Extension Taken down with Yellow Magnesium Violation

[glr...@gmail.com]

Hello Chromium Extensions,

Our company has a Chrome extension which has been around since 2016. And just this Aug. 11, we found out that it was taken down.

How do I correct this situation? I think it was a mistake that they took down our extension. We would really love to have it re-instated as soon as possible. We have a user base of over 300k people.

I would appreciate any assistance you can extend me and my team.

Thank you.

[glr...@gmail.com]

Sorry for having to CC you Simeon. But I would love your help and advice right now. 

Thank you.

[Vishnu NUK]

Did you read this?

Functionality not working

Corresponds to notification ID: Yellow Magnesium

This section explains discusses extensions that are in violation of the following section of the Chrome Web Store developer program policies:

Spam & Placement in the Store

Functionality: Do not post an extension with a single purpose of installing or launching another
app, theme, webpage, or extension. Extensions with broken functionality - such as dead sites or
non-functioning features - are not allowed.

This policy is to ensure quality of the products on the Chrome Web Store.

[glr...@gmail.com]

Hello narayanann,

Yes I did. 

Our extension works only for (1) non-GMail accounts but are GSuite Domains and (2) if they have an active account with our company. This is the reason why our extension is unlisted, inaccessible to those who don't have the link.

Point being, our extension will not work if you don't have the 2 items I have listed above. I have explained this before with them during our OAuth Scope verification discussion. 

I just hope to talk with them so that we can fix this issue.

Have you fixed your issue on your extension already? Have they reached out to you?

Thanks.

[Vishnu NUK]

No,  Not yet. They are still calling my extension is SPAM Placement just because I used an iFrame. 

I resubmitted it will a modification, now waiting for the review. 

The reviewer must have a channel to communicate with the developer before rejecting or taking it down.

I submitted Desktop apps on Microsoft Store, Apple Store, Snap Store. They are acting professionally and pointing out the exact problem, and helping developers fix it. Also, they will contact us while reviewing for questions and clarification. We have the option to send a message for those questions. They will consider our answers during the review and then make a decision. Here it is like a fully automated system. Not at all useful for developers. They are not even using common sense while reviewing the item. 

Good Luck 

[glr...@gmail.com]

I think our team will get this resolved with Google.

I am pretty sure your team will get it resolved with them as well.

It is but a matter of time and discussions. (And some code fixes.)

It is the waiting-part that stresses us a bit but we just have to be patient.

In fairness, Google support has been kind and supportive when we launched our add-on.

Good luck to you and your team.

[Vishnu NUK]

Did you received any Warning Email Before TakeDown? 

If not ask about it. They will tell you to check spam folder and email filter. 

But i never seen such mail anywhere. 

[Simeon Vincent]

glr...@gmail.com, for the most part these days I don't get too involved with review issues, but I can take a look to make sure your issue is being handled correct. Could you share your extension's ID or a case number?

Vishnu NUK, I'll be following up in your thread in a few moments. Regarding your comment about a warning email, I think there may have been a miscommunication. Your extension was directly taken down; no warning was sent first. I'll reply with more fully in your thread – let's keep this thread related to glr...@gmail.com's issues.

Simeon - @dotproto

Chrome Extensions DevRel

[glr...@gmail.com]

Hello Simeon,

Thank you always for your prompt responses and for stepping in although it is not within your realm anymore.

My extension ID. is : hfokdlmjeppdmpbngjpnlnijogcecaop

I have also contacted the chrome webstore team and Google Cloud Platform support. 

The GCP support recommended to talk with the Chrome WebStore team but I have not received any response yet.

I would really appreciate it if you can assist us in contacting the right people in the Chrome Webstore.

Thank you very much.

[Simeon Vincent]

So, this verdict can be a little weird. The two most common reasons I've seen for this verdict are that the extension a) doesn't work due to something related to how it's being tested and b) is limited to paying subscribers, a corporate network, or otherwise does not provide functionality for all users.

In the case of (a) it can help to provide a video demonstrating basic functionality and to ask what exactly isn't working with the extension. This often comes down to unexpected UX or just a test environment issue. In these situations I'd recommend that people on both ends remember that there's a person on the other side and to do your best to help them help you.

In this case of (b) this effectively comes down to a UX bug. Publishing to the web store (even as unlisted) means that the extension is publicly accessible, so people can find and install your extension (even if they've never heard of it before). Try to make sure these users still have a decent experience, even if they can't use your extension. Make sure the extension doesn't silently fail. If it requires an account, show a UI that says "account required, log in here". If it requires a well known network or access to a private server, notify the user that the expected network conditions were not found so the extension won't work.  This may also be an opportunity to direct them to your products/services and to gain a new customer ;)

Generally, try to make sure that non-customers understand that it won't work for them without some prerequisite. Preferably, do this both in your Chrome Web Store listing and in the extension itself. 

Simeon - @dotproto

Chrome Extensions DevRel

[Gauvin Repuspolo]

Hello Simeon,

Thank you very much for responding so quickly and with a lot of clarity.

Moreover, would it be fair for us to ask that our extension be reinstated while we are fixing the issue?

We have a lot of users and we would appreciate any help from you or the chrome webstore team on this matter.

Personally i don’t see the issue as a major violation that would lead to this situation.

Would you be kind enough to ask any of your contacts to respond to our chrome webstore support request/email? So that i know how to proceed and get the issue resolved as soon as possible.

Thank you. 

--

Gauvin L. Repuspolo

Software / R&D Professional
San Pedro City, Philippines
http://govz.wordpress.com

[glr...@gmail.com]

Hello Simeon,

I just wanted to inform you that our extension is now back online.

I have talked with the Chrome WebStore team and it turned out that we only had to update our Store listing description.

Your advice helped me a lot, 'always think that a person is behind the review process.'.

So when I asked them for another round of review, I explained everything in detail and included two video links.

They replied asking us to update the Store Listing description.

As of August 15, 2021, our extension was reinstated.

Thank you always for your assistance and advice.

More power to you and to this community.

[William A.]

Hi folks, 

I was just wondering how this issue progressed. I am having similar issue with my extension. Have mentioned it here: https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/chromium-extensions/c/UvE53ZidM48

Was wondering is any of you can help me with this? It is a very frequently used app, so any help will be deeply appreciated. 

Regards

William A.