The CyanogenMod app hit Google Play in mid-November but failed to last in the store for even a month as Google has asked its developers to remove the app.
On Tuesday, November 12, Cyanogen Inc., the company behind the alternate Android firmware, confirmed a worldwide release of the CyanogenMod Installer on Google Play. However, on Wednesday, November 27, Google asked the company to pull back the app.
A CyanogenMod blog indicates that the app was in violation of Google Play's developer terms and the company was asked to remove the app voluntarily or else the Play store would take it off administratively. CyanogenMod has removed the app from the Google Play store and is now waiting for a favorable resolution from Google to make the app live again.
CyanogenMod is said to be used by over 9 million registered users and the new installer "opens the door for more people to harness the full potential of their Android devices."
The blog post also points out that CyanogenMod has contacted the Google Play store which replied that even though the CyanogenMod Installer app itself was harmless, it encourages users to void the warranty of their Android device. As such, the app is not allowed to stay in the Google Play store.
However, the app developer suggests that thousands of users have actually installed the app, which means that Android device owners are looking for an alternate Android experience. The CyanogenMod Installer app may have been taken off from Google Play store, but users can still download it from the company's own website.
"Fortunately, Android is open enough that devices allow for installing applications via 'Unknown Sources' (ie sideload). Though it's a hassle and adds steps to the process, this does allow us a path forward, outside of the Play Store itself," notes the blog post.
The CyanogenMod team is also said to be approaching alternative app stores such as Samsung and Amazon from where customers can install the app.
