Google Removed Anti-China App That Already Got 5+ Million Downloads

A t a time when the US is blocking Chinese companies like Huawei from its communication system and investigating Chinese social app TikTok, a new app was released that flags developed in China, dubbed Remove China Apps. Launched two weeks ago, it became the most downloaded app on the Google Play Store and got multiple millions of downloads.

However, Google has removed the app from its Play Store.

According to the app developers, it determines an app’s country origin based on market research. Though the name of the app sounds like it will automatically remove any app from China, the developers said it will only show a list of apps and their respective country names. Users can choose the app(s) they want to uninstall and uninstalling them is as simple as one click. In the Play Store listings, the app is said to be for educational purposes.

Android Authority reported that by the end of Sunday, the app had already got downloaded 1 million times and as of yesterday, the number of downloads had gone up to 5 million. The app is developed by OneTouch AppLabs in India, where the sentiment against China has been rising dramatically. According to the developer’s website, the aim of creating this app is to support PM Modi’s call for “Atm Nirbhar Bharat,” meaning a self-reliant India. The developer added that this app is safe as it does not ask for permissions from the user phone.

Testing by Android Authority showed that the app successfully recognized TikTok and the Mi Remote app from Xiaomi. But it did not pick up PUBG Mobile, which was developed by Tencent Games. The app didn’t work with pre-installed applications on Chinese handsets either.

>>> Remove China Apps Goes Viral With 1 Million Downloads In Two Weeks