So Flowx is back on Google Play now. There was no notification that the changes were accepted or the appeal was accepted of that the app was live again. Nothing.
During the 1-2 days the app was removed from the Google Play store, Flowx missed out on new subscriptions and it seems the recurring subscriptions were cancelled.
I find it crazy Google can do this to people with no recourse.
This is why we need multiple app stores on each platform.
As a solo developer, it has been hard to support multiple app stores but now I will make an effort, encourage other developers to list on other stores and encourage users to install from the smaller stores.
I know it's hopeful, but I hope get get a better app ecosystem.
I remember when Apple and Google worked hard to woo developers and users, now they own the market, they can act without concern.
The store blurb lists the data models available in the app, for example, NOAA HRRR and DWD D2, which only cover certain regions in the world. This is important for the user to know before installing the app.
Also, all other weather apps, including Windy and Ventusky, lists the weather models that are available in their app.
This violation notice just doesn't make sense, this is why I wonder if it was an AI process that removed it.
I'm the developer of Flowx[0], an Android and iOS weather app, and I've just added the solar eclipse path and shadow which can be superimposed over the weather forecast - in particular the low, mid and high cloud forecasts.
I've also created an OpenZone which make all weather data (including HRRR) freely available over North America for the period leading up to the eclipse day.
This is available in the latest Apple App Store release. Unfortunately, I could not get this out to production Android in time but have an alpha test version. Contact me if you are interested in the alpha test version.
Apple did not build the ecosystem alone. The ecosystem is made up of the platform, the developers and the users. Lose one of these and you don't have an ecosystem. If all the developers leave, users will leave. If all users leave, developers will leave.
I would argue developers put in just as much, if not more effort.
Apple did not build the ecosystem alone, nor does it own the ecosystem. It is merely acting as a uncool gatekeeper.
The app space in general might be crowded but the weather market for the Flowx type of app is not so crowded. Windy (and Ventusky) is our closest competitor. Windy initially targeted extreme sports but now seems to target the larger extreme weather (hurricanes) notification and warning market, i.e., high-volume. I believe there is enough room for Flowx alongside Windy, etc... by targeting a niche market that require more in-depth and technical weather data, e.g. farmers.
Technically, Windy is based on the code from https://earth.nullschool.net which limits them to that code-base. Flowx is written from scratch and is different by design. This means I can do different things, e.g., the smooth swiping. So I think I can compete with different techniques.
As an engineer, I am guilty of focusing on features and the product over marketing. So my marketing is lacking. Though, I'm looking into writing about my experiences with the weather app.
In summary, I think there is enough room in the advanced weather data market and can compete through niche markets and technical features.
Just an added note. I started Flowx as a side-project in 2012. In 2016, we moved to Rarotonga and we decided then to try to grow it into a business. It was making ~$100/month at that stage. Since then, it has grown it to $2500/month through added pro features and a better subscription prices.
I develop Flowx [https://www.flowx.io], an Android weather app. It makes around $2,500 USD/month with about $500/month in costs excluding my time. It covers about 60% of my total costs including my time which is 40+ hours a week. I cover my remaining costs through contract work. This might not seem like a success but the business allowed us to move to the Rarotonga, Cook Islands from Auckland, New Zealand. Lifestyle-wise and building-a-business-wise, I think it's a success.
During the 1-2 days the app was removed from the Google Play store, Flowx missed out on new subscriptions and it seems the recurring subscriptions were cancelled.
I find it crazy Google can do this to people with no recourse.
This is why we need multiple app stores on each platform.
As a solo developer, it has been hard to support multiple app stores but now I will make an effort, encourage other developers to list on other stores and encourage users to install from the smaller stores.
I know it's hopeful, but I hope get get a better app ecosystem.
I remember when Apple and Google worked hard to woo developers and users, now they own the market, they can act without concern.