14 DAY TRIAL // Total Commander is currently one of the most popular file managers out there, and while many people know it for its outstanding Windows capabilities, it’s actually a very solid choice on Android as well.
But as it turns out, Total Commander is currently on thin ice on Android, and in fact, the ice is so thin that it could eventually break, leaving the file manager out of the Google Play Store.
The Mountain View-based search giant Google apparently doesn’t like the fact that Total Commander allows users to sideload APK files, so it’s now threatening to ban the app from the Google Play store unless this feature is being removed.
Of course, a file manager losing such functionality doesn’t make much sense as well, especially because it’s Android the one that makes it possible for users to download the APK installers in the first place. So at some level, TC only provides users with the installation option that is otherwise available in the Android file manager as well.
But for Google, this doesn’t make any difference, so the company is now threatening to ban the app in the Play Store.
“An app distributed via Google Play may not modify, replace, or update itself using any method other than Google Play’s update mechanism. Likewise, an app may not download executable code (e.g. dex, JAR, .so files) from a source other than Google Play. This restriction does not apply to code that runs in a virtual machine or an interpreter where either provides indirect access to Android APIs (such as JavaScript in a webview or browser),” Google has reportedly said.
“As mentioned previously, your app (APK versions 1031, 1032, 1033, 1034, 1035 and 1036) causes users to download or install applications from unknown sources outside of Google Play.”