Remove China Apps has had a wild, albeit short, ride. Within two weeks of its launch, the Indian app designed to help smartphone users get rid of Chinese software became the top-trending Android app in the country, racked up 5 million installs, and then was abruptly removed from the Google Play app store.
As of June 3, the app’s Google Play page is no longer accessible, but those who already have the app can continue to use it. It appears that the app violates Google Play’s policy on deceptive behavior, which states that the store doesn’t allow apps that encourage or incentivize removing third-party apps unless for security purposes.
Remove China Apps appeared amid rising anti-China sentiment in India, which worsened as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and border tensions between the two countries. The app sought to detect and remove apps from Chinese companies, but the results were inconsistent based on our own testing and reports from other media outlets.