Lately, an app named “Remove China Apps,” which claims to help remove Chinese apps from people’s phones has gone viral in India. It has surpassed over 5 million downloads and perfected a 4.9-star rating with over 200K reviews, all of it within two weeks of its launch.
If you’re wondering about what the app is about and how it works, here’s everything you need to know.
Remove China Apps- The Truth of Viral App
The Remove China Apps app was first released on Google Play Store on May 17. It has been developed by a Jaipur-based company called the OneTouch AppLabs. A simple search on Whois reveals that the developer’s website was created on May 8.
The app claims to help users identify and remove made in China apps from their devices. It is sized about 3.8MB and can be installed on any phone running Android version 4.0.3 and above. Interestingly, there are no ads on offer (as of now), and it doesn’t require any special permissions.
It does collect basic information from your device, including the device make and model, the system language, and app-specific information comprising the version name, code, and package name of apps, followed by Google Advertising ID, as mentioned on the privacy policy page.
Why it Became So Popular?
Lately, Sonam Wangchuk- an engineer turned educator from Ladakh has appealed Indians to boycott Chinese software and hardware amid the rising tension at the Indo-China border. In his viral YouTube video, Wangchuk has urged people to avoid Chinese goods as it gives China more money to invest in their army.
Not just that, the anti-China sentiment had gathered momentum from the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, we have already been witnessing endless allegations about Chinese apps stealing user data.
All of it together heated the #BoycottChineseProducts campaign across the country. And that’s the reason why the Remove China Apps gained immense popularity within days of its release. Apart from India, the app is also gaining popularity in a few other countries, including Australia.
How does “Remove China Apps” work?
The Remove China Apps tool has a simple interface with the option to scan for apps. Once the user taps the button, the app scans the phone for any software that comes from Chinese developers such as CamScanner, TikTok, ShareIt, UC Browser, and more.
Once the scan is complete, it shows the list of made in China apps alongside the option to uninstall them. Now, it’s up to the user whether he wants to remove any of the apps or not. The main intention is to notify users if they’re using any Chinese software.
Is it 100% Accurate?
No, the app isn’t entirely accurate as it still misses out on detecting many of the apps that come from Chinese developers. Moreover, it’s also unclear how the developer defines “China apps.”
According to the app’s privacy policy, the detection is based on market research and isn’t guaranteed to be accurate. Also, as of now, the app only scans user-installed apps. It fails to detect Chinese apps that come pre-loaded on the device.
Wrapping Up
This was all about what is Remove China Apps app, who developed it, what’s the origin country and how it works. You should note that the Mitron app, which went viral as Indian TikTok replacement, turned out to be developed by Pakistani firm Qboxus. So, do not believe any social media claims and do proper research while using unknown apps on “Made in India” belief.
Anyway, what are your thoughts on #BoycottChineseProducts? Are you supporting it? Let us know in the comments below. Feel free to reach out for any doubts or queries.
Also, read- Uninstall Mitron App Now, It’s A Pakistani App, May Steal Your Data
