11 replies to this topic

[APsit190]

Recently, as a result of buying a new droid phone, I when to Play Store to reinstall the apps on the new phone which were on my previous phone. Lo and behold, I couldn't find MySword in my Apps Library on Play Store account. So I did a search for that on Play Store and no MySword was found.

 

So with that kind of result, I emailed MySword about it, and here is their reply:

 

Hi Sir
Google has remove it , they do not want donation app (policy violation)

Try to use an android File Explorer to install the apk from the website
https://www.mysword....mysword/mysword

========================
You can use our website and help those users who do not know how to use File explorer to install it.
You can also use bluetooth to share the apk . 

Kindest Regards and always be blessed.

MS Team

 

So, with that, its important note that if anyone wishes to continue to use this program you will no longer receive any automatic updates of new version for this program due to the fact that Google has removed it from Play Store.

 

Blessings,

 

[JPG]

Why don't these guys just make it a nominal pay to play store app like e-Sword for ( í )  and stop all this generous donations get you extra features rubbish.

[APsit190]

Why don't these guys just make it a nominal pay to play store app like e-Sword for ( í )  and stop all this generous donations get you extra features rubbish.

My guess, its called "Greed."

[djmarko53]

While I agree in part that greed is part of the picture, could it also be greed on Google's part? Maybe they won't have it available because they cannot get their hands on some of the money.

[JPG]

The solution for the MySword developers is really simple. Offer just one version of the software on Play Store for lifetime at the cost of $10. This way you get hosting and advertising of your product and the assurance as a user that it has been checked as virus free. User is notified of updates.... If users want to be generous they can enquire on their support site...

[APsit190]

The solution for the MySword developers is really simple. Offer just one version of the software on Play Store for lifetime at the cost of $10. This way you get hosting and advertising of your product and the assurance as a user that it has been checked as virus free. User is notified of updates.... If users want to be generous they can inquire on their support site...

I totally agree.

 

That said, for them to do that, from their perspective, they wouldn't be making as much money as what they would from their purported "donation" type scheme.

 

Now, as to what djmarko53 said:

 

While I agree in part that greed is part of the picture, could it also be greed on Google's part? Maybe they won't have it available because they cannot get their hands on some of the money.

is of itself, not very factual or just partially factual; simply because Google hosts an extremely large number of free apps on Play Store of which they receive no money from them. About the only way they do get to make money is through advertisements running on those apps. And also, there are free apps hosted on Play Store which contains no adds at all - so as to how they make money from them, well would be like scratching at the bottom of the proverbial barrel.

 

Here is the thing ... If one is going to use a service to promote one's product, and not pay for that service, but through guise, pretending that what one is offering is "free," but in reality holds a hidden cost to it, such as even that thing called "donations" to where one who makes that payment will get something more, is, in reality, scamming the host of what he/she is legally and rightfully  due. Another way you can call it, is nothing more than theft.

 

So, when it comes to Google having removed MySword from Play Store - I would have done the same thing.

 

In conclusion, its extremely fortunate for the developers of MySword that Google hasn't taken legal action against them and sued them.

 

Blessings,

Edited by APsit190, 07 February 2020 - 03:04 PM.

[Gene_W]

MySword developers have a very generous free version, any additional features are completely unnecessary for the app to fully function.

Asking for donations for additional, non-critical and unnecessary features is beyond appropriate. The laborer is worth his wages.

I fault Google far more in greed in this case, and sure, I just don't trust or like them, but it's clear what they're about here. Yes, they host plenty of "free" apps as mentioned, but with Google ads and GSM features baked into them. They're not free.

What's more, I use a completely de-googled Android device and have side loaded MySword from their website. It absolutely updates automatically and does so from within it's own app. A brilliant concept.

[APsit190]

MySword developers have a very generous free version, any additional features are completely unnecessary for the app to fully function.

Asking for donations for additional, non-critical and unnecessary features is beyond appropriate. The laborer is worth his wages.

I fault Google far more in greed in this case, and sure, I just don't trust or like them, but it's clear what they're about here. Yes, they host plenty of "free" apps as mentioned, but with Google ads and GSM features baked into them. They're not free.

What's more, I use a completely de-googled Android device and have side loaded MySword from their website. It absolutely updates automatically and does so from within it's own app. A brilliant concept.

The problem with your argument is that there are other Bible Apps on Google Play which don't seem to have an issue, as they play to the rules which Google has place in their terms of service. The issue with Riversoft was they didn't play according to the rules and bucked them.

 

In having said that, I'm not defending Google. With that said, if one wants to use such a service, you gotta play according to the rules set in their terms. Now, I don't know what other software you use, but when you installed them, you click on the " I Agree thingy," which laid out the conditions of use of their product - you know that EULA (End User License Agreement). And its that same principle which applies to using a person's platform for hosting your stuff on it.

[Trevortni]

Personally, I fault the developers 110%, and this is the reason:

Asking for donations for additional, non-critical and unnecessary features is beyond appropriate. The laborer is worth his wages.

It is absolutely appropriate to ask for payment for the wonderful work they've done. But they didn't do that. They chose instead to lie about it, to call what is undeniably a payment a donation - to spiritualize something that did not need to be spiritualized.

They could have decided to truly operate on a donation basis: to make the whole thing free and accept donations without requiring any. I'm sure their generosity would have been blessed. Or they could have chosen to operate on an upfront payment basis, charging for premium features through the payment options made available to them. I'm sure many people would have gladly paid for some of these features - some of them are pretty nice. The price they ask for them is a bit high, but with the increase in business, they might have been able to lower the prices, or even split out individual features.

But they instead chose to call that which looks like a payment, walks like a payment, and quacks like a payment: a donation. This makes them liars, and the truth is not in them.

I have long reinstalled their app only with reservation, because it really is a good app, one of the best I've seen for reading the Bible, despite the sheer bald faced dishonesty of the developers. I still don't know what I'm going to do this time.

But as far as having the app removed from the Play store? Yeah, they got what's coming to them. I pray that they would learn from this and correct their dishonesty, because, to echo Peter, they have not lied to man, but to the Holy Spirit. That never ends well.

[William Penn]

You are way out of line sir, respectfully you have no idea of the back story and the details and neither do I. and for you to bear false witness and accuse them of greed is way over the Christian line. A laborer is worth their hire and a days labor is worth a days pay. Maybe you otta worry about developing better tools for esword for apple because i paid for it and its a hot piece of garbage. the layout sucks, the abbreviations for books and its layout is unintuitive and the inability to port over your notes, bibles and other features you spent time putting into your pc esword and paid bibles without being able to make them mobile to an app you paid for is just plain broken and frustrating at best. Mysword free version is way better than the paid version of esword hands down. so put that paid version of android esword in your greed pipe and smoke it. i deleted the paid version of esword and use free mysword.