Google Play Store no longer supports apps that have "Cardboard" in their titles. This follows the companies' efforts to raise sales of its native Cardboard VR app.
App producers started receiving emails that informed them about Play Store's decision to no longer accept their VR apps. According to the motivation from Google Play Store, the apps were banned because they violated the Content Policy referring to spam. The provision specifically aims to eliminate apps that present recurrent content or that use false, irrelevant or superfluous keywords in their metadata, titles or descriptions.
Some of the affected applications are Cardboard Catapult, Cardboard Theater and Cardboard VNC.
"I'm guessing they don't want me to start the app name with Cardboard," the developer of Cardboard VNC stated.
"At the same time 'Cardboard Theater' which is a very well known movie player app is in the Play Store," he notices. The Cardboard Theater app has since changed its name to VR Theater for Cardboard.
He goes further and affirms that he plans to rename the app into 'VNC Client for Cardboard.' Avoiding a "strike against the good standing of my developer account" is important to the Cardboard VNC representative, who says he considers abandoning the app altogether. It all depends on the feedback and input from the community, he adds.
A search conducted by the IBTimes UK demonstrates that every third-party app containing the word "Cardboard" in the title or description has been deleted from the Play Store.
Google showcased and marketed Cardboard as a poor man's alternative to the Oculus Rift headset. One essential difference between the high tech VR headsets from Facebook or Samsung and Google Cardboard is that the latter is manufactured from an eco-friendly cardboard material. Also, its functionality allows it to play well with many devices, be it Android or iOS.
The Cardboard VR headset uses the mobile phones as screens, and anyone can get an assembly kit and instructions for it online.
Earlier in 2015, Google released a "Works with Cardboard" badge of trust for third-party hardware. It's possible that Google could also start to go after hardware manufacturers that make too liberal use of the Cardboard trademark.
A Google spokesperson was not immediately available for comment on the development.
The original Google gadget can be purchased in over 100 countries and the number of Cardboard-ready apps installed raises to 15 million.
