Google suspending apps based on repetitive content

Hi, my name is Michael Barton and I work with Pioneer Bible Translators East Africa Branch.

Last week 4 of our 15 SAB apps were suspended (updates weren’t rejected but previously approved apps were suspended) from the Google Play Store based on their repetitive content policy. Basically they said, “Please note that we don’t allow creating multiple apps with highly similar functionality, content, and user experience. If these apps are each small in content volume, developers should consider creating a single app that aggregates all the content.”

An appeal to these suspensions has already been rejected. Now I am preparing a longer response to their support team, but that is still in process.

In the coming weeks I will be trying the following:

  • multiple book collections (i.e. at least one other translation in a different language).
  • verse on image
  • verse of the day
  • redesigning app icons
  • changing app names to begin with the language name instead of Biblia or similar words
  • perhaps having a developer account for each language community would show higher ownership in the publication of their Scripture?

Has anyone else encountered suspensions like these? Did you find anything that worked? If I find things that work, I will post them on this thread for posterity.

Are you apps same/similar languages?

I had two apps suspended a month ago.
App#1) was single script of language A
App#2) was created a year later and was a di-script for the same language
I had planned to eventually disable App#1.

They listened to my appeal and turned on App#1. Even though I had asked for them to re-eneable App#2. So I basically replaced App#1 with App#2, they seemed ok with the final result.

Thanks for your response Mike. These are not for the same language.