Megan Ellis / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google could soon notify Android users when an installed app has been removed or delisted from the Play Store.
- The Play Store currently only alerts users via Play Protect for serious security threats, leaving out routine or voluntary developer removals.
- Strings found in Google Play Store v51.4.19 show work-in-progress code designed to warn users that removed apps will no longer receive updates.
If you’ve used an Android phone long enough, you’ve likely encountered instances where an app you’ve installed on your phone in the past is no longer present on the Play Store. There’s no warning or notification of any sort, and you wouldn’t even notice the removal unless you spotted it in the news or you tried to install the app on a new device. That could soon change, as Google could start notifying users if it removes an installed app from the Play Store.
Currently, the Google Play Store notifies users via Google Play Protect when an app is flagged as a “potentially harmful app” or suspended for serious security violations. However, the Google Play Store doesn’t notify users when an app is removed or delisted for routine reasons, such as minor policy issues or the developer’s self-delisting.
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Google Play Store v51.4.19 includes strings that suggest this could soon change, with the store notifying users about app removals.
Code
%1$s was removed from Google Play and will no longer receive updates
%1$s and %2$d other apps were removed from Google Play and will no longer receive updates
%1$s and %2$s were removed from Google Play and will no longer receive updatesThe strings change depending on the number of apps removed. The primary purpose of notifying users appears to be informing them that there will be no future updates for the app on the Play Store. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more about this move.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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