After having removed Adblock Fast from PlayStore a week ago, Google has brought back the ad-blocker extension on the Android’s Play Store as of today.
The extension was one of the first ad-blockers to be compatible with Samsung’s default browser after the company had allowed installation of ad-blocking plugins on Samsung devices running on Android OS.
Surprisingly, just a day after the announcement, Google had removed the ad-blocker from PlayStore. Google had stated that the app violated its Developer Distribution agreement as the ad-blocking apps interfered with the functionality of other apps.
According to the agreement, any app found to be modifying or affecting the functionality of other apps in any way is bound to be removed from PlayStore. But similar apps such as Adblock Plus and Crystal, which had also partnered with Samsung, were spared from being removed. Adblock Fast was using the same code as Adblock Plus and was even backed by Samsung. As it appears now, the first ad blocking extension to partner with Samsung is available for download on the PlayStore.
Google had taken a similar decision to block ad-blocking extensions from PlayStore. In March, 2013 Adblock Plus was removed from PlayStore only to be reinstated fairly recently.
Adblock Fast, Plus and Crystal were the first few apps to partner with Samsung when it announced that its default browser on Android will now support ad-blocking extensions. Since its initial launch last month, the app reached the top on the app list on February 2. The app was subsequently removed from PlayStore the very same day.
This prompted Rocketship Apps, the developer of Adblock Fast to file an appeal with Google regarding the decision. Taking the appeal into consideration, Google has reinstated the app on the PlayStore today.
Sources familiar with the matter have told TechCrunch, that Google will now allow those apps that integrate with one another app through authorized channels, like APIs, but will continue to prohibit apps on Google Play that interfere with the functionality of other apps in an unauthorized manner.
Rocketship Apps in a blog post confirmed the apps availability on the PlayStore. As a result, the apps’ homepage has been changed from ‘Find out when Adblock Fast is back in Google Play!’ to ‘Find out about Adblock Fast updates first!’.
