You must be aware that Google has a strong command on the Android phones even though they might not make them because of the fact that they are the creators and owners of Android OS. Apart from that, Google has developed a whole ecosystem of apps to support Android such as the Google Play Store and others. Talking about the Google Play Store, most of the apps that you download and install on your phone will be from the Play Store and Google also recommends you do the same for security reasons. While this has been contested by many, it is how it is right now.
We are here to tell you about why we are talking about Google Play Store right now and it has to do with e-commerce giant from China. Yes, e-commerce giant Pinduoduo has an Android app on the Google Play Store which has been flagged as malware by Google which means that users can’t download the latest version of this app from the store and this can cause a lot of disruption for the existing users of its Android app as well.
A Google spokesperson said, “off-Play versions of this app that have been found to contain malware have been enforced on via Google Play Protect,” referring to the fact that versions that have not been on the Google Play Store have been found to have spyware. Google added that Pinduoduo’s official version is also suspended “for security concerns while we continue our investigation.”
On the suspension of its app, Pinduoduo released a statement saying that “we strongly reject the speculation and accusation by some anonymous researcher and non-conclusive response from Google that Pinduoduo app is malicious. There are several apps that have been suspended from Google Play at the same time, and we find it peculiar that TechCrunch chose to single out Pinduoduo.” It is worth noting that not only Google but even Chinese security researchers have flagged Pinduoduo’s app for possible malware such as spying on its user activities among others so it seems that the suspension by Google is justified as of now.
