The browser extension of Ethereum and wallet service, MetaMask, announced that it will be available in Google Play. Everything seems to indicate that the service app for Android has lifted the ban it had against the decentralised application. The 2020 is starting to wonder to the members of the community cryptography. Not only have the good predictions that most of the experts in the industry have done for this year, but that the January 1, received a good news. According to the official Twitter account of MetaMask, Google Play will now be available on your mobile app.
Happy New Year! Upon careful consideration, Google has permitted The MetaMask mobile app back on the Google Play (Android) store! Thanks to all the believers in an open web for speaking out in our support! https://t.co/Z8KOCtvHq0— MetaMask (@metamask_io) January 1, 2020
“Happy new year! After careful consideration, Google has allowed the mobile application MetaMask return to the Google Play store (Android). Thank you to all the believers in an open web for to speak in our support!”.
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The history between Google and MetaMask
But, why was the ban? Because everything indicates that it was a misunderstanding between the true objective of the application and security policies. Before proceeding, it is necessary to clarify that MetaMask is a browser extension for Google Chrome that allows you to run dApps on Ethereum. The interesting thing about this, is that it allows you to run these decentralized applications without the need of operating a node full of Ethereum. However, Google mistook the app with a mining. Because of that, he cited its policy against applications that extract cryptocurrencies on mobile devices and suspended MetaMask. The suspension happened a little over a week. In fact, MetaMask informed about it via a tweet last December 26. “In the last week, the client Android MetaMask was suspended by the Google Play App Store. They cited its policy that prohibits mining in mobile devices, which we do not. Appeal rejected”. Then you do not see the response on the part of the authorities of Google and be found on the Google Play store, from MetaMask urged the community to make pressure for the company to reconsider its case. And in the end, all that effort paid off.
Problems arising from the ban
However it was not easy for the managers of the browser extension, especially the first few days. And this was not only by prohibition, but by other problems stemming from it. One in particular was the suspicion that the accusation that Google had generated among the community. Even some partner began to have doubts about how reliable it was really MetaMask. In fact, one of the collaborators said that the workflow of the team MetaMask was not transparent nor decentralized. He continued his argument by saying that the code of the project was “of poor quality, full of debts techniques”. In the face of such accusations, one of the workers of the company, Daniel Finlay, refuted these statements, catalogándolas as “inflammatory and alarmist”. Also said that were a bit strong considering that came from someone who was not a member of the team in their own right. Luckily, this controversy was resolved in a relative short time and to please MetaMask, giving to the community cryptographically secure his first victory in 2020. The following two tabs change content below. I am a student of International Studies, interested in new technologies and their impact on the world. A true believer that tenacity is the foundation of success.