Do we need the App Police?

[rmadler]

I love the fact that the Market is open and anyone can create an App for Android phones. The problem is that not all developers are proficient enough to create well behaved Apps. Most problems that we are having with Android phones are caused by Apps not playing well with others not the Android operating system itself. We need to put more comments into the market when we discover problems with apps. I would prefer this instead of having Google become the App Police like Apple. It is difficult to determine which app is at fault when a problem occurs. For instance, why do some people have so much trouble answering their phone on the Droid using the slider. Some point to Handscent others point to other apps. How can we determine which app is at fault other than resetting the phone to Factory settings and starting over one app at a time? Seems a bit tedious. What do you think should be done?

 

[The_Chief]

With 64,963 apps in the market (and by the time you read this, it'll be more), I can't see a way for a developer to make sure their app is compatible with ALL of them. Testing would take years, and I don't think Google would be able to green-light any apps if 100% compatibility were mandated. I guess it's probably going to remain a hit-or-miss issue for those Droids having compatibility issues.

OMG, 500 posts! I'm so OLD!

 

[rmadler]

I agree with your premise that there are too many apps to test against but there should be programming standards that could be examined and an app could get the "Good Housekeeping" seal of approval if it conforms to these standards. This would ensure that most programs will be well behaved. But we have to do our part as well to put comments in the market when we find problems with apps.

 

[Lock-N-Load]

that is why it is important for us to rate all apps we try and use. the ratings steer me towards and away from apps.

 

[goldrush28]

I agree. Do your due diligence. Read the reviews from other people. If you don't like what the app does tell the writer and delete it. When you download an app you're not stuck with it.

 

[Highland Ranger]

Maybe some voluntary code review or standards of some sort giving the developer a cert for their app.

But agreed - ultimately its the user ratings that will show the score.

My only gripe is all the crap porn in the new arrivals section. I'd like a way to browse that section sans the porn.

 

[Lock-N-Load]

I would much rather have Devs that are crappy BUT many that are good that can get apps added quick than start to have some sort of cert or developer hoops to jump through like Apple does. The crappy devs will get weeded out as no one try's their apps or the ratings are so bad, they just go away. the easier and open it is for devs to get on, the better for us all.

 

[snapcase]

Maybe some voluntary code review or standards of some sort giving the developer a cert for their app.

That's what I was thinking. A dev community for peer review. Try to make apps play nice, and maybe even have some folks review apps suspected of being malicious.

 

[wmtoandroid]

What the Android Market needs is a filtering system that allows users to selectively filter out apps by certain criteria. For example, if I wanted to only see apps that have an average rating of 4 stars or more, I should be able to do that.

I think it's fair to say that bad apps are often rated as bad, so being able to filter those apps would be nice.

 

[RichSz]

I think there should be a filtering and approval process BUT it should ONLY ensure the app works and is not malicious. There should NEVER be filtering for content. As long as it doesn't steal your info or infect your phone, it should be allowed.

 

[Android_J]

I would like to see Google set up an app review process that is voluntary. Developers can choose to submit their app or not. This can be another level of quality and security. Unfortunately, I don't think Google wants to take on the responsibility and legal issues associated. I do think that there needs to be some formal security check other than good faith and user votes.

 

[rmadler]

There is a bigger problem which I have not found a solution for.
Since there are apps that are on my phone but not used very often,
it is impossible to tell which app is causing a problem. If my slider wont answer the phone, I am betting it is an app that is causing the problem.
How can we tell which app is causing the problem short of removing all apps and re-installing them one by one? Testing each one before loading the next. Then the problem becomes one of 2 or 3 apps running at the same time causes an unexpected problem. So if you don't know which app is causing you trouble, you may have given that app a 4 or 5 star rating not knowing that it is the culprit. Some people believe Handscent is a problem. Others believe it is not a problem. hmmmm.

 

[Ozymandias88]

If you think about it there are millions of PC apps but no one is wondering why Microsoft isn't stomping around refusing apps. I know its not quite the same as they don't won the biggest store for windows software but still... rating apps, user's supporting users and devs activley maintaining their apps according to user feedback and that's all that's needed.

I still wouldn't mind a more advanced market search

There is a bigger problem which I have not found a solution for.
Since there are apps that are on my phone but not used very often,
it is impossible to tell which app is causing a problem. If my slider wont answer the phone, I am betting it is an app that is causing the problem.
How can we tell which app is causing the problem short of removing all apps and re-installing them one by one? Testing each one before loading the next. Then the problem becomes one of 2 or 3 apps running at the same time causes an unexpected problem. So if you don't know which app is causing you trouble, you may have given that app a 4 or 5 star rating not knowing that it is the culprit. Some people believe Handscent is a problem. Others believe it is not a problem. hmmmm.

You could just force stop the apps most recently installed first unitil it works.

 

[johnrhoward]

I'm fine with Google policing the market like Apple does with the App Store, as long as I can still load apps that I find elsewhere if I want to.

 

[Rob_A]

Maybe just a "Google Seal of Approval" or similar on Apps that are 100% compatible?

And apps without it are "use at your own risk"? /shrug

 

[Super Noob]

I don't want, and hope they don't get an "app police". We don't want Google to block the devs like Apple does. Take the time to read people's reviews on an app before you install it. If you're on a computer, go to AppBrain - the best Android apps and games on the Android market and see what they say also.

As far as Handcent, I wasn't happy with it and ChompSMS works great for me.

 

[Podivin]

I don't want, and hope they don't get an "app police". We don't want Google to block the devs like Apple does. Take the time to read people's reviews on an app before you install it. If you're on a computer, go to AppBrain - the best Android apps and games on the Android market and see what they say also.
.

+1

 

[ExPalm]

What the Android Market needs is a filtering system that allows users to selectively filter out apps by certain criteria. For example, if I wanted to only see apps that have an average rating of 4 stars or more, I should be able to do that.

YES! There is so much absolute garbage in the market that it becomes very difficult to find what you want if you don't know the name.

And, let us EDIT past searches from the history. What's the point of having a search history if you can only do the same search again, with no changes, or type the whole thing over again.

 

[iamfiretruck]

Maybe just a "Google Seal of Approval" or similar on Apps that are 100% compatible?

And apps without it are "use at your own risk"? /shrug

here is a problem with that... big companies would pay more for the google seal. Also some apps work great and get one small patch to fix a new check box feature and it no longer works on some models. "Well it has the seal. WTF GOOGLE."

I think it works fine the way it currently is... My only beef is people who rate things poorLY (edit)

"DIDNT WORK"

Or

"STOLE ALL MY INFORMATION WTF" saw this on titanium backup one time re downloading it... A very well respected program.

Or the trollers who vote 1 star cus it doesnt work on their device....
I wish they would add N/A rating... So if it doesnt work on a device the software doesn't have to take a star hit.

 

[pavirotten]

the ratings steer me towards and away from apps.

Ditto.

 

[Super Noob]

here is a problem with that... big companies would pay more for the google seal. Also some apps work great and get one small patch to fix a new check box feature and it no longer works on some models. "Well it has the seal. WTF GOOGLE."

I think it works fine the way it currently is... My only beef is people who rate things poorLY (edit)

"DIDNT WORK"

Or

"STOLE ALL MY INFORMATION WTF" saw this on titanium backup one time re downloading it... A very well respected program.

Or the trollers who vote 1 star cus it doesnt work on their device....
I wish they would add N/A rating... So if it doesnt work on a device the software doesn't have to take a star hit.

I've seen that before, such as on a Better Keyboard theme. Obviously you would have to have Better Keyboard installed because it doesn't theme the original keyboard.

Rather than have Android police the apps, maybe we need an IQ test to police some Android users.

 

[meyerweb]

There is a bigger problem which I have not found a solution for.
Since there are apps that are on my phone but not used very often,
it is impossible to tell which app is causing a problem. If my slider wont answer the phone, I am betting it is an app that is causing the problem.
How can we tell which app is causing the problem short of removing all apps and re-installing them one by one? Testing each one before loading the next. Then the problem becomes one of 2 or 3 apps running at the same time causes an unexpected problem. So if you don't know which app is causing you trouble, you may have given that app a 4 or 5 star rating not knowing that it is the culprit. Some people believe Handscent is a problem. Others believe it is not a problem. hmmmm.

Welcome to multitasking. It's a wonderful capability, but not without risks. Apple is right about that. Personally, I'd rather have to deal with an occasional conflict than not be able to do real multitasking, as in the iPhone model.

 

[Mr. Incredible]

YES! There is so much absolute garbage in the market that it becomes very difficult to find what you want if you don't know the name.

And, let us EDIT past searches from the history. What's the point of having a search history if you can only do the same search again, with no changes, or type the whole thing over again.

So True. There needs to be more filters also. Sort by Stars plus a minimum number of ratings. I don't want to see 5 star apps with 1 review (from the Dev).

I've actually stopped searching the market, and now just troll Boards for suggestions.

 

[copestag]

I've actually stopped searching the market, and now just troll Boards for suggestions.

dead on with this comment........ I rarely if ever go looking for an app..... I usually see a thread on the boards and say...... hmmm I think I will try that app...... or hmmm now I know not to try that app.......

a little reading goes a long way

 

[Loch]

I would just be happy if I could filter out specific developers. That would whittle down the market listings for me by a huge amount.

So many of the crap spam apps are from a small handful of developers.