Google removes Slide for Reddit app from Play Store ‘because of impersonation’

The Slide for Reddit app has been banned from the Google Play Store for allegedly violating Google’s impersonation policy. The developer thinks that Google’s automatic processes thought the app was imitating Reddit.

At the time of writing, the Google Play Store listing for Slide for Reddit is inaccessible. In a Reddit post, developer Carlos Crane writes that bots were responsible for this. Crane says he is working with Google to solve the problem. He gives more information to Android Police and says he was told that the Slide for Reddit app violated the impersonation policy.

Slide for Reddit is an open source Reddit client. Therefore, it is obvious that his app may somewhat resemble the official Reddit app. The developer states that he has not changed the app name and description in the past four years. It is unknown if Reddit itself contacted Google about removing the app.

This isn’t the first time Slide for Reddit has been pulled from the Play Store. In February, Google also removed the app from the Play Store, Android Police writes. After two weeks, the app was made available again. At the time, Google said the problem was with a screenshot in the Store. The title of an NBC News article about IS was shown there. This would not fit the US 17+ age rating that the Slide for Reddit app showed, but require an 18+ rating. This while the Reddit app was allowed to show a 17+ age rating at the time.