A Tale of Two Shady Apps: QuickPic is back on Google Play while ES File Explorer disappears

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Earlier this month, it was reported that a bevy of apps by the Chinese company DO Global were partaking in fraudulent activities, abusing permissions and clicking on ads without users’ permission to generate fake impressions. In response to these accounts, Google ousted them from the Google Play Store and restricted any attempts to monetize these apps by barring them from the AdMob network. Now, One of the most popular and longest running file browser – ES File Explorer – seems to be roped into the repressive action and has vanished from the Play Store.

Until a few years ago, ES File Explorer was hailed among the go-to choices for managing files on Android devices. But since being sold out to a Chinese third-party, it has been rigged with unnecessary and forced features like unwanted charging screen, an unwavering stream of ads, and an unsettling vulnerability allowing others to steal your files by being on the same network. Since then, its popularity has only plummeted with users moving to other alternatives like the FX File Explorer, MiXplorer, or Solid Explorer.

Even though, the ES File Explorer was attributed to the developer “ES Global,” it appears to be listed on the official website of “Du Global” – a subsidiary of DO Global, which is facing Google’s wrath for misusing app permissions. So, this removal appears to be in line with Google’s actions against the Chinese giant. Notably, ES Global has been removed from the Play Store as well.

Before the ban, DO Global had around 100 apps on the Play Store, most of which do not clearly indicate being owned by the developer, and a total of 600 million installs, jointly. Nearly half of these have been removed and DO Global has also admitted to finding irregularities in the way its apps use the AdMob functionality. But in spite of being one of the most repulsive actions against any developer in the history of Android, it feels like apps owned by DO Global – such as the ES File Explorer – might return to the Play Store with necessary adjustments.

In a similar course of action, as many as eight apps by Cheetah Mobile and its subsidiary Kika were kicked out of the Play Store for fostering a similar ad fraud in November 2018 but, have now started repopulating the Play Store. QuickPic, one of these infamous apps owned by Cheetah Mobile has also been resubmitted to the Play Store, even though the company has not been very vocal about it.

quickpic feedback play store

The app, however, has several issues including issues with video playback, app crashes and graphical glitches, heavy RAM consumption, and ads. Most of the recent reviews for the app echo on the same problem and it is the inability to retrieve media synched with the CM cloud. It seems that it won’t be long that app’s rating of 4.6 plummets against the backlash from users.

QuickPic - Photo Gallery with Google Drive Support (Free, Google Play) →

Via 1: Android Police Via 2: Android Police

The post A Tale of Two Shady Apps: QuickPic is back on Google Play while ES File Explorer disappears appeared first on xda-developers.



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