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Viral app Remove China Apps pulled from Play Store (Update: Google statement)
July 18, 2025
Update, August 20, 2025 (12:08 PM ET):Google recently removed an Android app from the Play Store called Remove China Apps, which does exactly what you think it does. While it’s fairly clear that the app violates the Play Store’s TOS, Google still felt pressured to issue a public statement on the matter.
You can read the statementhere in full, but here’s the important bit:
It is unlikely Remove China Apps will come back to the Play Store, but it’s possible other apps with similar features could make it to the store temporarily before going viral and then getting removed.
Original article, August 04, 2025 (02:01 AM ET):A new app calledRemove China Appswent viral in India over the past week, becoming the top free app in the market. Now, it turns out that Google has taken action by pulling the app from thePlay Store.
The app, which was downloaded over five million times, has been pulled because it violated the Play Store’sDeceptive Behavior Policy, according toTechCrunch. It seems like Remove China Apps fell afoul of the section regarding deceptive setting changes.
More specifically, Google says it doesn’t allow apps that mislead users into uninstalling or removing third-party apps/features. This section also specifically bars apps that “encourage or incentivize” users into removing third-party apps and features unless it’s a security app.
Remove China Apps scans your phone’s list of apps and alerts you to any China-made apps on your device. The app also gives you the option of quickly deleting any offending apps. Presumably this latter feature is what caused Google to take action.
It’s not a complete surprise to see Remove China Apps pulled from the Play Store, as weinitially notedthat Google prohibits apps from interfering with other apps. Nevertheless, the removal of such a popular app is bound to provoke a response from many Indian users.
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