Google deleted the “Remove China Apps” that had crossed 1 million downloads from the Play Store. The app was identifying the apps made in china and help them remove out of Android smartphones. Within three weeks of release on 17 May 2020, it had become the number one free app on the Google Play Store in India.
From the reviews over the internet, the app is said to be identifying and deleting popular Chinese origin apps such as TikTok, and UC Browser, etc. In addition, it was also reported that that app deletes the Zoom videoconferencing app which was sending encryption keys to Chinese servers.
The developers of the app had claimed the app was made for the educational purpose of identifying the origin of apps as it reads on the description. The users report that it was not functioning well with the built-in apps in Chinese phones, and it was also not able to detect the apps downloaded from third-party stores. The startup company OneTouch AppLabs states that they developed the app to support Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a television show in mid-May 2020.
