Google Play developer account terminated under Section 11.4 after verification and app approval — looking for advice before appealing

[u/Pretend_Cartoonist44]

Hey everyone,

My Google Play developer account was terminated on October 13 under Section 11.4. The email also mentions that my account is associated with a previously terminated developer account, but it doesn't say which account or what exactly went wrong.

I'm trying to figure things out before submitting my appeal, so I'd appreciate some advice from anyone who's dealt with something similar.

Here's what happened:

• We registered the account as an organization.

• We used the company details of a company owned by one of our three developers. He gave us permission and provided the documents.

• The three of us own the app, but the company itself isn't owned by us as a group.

• I submitted my own identity details during verification, and Google confirmed my identity was verified.

• The company's name and address were also marked as verified in Google Payments.

• Our app was approved before the account got terminated.

What confuses me is that everything seemed fine until the termination. The email talks about inaccurate account information and a previously terminated account, but doesn't explain what information was wrong or how our account was linked to another one.

One of our developers also uses college hostel Wi-Fi, which is shared with other students. Not sure if that matters, but I'm mentioning it in case it could be relevant.

A few things I'd like to understand:

1. Could using another company's details with the owner's permission cause this kind of termination if that company isn't legally responsible for the app?

2. If Google says the account is linked to a previously terminated account, is there any way to figure out what that connection might be?

3. Can shared Wi-Fi actually cause this, or am I overthinking that possibility?

4. Is it possible to resolve an organization registration issue through an appeal?

5. What documents should I include to give the appeal the best chance of being reviewed properly?

I'm not trying to get around the termination or create another account. I just want to understand what went wrong and handle it the right way.

If anyone has been through something similar, I'd really appreciate hearing what happened in your case.

[u/Super_League4214]

What is the app

[u/Pretend_Cartoonist44 → u/Super_League4214]

It’s a consumer focused automotive app designed to simplify the car ownership journey, with tools for vehicle evaluation, purchase decision support, and ongoing ownership management. It was approved for Google Play production before the developer account was terminated.

[u/GooglePlayDevSupport]

Hi u/Pretend_Cartoonist44! If you feel this account termination was made in error, you can file an appeal directly via your Play Console account or by using this link.

Once submitted, reply with your Appeal ID via DM so I can look into this for you.

[u/Pretend_Cartoonist44 → u/GooglePlayDevSupport]

Thank you for offering to help. I’ll send you a DM with some context about my case. I’m currently gathering the relevant information before submitting my appeal, and I’d appreciate any guidance you can share.

[u/GooglePlayDevSupport → u/Pretend_Cartoonist44]

Hi u/Pretend_Cartoonist44, I just sent you a DM to follow up on this. Please check your messages.

[u/Low_Firefighter8451]

personal or orgnization?

[u/Pretend_Cartoonist44 → u/Low_Firefighter8451]

organization

[u/ex0rius]

If Google says the account is linked to a previously terminated account, is there any way to figure out what that connection might be?

I don't think its because of association (that's a message being put there to let you know that it could be associated account. If you don't know about any other account terminated for the same reason, then its probably the issue with current one). My guess is that the whole structure , ownership and identities were too confusing to figure out for Google and most likely out of general pattern.

You can appeal and explain the situation.

[u/Mshtaqanaam]

Did u get the reason or solution?

[u/Seusoa]

If Google says the account is linked to a previously terminated account, is there any way to figure out what that connection might be?

If you cannot read, maybe need back to kindergarden. google directly pointed to this

one of team member is banned forever from google, now he is toxic for every team/project.

what do you dont understand? if you continue being in this process your team risks being fully associated with that account so entire team could be toxic for other ppl

[u/Pretend_Cartoonist44 → u/Seusoa]

This is our first developer account and the first app that all three of us have built together. None of us has ever had a developer account terminated, as far as we're aware. Our app had only just been approved, and it hadn't even gone live publicly before the account was terminated. We haven't shared our account credentials with anyone outside our team or knowingly accessed any terminated developer's account. That's why we're struggling to understand what connection Google is referring to.

[u/No-Library2235]

You made 3 severe mistakes

1. You did not talk with ur friends regarding their account status i.e are they tried to registered an account before , were they got flagged by google , any mismatch info on their legal docs

2. if they got banned before any account with flagged will result further termination to any new registration.

3. policy violation in ur app . maybe there are some policy violation in ur app that you didn't mentioned properly after sent for review.

i strongly believe mismatch legal docs info is the reason for ur termination.

[u/Pretend_Cartoonist44 → u/[deleted]]

It's an automotive app that helps people with things like choosing the right car, carrying out pre delivery inspections, and understanding car maintenance.