Downloader App Officially Reinstated to Google Play Store

The Downloader App from AFTVNews has officially been reinstated to the Google Play Store for Android TV & Google TV devices.

This comes after a nearly month-long hiatus due to an absurd copyright infringement claim from a law firm representing Israeli TV Companies.

Downloader was originally removed from Google Play on May 19th after receiving a DMCA takedown request claiming the browser can load infringing content.

This absurd claim would make all browsers liable for copyright infringement including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Brave, and more.

AFTVNews immediately appealed the removal of Downloader which was ultimately denied.

A DMCA Counter-Notification was then filed which required the law firm to file legal action within 10 business days or the app would be reinstated.

After the 10-day waiting period was up with no legal action taken, AFTVNews reached out to Google to have the app put back in the Play Store.

This is when he received word that the app was no longer suspended, however, it was rejected by Google due to an invalid data safety form.

Elias Saba, the owner of AFTVNews and the Downloader application wrote an article explaining the situation in detail.

In yet another example of the Google Play Store’s absurdity, Google had determined that my app collected email addresses without declaring so. Since there is no way for my app itself to collect email addresses, and without any additional information or help from Google, I can only assume that Google is referring to the email mailing list signup form on this website, which loads by default in the web browser of the Downloader app.

Ultimately, Elias “accepted defeat” and updated the form which declares that the app collects email addresses.

Google Play Store now flags Downloader as collecting and sharing “personal info” even though the app absolutely does not collect or share any personal information.

With Downloader missing from the Google Play Store for 3 weeks, the app lost 47% of active users compared to the day before it was removed.

If you are a cord-cutter who uses the Downloader application you know just how important this app is on Android TV Devices and much more.

Please help Elias out by leaving a positive review for the Downloader App to help it recover from the absence.

CLICK HERE to leave a review for the official Downloader App in the Google Play Store.

For those who sideloaded the Downloader App when it was unavailable, it is suggested to uninstall and reinstall via the Google Play Store.

This will ensure you have the most up-to-date version which will continue to receive updates as they are released.

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