Does Google Inserting Deceptively Placed Ads in the Play Store seem icky to anyone else?

They’ve started inserting a subtle ad as the first result instead of the actual app you’re searching for.

This has to have been a change over the last month or two I feel like?

I’m having to reprogram myself to view the first result as irrelevant. Really makes me want to increase the F-Droid alternatives that I use.

alphapuggle,

Ads in any kind of app store search should SUPER NOT BE ALLOWED. Microsoft does it, Google does it, even the Apple app store has it. I don’t want my grandma to be looking for her bank app and download Fast Cash Transfer Free 2024 Edition instead

soggy_kitty,

Omg if you search for Barclays or NatWest you get other apps as the first result.

What options do I have to stop this shit?

alphapuggle,
Scrollone,

Good luck finding your banking app there.

obinice,
@obinice@lemmy.world avatar

I don’t mind it so much as it makes it hard to find the actual application I’m looking for most of the time. Your case here is a perfect example of this.

Google has done crappy “suggested results” for so many years now that I automatically ignore the top results from any Google search, so all this does is make it harder to find things :-(

xantoxis,

I mean, it’s literally a store, this is not a space where you’ll be free from ads.

I’m going with–not in the top 10 of terrible things Google is doing lately.

But sure, ok, it sucks.

Inept,

TBH, Google itself is kinda “icky” and has been for awhile.

Not_Alec_Baldwin,

Don’t be evil.

robbankz,

since they were manifested they been icky

shym3q,
@shym3q@programming.dev avatar

Aurora Store works like a charm without ads or tracking.

dynamojoe,

It’s about as icky as looking at my bank account and my bank highlighting a transfer to an investment house and suggesting its’ own in the same line.

robinj1995,

Please tell me this is in the US

lazynooblet,
@lazynooblet@lazysoci.al avatar

Probably easier to tell if there were images. Why are they missing

Polar,

Also pretty easy to tell by the large, bolded, SPONSORED text on the top left.

Especially since English is read top left to bottom right.

I’m all for calling out shit, but this can’t really be more obvious.

jawa21,

I have no idea why you are being downvoted. It isn’t even deceptive as the post implies. Scummy? 1000%. Deceptive? No.

eskimofry,

You sound awfully like a google lawyer.

Polar,

You should awfully like someone who can’t read and blames others for their own mistakes.

macattack,

As someone mentioned earlier, it’s a dark pattern, which is inherently deceptive. It’s the same as if an app creator moved the order of the Accept/Decline buttons suddenly to get more people to unintentionally enroll in subscriptions

Polar,

Read. Use your fucking brain and read. Don’t make excuses for not fucking reading.

Polar,

Because Lemmy is full of insufferable entitled assholes.

eskimofry,

Nobody fucking reads text. Its muscle memory. Google trained people to expect the correct result. It’s fucking bullshit that people like you point out “iT SaYs SpONsorED!”

Polar,

Then it sounds like a you problem…

XbSuper,

It clearly says sponsored, so not really no.

eskimofry,

deleted_by_moderator

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  • XbSuper,

    What? When did law get brought into this? Lemmy is weird.

    Polar,

    Lemmy users are so fucking annoying. All of the shitty people from Reddit moved here.

    eskimofry,

    You and the moron who thinks that when some one talks about a comment that feels like it came from a google lawyer also sound like you came from reddit.

    eskimofry,

    Lawyer != law. In my mind, this comment just sounded like it came from a nitpicky lawyer representing google.

    Exusgu,

    I’ve clicked the “install” button on the ad by accident, more than once. The ad precedes an exact match, super dark pattern.

    LemmyIsFantastic,

    I always imagine you people as the boomers on infomercials. Accidentally clicking shit, installing zero days from random sources, and just heavily fighting to practice cyber hygiene with commission unsuccessful results.

    8rhn6t6s,

    As a person that has a muscle memory for pressing the first row. I disagree with you here. I had to relearn pressing the actual app. For iOS I do not have this issue even though they also practice this as I had no muscle memory since I rarely use iPhone.

    Exusgu,

    “You people”, very kind. As if people doing things on autopilot isn’t universal and implementations like these aren’t meant to trigger that exact thing. Read up on UX, and implementations of dark patterns. Perhaps have an attempt at empathy too.

    “People like you” make the internet such a bad place sometimes. Generalizing, exaggerating, calling names…

    macattack,

    Yeah that’s the part that is frustrating. It’s such an aggressive implementation of a dark pattern knowing the users muscle memory. It’s akin to suddenly switching the placement of ‘Accept’/‘Decline’ after years of being in the same place.

    What surprises me is that it feels more like a money grab from a struggling app than the company in charge of ads across a large percentage of the world.

    moldyringwald,
    @moldyringwald@lemmy.world avatar

    Yeah I think it’s pretty wack. If I search doordash then Uber eats will be the first result or if I search Uber eats then doordash will be the first result lol the ads are getting so extreme it pretty much evens out in the end and it’s all completely pointless aside from making everything more annoying for the user

    IamAnonymous,

    Same thing on iOS. I just search for the app on the browser so it takes me directly to the app without these ads.

    derpgon, (edited )

    Remember, the end user is always the one paying for the ads. Either by the company making you pay more for their products (Apple) or taking bigger cuts from whatever they mediate (Uber, Doordash).

    Kase,

    You’re telling me that not only am I seeing the ads, but I’m also paying for them??? I think I’m gonna be sick, how do I get off this ride 😭

    derpgon,

    If you buying their products or paying for their services - absolutely yes. If you are just seeing them, then it’s free 🤣

    But, seriously - uBlock Origin, AdGuard, PiHole, use FOSS, buy brands that do not advertise (or do not advertise as much), use services that are known because they are good, not because they advertise themselves.

    It’s not feasible or possible to 100% this, let’s be real, but partially possible and helps fbe whole picture.

    N4CHEM,

    makes me want to increase the F-Droid alternatives that I use

    Just go this way, and if you’re fed up with the Play Store switch to Aurora Store: same apps, no ads.

    13esq, (edited )

    Can you link it please?

    Edit: got it now and it looks great! Thanks to all those who linked.

    xrtxn,
    Rocketpoweredgorilla,
    @Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca avatar
    AtmaJnana,

    that

    Justly0250,
    @Justly0250@lemdro.id avatar
    miss_brainfart,
    @miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml avatar

    And/or set up something like Obtainium for those apps you can pull directly from their source.

    Gets you updates a lot faster, too

    helenslunch,

    I dunno how anyone uses Aurora Store. Every time I try it says I’m rate limited or just has a permanent loading icon.

    AeroLemming,

    I have never seen that once.

    N4CHEM,

    It had problems with the rate limited accounts for the last months, but I think they’re fixed now. I haven’t had any problem in the last weeks. If you keep getting these messages I’d recommend clearing app data and starting a new anonymous login session.

    macattack,

    I definitely didn’t know about Aurora store until this post. Currently have it downloaded on my tablet and phone now, thanks for the great advice!

    spader312,

    This has always been the case in Google search (you know the search engine Google started with as a company). Drove me crazy when I would see an old person click the AD link instead of the actual search result

    Not_Alec_Baldwin,

    It’s not a subtle ad. Google has sold the top slots of your search to companies in exchange for money.

    When your search for “Excel”, Google doesn’t try to find you the most relevant result. They find you the highest paying ad, and then what you’re searching for.

    bigdog_00,

    Use the Aurora Store!

    macattack,

    I have a new convert now, thanks for the suggestion!

    netchami,

    You can use the Aurora Store, it’s basically the Google Play store but without the annoying ads.

    Mojojojo1993,

    How legit is it ?

    netchami,

    It pulls everything (apps, metadata, search results, etc.) directly from Google Play. It’s entirely free and open source and recommended by almost everyone in the Android and privacy community, so yes, it’s definitely legit.

    Mojojojo1993,

    Sweet so use that over Google play? Why isn’t it used instead of gapps and such

    netchami,

    Yeah. Some Android Custom ROMs ship Aurora instead of the Play Store. I try to get all of my apps from F-Droid, but when something isn’t available there and I can’t get it through Obtanium, I go with Aurora.

    Mojojojo1993,

    Can you use F-Droid without root ?

    netchami,

    Yes you can

    thisisnotgoingwell,

    Thanks, just downloaded it.

    macattack,

    Thanks to the suggestions in this thread, I started using it today and it’s amazing! Thanks for the recommendation.

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