Will Kongregate Arcade Tweaks Satisfy Android Market Rules?

Less than a week after getting its Kongregate Arcade pulled from Android Market by Google, Kongregate is hopeful that tweaks to the free flash gaming portal app will satisfy Google. The gaming site said it worked to address the search engines concerns by making its Arcade app less like an app store, which was Googles main sticking point.

Kongregates software was pulled because Googles non-compete rules prohibit an app in Android Market from being a distribution point, or app store, for other apps. The Kongregate Arcade app pointed users back to Flash games from Kongregates site. But the app played the games in a special browser that allowed the games to be downloaded to the phones SD card for offline play. Googles issue apparently came down to the fact Kongregate Arcade didnt appear like a browser and the games were downloaded to the SD card, acting more like a downloaded app than a browser-based game.

The updated Kongregate app, uploaded to Android Market this afternoon, is built to look more recognizable as a browser with an address bar. The app also uses a WebKit browser cache to download the games instead of utilizing the SD card. Jim Greer, CEO of Kongregate said he talked to Google after the app was originally pulled but hasnt been able to run the updates by Google. But hes hopeful that it wont be pulled again.

To me, it was a matter of perception, Greer said. Although this was all browser-based it didnt look like it was. The app is much more clearer now and were just using the browser cache.

Greer said he understands Google prohibiting Android Market apps from serving as app stores. He said Google could reasonably be concerned about ! unsafe a pps making it onto devices through Android Market, something that still can happen right now. But he said he hopes the guidelines become clearer for developers. As I wrote before, the quick removal of the Kongregate Arcade raised questions about how open Google was going to be with Android Market. While Greer seems to understand Googles stance, I still think this signals that Google might be less tolerant of competition.

This, mind you, is how most platform makers operate. But with Google still positioning Android as a champion of openness, issues such as this one are going to chip away at that argument. Google is still very open but Im wondering how much competition it will allow as rival app stores like Amazon rise up, and Google looks to expand its services such as its promised music market. Perhaps Google will show that it will remain very open with Android. But I wouldnt be surprised if Google starts to act more in its own interest over time.

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