10 Android Apps That Have Been Banned

Unlike the Apple App Store, the Android Market doesn’t have an approval process in place for developers of third-party apps. However, there are still times when the Google higher-ups opt to ban an application. In light of a recent developer’s decision to create what he calls “a black market app store” to house these banned applications, here is a list of the ten most notorious black-listed Android apps.

1. SpoofApp – Google nixed SpoofApp due to concerns about it’s potential use for illegal or nefarious reasons after more than two years in the Market. Officially, SpoofApp was banned in compliance with the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009, which made using caller ID spoofing software with the intent to “defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value” illegal.
2. Vintage Video Game Emulators – PSX4Droid, Homebrew and other classic video game emulators have found themselves in a tug-of-war with Google over the years. PSX4Droid was both banned and reinstated within the same year, leading users to speculate that the Android Market bowed to pressure from video game console manufacturers.
3. Secret SMS Replicator – Apps designed to snoop or spy are much more likely to be canned by the Android Marketplace; such is the case with the Secret SMS Replicator app. Once installed on an unsuspecting user’s Android device, the program runs undetectably in the background, where it quietly sends copies of each text message received by that device to a specified location.
4. Grooveshark – When the streaming music service Grooveshark was kicked out of the Android Market in 2011 due to an RIAA complaint made to Google, developers scrambled to be reinstated. Claiming full compliance with all DMCA requests, Grooveshark has struggled valiantly to make their way back into the Android Market.
5. Unicorn Dash – Cable station Cartoon Network launched a campaign to have app Unicorn Dash removed from the Market on infringement grounds, stating that the similarities to their game, Robot Unicorn Attack, were too great. The television network celebrated a short-lived victory, but the Unicorn Dash app was ultimately reinstated.
6. DroidDream – Malware disguised as legitimate apps such as DroidDream were pulled from the Market in 2011, when Google learned that these programs were quietly stealing large amounts of personal data.
7. Kongregate – The Flash game supporter Kongregate was yanked from the Android Market in 2011, stating that the app was in violation of a policy prohibiting applications from downloading other programs. Developers were outraged, but Google refused to relent. The app is now only available directly through the company.
8. Visual Voice Mail – The Visual Voice Mail app was one of the Android Market’s more popular offerings before it was unceremoniously dumped in 2011. Developers and users speculate that the cause was a refusal to utilize Google’s Checkout service; though the application was free, users did have the option to pay for upgrades and exclusive services.
9. Advanced Currency Converter – This benign, seemingly utilitarian app was pulled from the Android Market upon discovery that it, along with many other applications from the same developer, contained information-collecting malware.
10. App Uninstaller – Though AppUninstaller appeared to be a simple application to clear unwanted apps from an Android device, it was actually a cover for malware that gained root access to devices. Instead of clearing harmful or unwanted apps from the device, as advertised, AppUninstaller covertly downloaded more code and collected sensitive information. More than 50,000 of these malware-containing apps were downloaded by users before the problem was detected.

Taken From Wireless Internet Reviews