Yesterday FrostWire was temporarily removed from the Google Play Store and is now back up after a new stripped down version without YouTube got approved by the Google compliance team.
FrostWire.com and other App Stores will still distribute the full featured version, now dubbed FrostWire Plus.
With recent stability fixes FrostWire for Android has climbed all the way up to #30th on the Google Play’s Top Free Android Apps and was holding strong for weeks! Yesterday, April 2nd 2015, after an app review (probably prompted by the spike in user interest and app ratings), Google decided to remove it from the Google Play store.
We’ve received this email:
Google Play FrostWire Removal Notice Email
We were informed that FrostWire for Android distributed via Google Play can no longer have YouTube as one of its search result and download sources, as this functionality is not compliant with the YouTube Terms of Service and therefore the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement. We decided to remove this capability in order to adhere to Google Rules and continue to distribute and market our application on the Google Play Store.
Today, after submitting the stripped down FrostWire app, it passed the compliance review and it is back on the Google Play store. It took a little more than a day but we are happy to be back!
What does it all mean in practice?
Users downloading FrostWire from the Google Play store will receive the basic app version without YouTube as one of the search sources. All other features will not be affected. Depending on what keywords a user enters, he or she might get slightly less search results and therefore options for files to download.
We are already working on including more search sources, both BitTorrent and cloud based to offset the loss of YouTube content and will be still offering the full version – now named FrostWire Plus, on our homepage and in other App Stores.
We are very excited to share that FrostWire for Android has just reached the Top 30th Best Free Apps on Google Play!
It has proudly outranked apps like Twitter, Hulu, Vine or Angry Birds and it might be still climbing the charts. We wanted to thank all the users who supported us throughout the years, submitted bug reports or donated to the project, we couldn’t have done it without you.
FrostWire was the first peer-2-peer file sharing application on the Android Market. We published our first, very basic version in December of 2010. Back then our smart phones were not so smart, and definitely not as fast as they are now, but we did it and it worked!
“The app we dreamed about back in 2010 is finally here”
Even though very ugly, the alpha and beta versions could search & download and even browse local files to then share with other FrostWire users. The early adopters quickly discovered the app and our user base kept steadily climbing over the years while we kept improving.
Early FrostWire for Android circa 2010
Today FrostWire for Android is a native BitTorrent client and cloud downloader with built-in search and multiple downloading options. It not only has a built-in media browser & music player, but also features newly integrated fully featured music library for easier file consumption. With in-app Wi-Fi sharing, it also allows users to wirelessly transfer files between FrostWire enabled devices on the same local network.
The app we dreamed about back in 2010 is finally here, the app that let’s you Search, Download, Play and Sharefiles easily, from one place has become a reality.
On top of all that functionality, we now also have a world-class UI and graphic design courtesy of @marcelinkaaa.
Search DownloadPlay Share
All the recent improvements didn’t go unnoticed. As more and as more users tried the app & kept it, rating FrostWire five starts thousands of times, it has climbed up to the Top 100 Free Apps on the Google Play Market.
Today it has reached # 30 and it might not be done climbing yet!
If you’ve been a desktop user and you don’t have it on your phone yet, download it now – we truly think you will love it! And if you are on an iPhone, well… just switch to Android so you can continue torrenting on the go.
Let’s bring a simple, enjoyable and seamless torrent experience to the masses, this time on mobile!
Official FrostWire Blog 