Sky email migration from Gmail to Yahoo! causing problems

[Scubbie]

thinkbroadband :: Sky email migration from Gmail to Yahoo! causing problems

A new problem with Sky moving all its broadband customers Gmail accounts to the Yahoo! platform has arisen. It appears in cases where people had linked their Gmail account with a Google Play store account that once the account has been closed the users also lose access to any credit and apps purchased via the Play Store.

The problem first came to our attention via our own user forums and a little digging shows that at least one person has lost access to £120 of apps and music. We have contacted Sky to verify the problem and find out if there is a correct channel for people affected to contact.

This issue highlights the fragile nature of online app stores which are often tied to an email address and the need for people to have access to an email account that is independent of any interference by their broadband provider. In some ways this is why some people who have embraced the Internet still insist on physical copies of media without any form of DRM that might break or expire the content - hands up if you have ever had a digital copy on a Blu-ray or DVD expire before you got around to activating it?

[Alan b]

I can't believe that Google don't either have the capabilities or want to allow people to change their email addresses on their Play account. This situation has arisen because Google are no longer running Sky email but there is no system in place that will allow an address change with the account details carried across.

This leads me onto another bug bear with the Google Play site, namely that old apps that you no longer use still show up as being on your device and there also doesn't appear a way in which you can delete an old phone/tablet device.

[Scubbie]

You can remove an app from the 'All' list. I have done so quite easily.

As for old devices, I haven't tried that yet.