Suspended for 'unacceptable business practices': the urgency apps problem

Google now files unacceptable business practices and dishonest pricing under its Misrepresentation policy. The common storefront triggers are fabricated social proof and reference prices: 'Someone in Texas just bought this', '23 people are viewing', countdowns that restart on every visit, and crossed-out prices that were never charged.

What usually causes it

Recent-sales pop-up apps with invented purchases.
Live-visitor counters.
Countdown timers that never end.
Compare-at prices two to five times the selling price on every product.

How to fix it

Uninstall the apps; a real inventory count is fine, an invented one is not.
Run sales with a start and an end.
Clear fictitious compare-at prices.

The checks that detect it

Check	Rule
No fake urgency No countdown timers, fake 'people viewing' counters or fabricated recent-sales pop-ups from the common apps.	Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Dishonest pricing and transaction conditions) (read 2026-10-06)
No permanent or inflated sales Not every product is permanently 'on sale', and compare-at prices are not several times the selling price.	Product data specification: sale price [sale_price] (read 2026-10-06)

Not legal advice. Policies change; each rule above names the page it restates and when it was read.