Why did Amazon's app recover soon after it was deleted from Google Play?

Amazon's mail-order Amazon releases shopping-only applications for multiple platforms such as Android and iOS, among which applications for Android devices are deleted from the Google Play store for a while and can be downloaded again after a few changes I understood that it was in a state.

[Update: Confirmed] Google Forced Amazon To Remove Its Main Shopping App From The Play Store Because Of Its Appstore Integration
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/12/11/google-may-have-forced-amazon-to-remove-its-main-shopping-app-from-the-play-store-because-of-its-appstore-integration/

Amazon Android applications have been downloaded over 50 million times worldwide, but in the United States it is reported on overseas sites that existing applications can not be downloaded and replaced with newly released apps.

The following images actually compare the screens of old and new applications, but in the old version on the left it was displayed "Amazon Instant Video"When"Apps & amp; GamesYou can see that in the new version on the right it has been deleted.


It is believed that this was the cause of the announcement, when updating an application that Amazon conducted several weeks ago, the Android application offer service provided by the company "Amazon Android App StoreThe addition of the shopping function with ". This is a service that makes it possible to use Android applications, which are often downloaded from the Google Play store, via Amazon, and on their shops, their own sale and promotion activities are deployed.

Amazon.co.jp: Android App Store


There is no problem with Amazon itself selling Android application itself, but providing it on the application is considered to have conflicted with Google's terms. Contract formulating how to use Google Play "Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement"The following items exist for the contents of the application distributed at the store.

4.5 Alternate store:Developers should not use the store to distribute or provide covered products intended to promote the sale / distribution of software applications and games for Android devices outside the store.

This item was changed in the version revised on 25th September 2014, but it was described in the same item of the previous rule as follows.

4.5 No competition:Developers should not use the market primarily for the purpose of distributing or obtaining target products intended to promote sales and distribution of software applications and games for Android devices outside the market.

The big point here is that "mainlyThe existence of the phrase "that is. In other words, it means that distribution of apps that had been permitted only for the purpose as "main" such as small size was no longer allowed at all after the revision was made on September 25.

The revision time is also an interesting point, Amazon has updated the Android application in the beginning of September, added the shopping function in "Android App store", Google 's revision of the rules after that. For this reason, overseas media is spreading out that Google, which is not willing to distribute Android applications independently by Amazon, took measures to revise the terms and restrict its activities.

Please note that this seems to be occurring when accessing from the United States, and in the screen where the application was actually installed in Japan and the country setting was made to the United States, "Apps & amp; Games" Items such as are displayed.


Nonetheless, it can be said that it is inevitable even if it is taken as contrary to the terms of Google under the present circumstances. Will some response be made in Japan?