Revealed! Google explains why it took down Remove China Apps from its Play Store

Remove China Apps went on a roller coaster ride over the last two weeks. The app became the top app on Google Play Store’s Free Apps section, almost out of nowhere, before being taken down by the tech giant. Since Google didn’t reveal the reason behind the removal, it led to several theories and rumours. The search engine has now come out and clarified why it took down 'Remove China Apps' from its Play Store.

Google said that it has recently suspended a number of apps for violating its policy that prohibits the applications from encouraging users to remove other apps. It added that app removals have received particular attention in India, and that it wanted to clarify its actions. It, however, did not name 'Remove China Apps' and 'Mitron'.

The former allowed users to delete Chinese games and other software from their Android smartphones, while Mitron app was being touted as an Indian alternative for China's TikTok.

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Android and Google Play Vice-President Sameer Samat said that when apps are allowed to specifically target other apps, it can lead to behaviour that Google believes is not in the best interest of its community of developers and consumers.

"This is a longstanding rule designed to ensure a healthy, competitive environment where developers can succeed based upon design and innovation...We have enforced this policy against other apps in many countries consistently in the past -- just as we did here," he said in a blogpost.

Samat emphasised that Google Play was designed to provide a safe and secure experience for consumers while also giving developers the platform and tools they need to build sustainable businesses. "

We recently suspended a number of apps for violating the policy that we don't allow an app that encourages or incentivises users into removing or disabling third-party apps or modifying device settings or features unless it is part of a verifiable security service," he said.

Samat said that earlier this week, a video app was removed for a number of technical policy violations. "We have an established process of working with developers to help them fix issues and resubmit their apps. We've given this developer some guidance and once they've addressed the issue, the app can go back up on Play," he added.