A word of caution to iPhone app and Android app developers
App development is still a pretty big topic, especially with the speculation about T-Mobile and Sprint getting the iPhone 5 in October and the consistent growth of the Android platform. Projections are still solid for the number of smartphones to reach 200 million by the end of this year, with steady growth through 2015.
But, I have a word of caution for any of you considering developing an iPhone app or Android app. And no, I'm not using this to cross promote my WSO.
You know how so many internet marketers got their AdSense account shut down for click bombing or some other violation of the AdSense Terms of Service? Some were legitimately innocent of doing anything, some were black hat. Regardless, when AdSense is judge and jury, your chances of getting your account reinstated are slim to none. But, with internet marketers, you can try to game the system and put AdSense on a different website using your spouse's name or something. It's another violation, but how some IMers got back into AdSense.
What does this mean if you are developing apps? I'm getting there, don't worry.
AdMob is one of the most popular and common advertising platforms for iPhone and Android apps.
Guess who owns AdMob?
Yup - Google.
And, until recently, I never in a million years thought that an iPhone app or Android app using ads from AdMob could possibly violate the Terms of Service - after all, AdMob serves up the ads on your app, if it's an iPhone app, the app must be approved by Apple before it goes live, and the developer has absolutely no control of who buys, downloads, or uses the apps.
BUT, my AdMob account was suspended on Sunday, with as little an explanation as anyone could possibly get. No reason was given, other than invalid activity or something like that.
I do not have AdSense on any websites, and the only way I use AdMob is on a couple of iPhone apps.
I lost a few hundred dollars because of this; as I understand it, any outstanding earnings won't be paid out to me. I can live with that, I guess - I mean, I did appeal the decision, but the likelihood of that being overturned are very low.
So, I consider "failures" or lessons learned on my part as a way to learn, and to maybe help other people from having to lose money the way I did.
Fortunately, I only had a couple of dud apps that I knew I was just using as a test, and had already migrated my other apps to another ad platform, but if you didn't diversify, and had this happen, you could lose thousands of dollars, and have an app that you'd have to revise with another ad platform, and then resubmit.
So, take this as a warning if you want to develop apps. You may have an app with AdMob that never gets looked at, but, just know that the same possibilities of getting your AdSense shut down for websites are also there for apps with AdMob.
But, I have a word of caution for any of you considering developing an iPhone app or Android app. And no, I'm not using this to cross promote my WSO.
You know how so many internet marketers got their AdSense account shut down for click bombing or some other violation of the AdSense Terms of Service? Some were legitimately innocent of doing anything, some were black hat. Regardless, when AdSense is judge and jury, your chances of getting your account reinstated are slim to none. But, with internet marketers, you can try to game the system and put AdSense on a different website using your spouse's name or something. It's another violation, but how some IMers got back into AdSense.
What does this mean if you are developing apps? I'm getting there, don't worry.
AdMob is one of the most popular and common advertising platforms for iPhone and Android apps.
Guess who owns AdMob?
Yup - Google.
And, until recently, I never in a million years thought that an iPhone app or Android app using ads from AdMob could possibly violate the Terms of Service - after all, AdMob serves up the ads on your app, if it's an iPhone app, the app must be approved by Apple before it goes live, and the developer has absolutely no control of who buys, downloads, or uses the apps.
BUT, my AdMob account was suspended on Sunday, with as little an explanation as anyone could possibly get. No reason was given, other than invalid activity or something like that.
I do not have AdSense on any websites, and the only way I use AdMob is on a couple of iPhone apps.
I lost a few hundred dollars because of this; as I understand it, any outstanding earnings won't be paid out to me. I can live with that, I guess - I mean, I did appeal the decision, but the likelihood of that being overturned are very low.
So, I consider "failures" or lessons learned on my part as a way to learn, and to maybe help other people from having to lose money the way I did.
Fortunately, I only had a couple of dud apps that I knew I was just using as a test, and had already migrated my other apps to another ad platform, but if you didn't diversify, and had this happen, you could lose thousands of dollars, and have an app that you'd have to revise with another ad platform, and then resubmit.
So, take this as a warning if you want to develop apps. You may have an app with AdMob that never gets looked at, but, just know that the same possibilities of getting your AdSense shut down for websites are also there for apps with AdMob.