Why Adding a Bottom Navigation Bar Cost an Android Dev His Ad Revenue—and What He Did Next
A veteran Android developer named David quit after Google permanently banned his AdMob and AdSense accounts for placing a bottom navigation bar too close to banner ads, prompting him to open‑source his three apps and offer recommendations to improve Google’s ad‑policy enforcement for developers.
On Reddit, a seasoned Android developer known as David announced that after nearly ten years of development he would quit and open‑source all his applications.
The trigger was Google permanently disabling his AdMob and AdSense accounts because he added a bottom navigation bar that was positioned too close to a banner ad, violating Google’s ad placement policies.
Google’s ad placement rules include:
Ads must not be placed too near key UI elements to avoid accidental clicks.
Ads must not cover navigation bars, tabs, menus, or other core functional areas.
Ads must not resemble interactive elements such as buttons or links.
Ads must not interfere with natural browsing or navigation.
Ads must not appear abruptly at app launch or exit.
David’s bottom navigation bar, a core UI component, was deemed too close to the banner ad, leading to the account bans despite his long‑standing good standing.
His appeal failed; even after removing the ads and submitting an automatic appeal, Google did not reinstate his accounts, leaving him unable to monetize his free educational content on TikTok and YouTube.
Consequently, David decided to open‑source three of his Android apps:
Workout Tracker – a basic app for tracking exercise routines.
Motivational Quotes – displays inspirational quotes and can serve as a template for similar apps.
Dota 2 Hero Guide – a free open‑source guide covering heroes, items, etc., requiring updates to match game patches.
He plans to continue uploading his other apps to GitHub, noting that the code may not be polished but is functional.
David also offered several suggestions to Google:
Introduce a paid support model for developers to get direct assistance.
Reserve account suspension and termination as last‑resort measures, especially for long‑standing accounts.
Provide clearer, more honest communication about policy violations and required fixes.
Include a human review step before terminating accounts.
Avoid collateral damage to other products when an account is banned.
The developer community expressed empathy and support, sharing similar experiences and criticizing Google’s handling of policy enforcement.
Edited by: 万能的大雄 Source: https://old.reddit.com/r/androiddev/comments/13lf6jb/open_sourcing_all_my_apps_quitting_android_dev/
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