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.

sik0fewl,

Hey, it worked for Amazon.

Flax_vert,

Isn’t that normal?

modifier,

Google rocketed past ‘icky’ long ago, around the time they awkwardly removed ‘don’t be evil’ from their motto.

mob,

100% agree that Google is icky/morally corrupt.

But imo, having “don’t be evil” isn’t a great motto even if it was for the most moral company to ever exist. It’s just a really suspicious motto

Imgonnatrythis,

Really? They were evil way before that.

random65837,

It’s not icky for a literal advertising company to advertise, no. Can it be annoying at times, sure. I’m getting more from them than they are me, so I’m good.

But Im not stock and they don’t have their super power over my phone.

ben_dover,

… and they’ve removed all images from the site too 🙈

Mostly_Gristle,

It’s not surprising, that’s how their search engine has worked forever. But yeah, icky is a good word for it.

Akasazh,
@Akasazh@feddit.nl avatar

With that user name I’ll see you as a pro of icky

dopeshark,
@dopeshark@lemmy.world avatar

Always have been

Companion1666,

Play Store doing this since September, at least in my region (SE Asia). If you disabled personalized ads on your Google Account, Play Store homepage displays ads that are frequently installed from your country/state.

Appoxo,
@Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Play Store homepage displays ads that are frequently installed from your country/state.

Speedrun to get spyware.

Companion1666,

Indeed. Most apps I got on the homepage, mostly fast cash lending apps, were developed from China, and then outsourced its customer-based services to my country.

Open_Mike,

Copying Apple then. I wonder who did it first.

Appoxo,
@Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

At this point it’s a circlejerk of who copies the others idea better.

13esq,

Yes.

I don’t mind suggested or even sponsored apps, but trying to get downloads via misclicks is underhanded.

MrStetson,
@MrStetson@suppo.fi avatar

Almost all ads are icky

Alexstarfire,

The layout is very confusing. It makes it look like Excel is also an ad.

I’m glad I basically never use the play store.

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