Topic: open collective

AnkiDroid Loses Google Play Donation Access

AnkiDroid Loses Google Play Donation Access
Google Play now blocks AnkiDroid from linking to its Open Collective donation page, cutting off the volunteer-maintained app's only funding stream. The error page says "There was an error while loading," but the real issue is more mundane and frustrating: Google's policy on country-specific distribution doesn't account for apps whose entire business model is "we accept donations, nothing else." I've been using AnkiDroid for years. It's the Android client for Anki, the spaced-repetition flashcard app that serious learners swear by. Unlike the desktop version or AnkiMobile, AnkiDroid is built entirely by volunteers — no company, no ads, no premium tiers. The Open Collective page isn't just a nice-to-have; it's how they pay for servers, development time, and basic maintenance. Remove that, and you're asking people to keep the lights on indefinitely for free. This isn't some startup pivoting to a new revenue model. It's a...