Well, that didn't take long.
Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) removed Samsung's ad blocker from its Play store just days after the plug-in made its Android debut, The Verge reported. Adblock Fast, a plugin developed by Rocketship Apps that worked within Samsung's mobile browser, was reportedly found to violate Play Store guidelines that forbid offerings that interfere with or disrupt "devices, servers, networks" or third-party apps or services.
Samsung recently added support for ad-blocking software on the pre-installed browser of its Android phones, and Adblock Fast -- which was the first content blocker for Samsung's browser -- quickly climbed to the top of the Google Play charts. Other ad blockers for Samsung's browser have since appeared in the store, so it isn't clear whether Google is implementing a blanket ban on such offerings or whether Adblock Fast's technology violated its policies in a more specific way.
Google confirmed to The Verge that Adblock Fast had been pulled but didn't clarify why.
Ad blockers have gained considerable momentum on desktop computers during the past few years, and Apple made waves last summer when it announced iOS would support them. But it isn't all that surprising that Google -- which recently posted a record quarter thanks primarily to its advertising business -- is less eager to embrace such software.
For more:
- see this Verge report
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