Disclaimer:
Even though the title says “my”, this is not my blogpost.
While that may be just some paperwork and a small expense, the next requirement is more insidious: “a phone number and email address for Google Play users to contact you”. I’m fine showing an email address, but I absolutely do not want my phone number to be available to anyone on the internet. (Even for phone calls. But remember that a phone number is used for much more than phone calls these days.) And that’s just me, a privileged hetero white cis dude who is unlikely to be the target of harassment or doxxing.
Yup. For small developers (FOSS or not) that don’t make money which can insulate them from this kind of stuff, it’s a no-no.
You can get a phone number for a little more than a dollar a month at OVH. You can just redirect all call to voicemail and check once or twice a month and call it the day.
OK, then you’re being really sketchy and screwing over customers.
Not publishing a phone number is perfectly fine. Publishing a phone number that’s a black hole is extremely anti-consumer.
just have the voicemail say “this mailbox is rarely monitored and is here as a requirement for google play services; a better way of getting support is available at X”
It’s also extremely anti-consumer to not offer any support. Which is likely the primary reason that Google is requiring this. There are so many apps out there that don’t have any means of support, it’s one of my primary complaints about google play, so many abandonwares or apps that were clearly put on there as a send and done with no intent to actually use them.
That’s not better. It is not OK to have a phone number published that is not monitored regularly, no matter what message you leave when they call it.
You should have a legitimate contact method, but it is not acceptable behavior to publish a contact method that isn’t handled appropriately. Publishing a number that always goes to voice mail is already really bad.
