Played out: Google now rejecting apps that attempt to ride Flappy Bird’s tailfeathers

It seems the Google Play Store has reached peak “flappy.” According to TechCrunch, multiple developers report that Google has started blanket-rejections of apps using the word in the name, and perhaps it’s for the best. The store has been inundated with Flappy Bird clones since the app first topped the charts.

A quick search of the Play Store’s app section reveals just how pervasive the clones have become. The resulting 240+ apps include meme-based gems such as “Flappy Doge” and “Flappy Gangnam,” as well as at least five named “Flappy Turd” or similar.

As a result, Google has started labeling recent new software containing the word “flappy” as spam, thus blocking the release of any more of these types of apps. This move by Google is similiar to Apple’s decision to reject applications that try to “leverage a popular app” from its App Store.