llm/8d7ff4a1-085d-4b84-a357-52acc95c6355/topic-5-83b04264-a126-49a7-bd82-fc2c85d4c530-input.json
The following is content for you to summarize. Do not respond to the comments—summarize them. <topic> App Store Enforcement # Suggestions that Play Store and App Store should enforce guidelines against notification spam, complaints about lack of enforcement against big players, too-big-to-ban problem </topic> <comments_about_topic> 1. I’m now an iOS user but the problem is actually the same here : apps not respecting communication channels to push ads (mostly to their own app or service). I usually fully block notifications from most apps but for some apps the notifications are really convenient (carpooling, transport or delivery app). Yes I want to know if the train I booked is delayed. No I don’t want to be notified that you are now partnering with another transport company and that you are sharing 5% off coupons to try it… I systematically give a 1 star review explaining the issue and mail the devs if possible. I even think that Apple Store and Play Store ToSs are against this practice but they are not enforcing it sadly… 2. Worse even because iOS doesn't offer notification groups/channels like Android does (ignoring the fact that market leaders like Uber, DoorDash, etc. eschew them in favor of "General" channels they can pump both delivery/ride info and ads through.) IMO this needs to be an app guideline enforced by the iOS App Store and Play Store. I remember back in the day, iOS used to be known for having less spammy notifications. 3. I remember when I first started seeing obvious ads in notifications and assumed Apple would come down hard. I wish I had been right. If any app abuses the notifications at all I turn them all off, that's the only way to stop it. If the notifications are required for the app's operation, well, then I have to delete the app. Society has fucked itself over allowing these to exist. 4. > IMO this needs to be an app guideline enforced by the iOS App Store and Play Store. Yeah, but... money. 5. Maybe this matters at the bottom end of the market, but it's mainly the top players I see take this approach to notifications. DoorDash, Uber, and the social media platforms all have incentive to stay on the official app stores. I expect the bottom end of the market is also dependent on the official app stores to make money. What real alternatives do users have, especially with sideloading on Android now requiring Google bless your APK anyway? (edit: Looks like Google has started to walk this back slightly. Even still. https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/11/android-de... ) 6. The play store should reject apps that use audible notifications other than those controlled by Android platform notification permissions. Making a user dig through an obscure multiple layer settings jungle to track down and kill annoying notifications is a dark pattern and deserves de-platforming. I'm looking at you, Facebook. 7. This problem was supposed to be solved by app stores filtering these apps out. Sadly this does not work 100%. Some apps do this but are too-big-to-ban-from-the-appstore and others point to the first group and scream about selective enforcement. Thank you for providing this extra layer of protection! 8. Imho there are 3 separate classes of notifications 1) Ads - these should not exist, really, or at worst should be flagged in the app store as an anti-feature isolateable from other notifications. 2) "Recommendations" - that is, stuff you didn't subscribe to but are things the app offers that they "think you would like". These are defensible but should never ever be mixed with... 3) Stuff I actually explicitly subscribed to. Breaking these rules should be rejection from the app store. Especially now that Google is legally required to allow 3rd-party app stores, they have much greater grounds to properly curate the Play Store. Let the filth live on 3rd-party stores. 9. This is really great. I chuckled seeing MyGate. I hate that app. My society uses it and I'd need this exactly for it. I hate that Android doesn't force devs to use the right notification category. Apps need to be penalized for not adhering to that. </comments_about_topic> Write a concise, engaging paragraph (3-5 sentences) summarizing the key points and perspectives in these comments about the topic. Focus on the most interesting viewpoints. Do not use bullet points—write flowing prose.
App Store Enforcement # Suggestions that Play Store and App Store should enforce guidelines against notification spam, complaints about lack of enforcement against big players, too-big-to-ban problem
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