Google Responds to a Sugar Daddy Play Store Ban

Google updated its Play policies today and tucked under the acceptable legalese modifications, and some advertising ID tweaks is a bombshell for a specific type of dating population. In addition, Google inappropriate content policy has been amended to exclude “compensated sexual interactions,” such as sugar daddy or sugar dating apps.

I have to admit, I had no idea sugar daddy applications existed, but they do. The apps I found that would most likely fall into that category have over a million downloads combined. So while the majority have a remarkably high rating, the quality of the evaluations in some cases may indicate some manipulation.

I don’t pass judgment; different individuals enjoy various things, and I don’t see how such an arrangement could harm anyone if all participants consent with complete information. However, it appears that Google is concerned, though the company is transparent that it isn’t objecting on moral grounds, but instead because they are frequently sexual relationships with a perceived compensation basis. The company has a blanket ban on sexual content — at least partially ignoring the primary impulse for many customers behind more generalized dating apps like Tinder and Hinge, as well as the company’s sexual content policy.

A “sugar daddy” is more than a caramel candy on a stick if you’re unfamiliar with the term. In more popular parlance, a sugar daddy is a person — usually an older guy, but you may have a “sugar mommy” or a gender-neutral “sugar parent?” — who spends or distributes money in a transactional relationship, usually for sexual favors. It’s also worth noting that Apple has a similar policy on its App Store, and Google says it amended its ad policy in February to reflect the change.