts so far, see branch https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy-android/commits/release-1.17.x-donate/:
Timeline:
github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy-android@211e840461) Removing all links to ntfy.sh, docs, bug reporting, and even copy topic address feature) --> ⏳The issue seems to be that external payments are not allowed. All payments must flow through Google Play, and not via GitHub donations and/or ntfy Pro subscriptions.
@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Oct 12, 2025):
My next attempt will be to remove all links to ntfy.sh and github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy from the app, and review all language in the app that suggests paid tiers.
@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Oct 12, 2025):
This removes all links to ntfy.sh and GitHub, and removes the "Copy topic address" feature for Google Play:
github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy-android@211e840461. I'll try to publish this as 1.17.13 (46)The most impactful change in this commit is sadly that topic subscriptions show as "mytopic" instead of "ntfy.sh/mytopic" in the list, because I do not want to have them complain about that.
If this gets accepted, I think I may need to still switch to a Google Play Business developer account and apply for external payments. This constant danger of policy violation isn't sustainable.
@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Oct 13, 2025):
Payments policy
I am reading more about the payment policies. This FAQ question is great:
I think the changes I made in the commit above should be fine. The app seems squeaky clean now. No links or anything. The store listing still mentions ntfy.sh and links to it. I don't know if they will complain about that next.
The external offers program
What they ultimately want is for me to sign up to the external offers program. I am happy to do that, but having only 10 days in total is insane.
Hurdle 1: Make a Google Play Business account
One of the requirements is that your developer account is a business account. Currently the ntfy account is a personal account.
Switching to a Google Play Business account is not straight forward. Instead, it is recommended to create a new Google account, new developer account and then transfer the app over.
I am terrified of getting banned in any of these steps. Google is very trigger happy with new accounts.
Hurdle 2: Sign up and get a external offers program
Once I have a new Google account and ntfy is transferred over , I am back where I am right now: The payments policy is still "violated". As per section 9 of the policy, I need to
I don't exactly know where/how to do that yet, but all that needs to be done in 9 days that remain. Sure. I'm sure that'll work.
@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Oct 13, 2025):
I just realized that the external offers program is only for European users. One of the requirements (the first one) is Limit external offers to users in the EEA., which means (according to ChatGPT and common sense) that
Soooooo, regardless of what I do, I cannot link or imply that there are external offers of any kind anywhere.
Soooooooooo, that means that the entire "make a google play business account, and signing up for the "external offers program" is pointless.
@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Oct 14, 2025):
Google accepted the changes. 🥳 🥳 🥳
@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Oct 14, 2025):
ntfy v1.17.13 (commit 211e84046159ef2aacb0b575d6f210c159cdfa78) is released to open testing (and 0.01% to prod). I will leave that sit for a day and then tag it for F-Droid and make the release official.
@Quantum-Future commented on GitHub (Oct 25, 2025):
Stupid, monopolistic and discriminatory Google rules.
I hate all that Google abusive rules !
I'll never buy anything using PlayStore payments.
@ceskyDJ commented on GitHub (Nov 17, 2025):
Thanks for maintaining this great piece of work! I'm really glad to see this product „on the market“.
This move from Google is really sad. I'm glad for European citizenship, as it gives me at least a little more freedom in these situations, but even here, it's definitely not ideal and pure sunshine.
I know a few apps that have significant differences between builds for various app stores. I had a problem with understanding the cause, but know I get it.
Btw, this could be done only for Google Play build, couldn't it?
@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Nov 17, 2025):
Yes, the Donate button could have been done only for Google Play. I actually did that in the beginning, but then Google still complained about things and I didn't know if they are looking for things in the code or apk resources, so I removed it entirely. I could re-add it, but honestly, it's fine :-D