Extension Removed Due to Misunderstanding of Its Description/Functionality
gpt2pdf
Hi Oliver,
Our extension was recently removed from the Chrome Web Store. We received a notice saying that it was removed for violating the “Spam and Placement in the Store” policy.
Item name: GPT to PDF
Item ID: hiiildgldbpfbegcfgemoliikibfhaeh
Violation reference ID: Yellow Nickel
The notice said that we should fix the issue by:
removing excessive keywords from the Chrome Web Store listing;
not publishing an item whose only purpose is to launch another app, extension, theme, or webpage.
We strongly believe this removal was a mistake.
Our extension is a real and useful product. It helps users export ChatGPT conversations into PDF files. It does not contain malware, viruses, harmful behavior, or anything that manipulates Chrome Web Store placement.
We think the issue may be related to the description of the extension.
We prepared a detailed, high-quality description in 50+ languages to clearly explain the functionality for users in different countries. We wanted to describe the product properly and make it understandable for international users.
Maybe this description was misunderstood by the review team.
To check this, we removed all translations and uploaded a very short English-only description consisting of one paragraph. However, after that, we received this reply:
“Given the nature of this violation the item will not be reinstated. For more information, please refer to the Spam section of our Developer Program Policy.”
Case ID: 4-2959000041164
This is very confusing for us, because the original message said that the issue could be fixed.
We also did not receive any clear explanation of what exactly was wrong or what we need to fix. We reviewed the Spam section of the Developer Program Policy, but we still do not see which rule our extension violated.
Even if the issue was the detailed description, we relied on this guidance from the Chrome Web Store Spam FAQ:
“Including more than 5 instances of a single keyword may result in increased scrutiny of your extensions, but will be allowed if its use is considered appropriate and relevant.”
We kindly ask you to review this decision again and restore our extension. If the issue is really connected to the description, we are fully ready to change it and make any required corrections.
We have worked on this extension for more than one year, released dozens of updates, and all of them previously passed Chrome Web Store review.
We have around 100,000 satisfied users. Many of them are grateful for the product, and many also have paid subscriptions. Now they cannot use the extension because it was removed from the store.
It feels possible that the listing text may have been interpreted incorrectly during the review process, possibly by an automated or AI-based review system. We kindly ask you to check this case manually.
If something still needs to be fixed, we are more than willing to do it.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best regards, Ivan
Deco
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gpt2pdf
Hi Deco,
Thank you for your comment.
The meaning of this policy is different. The policy is meant to prevent extensions that only open a website and do not provide any additional value.
Our extension provides a clear additional function: it allows users to export their chat conversation history into a PDF file.
The extension was previously featured by the Chrome Web Store team. It had thousands of users and many positive reviews. Right now, users are writing to us and asking where the project went. If the extension only opened a website and did not provide additional value, users would not leave positive reviews or ask us why the product disappeared.
Also, this is an established product category. There are other similar extensions currently available in the Chrome Web Store, for example:
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/chatgpt-to-word-or-pdf/mjdmggegbkookpcmbdllcnbfboikcbop
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/chatgpt-to-pdf-by-pdfcrow/ccjfggejcoobknjolglgmfhoeneafhhm
We are very concerned because a huge amount of our work on product development and promotion may be lost, and this is also affecting our users.
We will be waiting for a response from Oliver, Patrick, and the official Chrome Web Store team.
Thank you very much in advance.
Regards,
Ivan
gpt2pdf
Hi Oliver and Patrick,
Resolving this issue is very important to us, as users are continuing to contact us and complain that the extension has disappeared from the Chrome Web Store.
We have invested a significant amount of time, effort, and resources into this product over the past year, and we would really not want to lose it due to what may be a misunderstanding or an incorrect review decision.
The extension has around 100,000 users, many of whom rely on it regularly, including paid subscribers. We are fully ready to make any required changes if something still needs to be corrected.
Thank you very much in advance for your help.
Best regards,
Ivan