Google Deletes Adamu Garba’s Crowwe App From Android Play Store Following Outrage
Google deletes Adamu Garba’s Crowwe app from Android Play Store Following Outrage
Google has removed Adamu Garba's social media app, Crowwe, from its play store in response to Outrage's creator. The app was removed weeks after its founder promoted it as a viable alternative to Nigeria's banned microblogging platform Twitter.
Crowwe, described as an instant messaging and financial transaction app that includes a digital wallet that enables users to send and receive money while chatting, has received negative reviews.
Is this a violation of policy?
Although no official reason for the removal has been made, Google Play policy reveals that the company removes applications that it believes violate its policies. “Once your app is removed from Google Play, the published version of your app will no longer be available until a compliant update is submitted,” the Playstore's policy states.
It added that the app will not be republished until the policy violation is resolved. Mr Garba, the app's founder, claims, however, in an interview with The Peoples Gazette, that the app did not violate any policy. He asserts that the business was merely being updated. His responses, however, appear implausible, as Google does not require an app to be completely removed from the store before an update can be uploaded.
“Once your update is available, users can download it from your app's store listing page or from their Play Store app's My apps page,” Google stated in its policy.
Other possible reasons for the ban
Following the Twitter ban, Adamu Garba, a former presidential candidate, used the opportunity to promote his Crowwe app as a substitute. His attempt to capitalize on the opportunity, however, backfired when Nigerians began criticizing the app on a variety of grounds, one of which could have resulted in its removal from the store.
A Twitter user accused the app of plagiarizing the Terms and Conditions of another application, Spotify. The affronted platform was notified of the allegation and tweeted that it would investigate.
Additionally, Dubawa, a fact-checking platform, verified that the accusation was true.
The other obvious reason is the app's string of negative reviews on the Play store app itself. A reviewer stated that if there was a rating lower than one star, he would have given the app that rating. Another reviewer stated, "This App embodies everything that is wrong with the world." From the amount of space it takes up on the phone to the design interface and user experience, I'm left wondering if this App was developed with thought.”
That's not all; several other reviewers expressed concern about the platform's pornographic advertisements, and one reviewer specifically referred to it as a terrorist recruitment app.
In conclusion
The removal of Garba's Crowwe app from the Play Store is a taste of karma for many Nigerian Twitter users who despised his role and reaction to the country's Twitter ban.
However, because there are no clear reasons for the app's removal, there is a chance it will reappear. As of this writing, the app is still available for download from the iOS App Store.
