Dynamic browser extension approval issues

Google Play Store Approval Guide

When submitting browser extensions to the Google Play Store, you may encounter specific restrictions that can lead to rejection. This guide covers common issues and their solutions.

Remote Code Loading in Manifest V3

The Issue

Google Play Store prohibits Manifest V3 extensions from loading remotely hosted code. A common violation occurs when your extension bundle includes code that loads external scripts, such as the AppleID script from `https://appleid.cdn-apple.com/`.

Solution: Replacing Remote Loaders

To resolve this issue, you can configure your bundler to replace remote script loaders with local dummy files. We provide solutions for both Vite and Webpack bundlers.

Step 1: Create a dummy loader file

First, create a dummy loader file that will replace the remote script loader:

javascript
// src/loadAppleId.js
"use client";
const loadAppleId = () => {};
export { loadAppleId };

Step 2: Configure your bundler

Option 1: Using Vite

Configure Vite to alias the remote loader to your dummy file:

typescript
// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import path from "path";
const replaceLoadAppleIdScriptWithCustomScriptPlugin = {
 name: "replace-loadAppleId",
 enforce: "pre",
 resolveId(source) {
   if (source.includes("loadAppleId")) {
     return path.resolve(__dirname, "src/loadAppleId.js");
   }
 },
} as const;
export default defineConfig({
 plugins: [react(), replaceLoadAppleIdScriptWithCustomScriptPlugin],
 // ... other config options
});

Option 2: Using Webpack

Configure Webpack to alias the remote loader to your dummy file:

javascript
// webpack.config.js
const path = require('path');
const webpack = require('webpack');
module.exports = {
 // ... other config options
 resolve: {
   alias: {
     // Alias any imports containing loadAppleId to our local dummy file
     loadAppleId: path.resolve(__dirname, 'src/loadAppleId.js'),
   },
 },
 plugins: [
   // ... other plugins
   // Add a plugin to replace any direct references to the Apple ID script URL
   new webpack.NormalModuleReplacementPlugin(
     /loadAppleId/,
     path.resolve(__dirname, 'src/loadAppleId.js')
   ),
 ],
};

For a complete Webpack implementation example, check out our Webpack reference implementation.