‘Remove China Apps’ Is Trending On Android Play Store As Sinophobia Rises In India

As India-China relations sour and both armies are sabre-rattling in Ladakh, Indians are constantly sharing #BoycottChina posts on their social media platforms. A new app called ‘Remove China Apps’ is now trending on Google Play Store in the ‘top free’ category.

Downloaded over 5 million times, the app is developed by Jaipur-based OneTouchAppLabs and is capable of detecting all China-made apps on a user’s phone. Though it doesn’t uninstall those ‘detected’ apps by default, users themselves are required to do it.

Launched on May 17, the app has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars from nearly 1,96,000 reviews. This is the only app listed on Google Play Store by OneTouchAppLabs. Though, they claim to have ‘8+ years in mobile and web application design, development and management’.

The app isn’t programmed to detect inbuilt Chinese apps that come pre-installed in Chinese smartphones and can only detect apps installed by the user or third party websites.

The app released after the PM Modi’s clarion call for a self-reliant India got 1 million downloads within just 10 days of its launch and its makers have thanked Sonam Wangchuk for his contribution to the“Self Reliant India” mission.

Last week, ‘3 Idiots’ famed innovator and Ramon Magsaysay Award-winner Sonam Wangchuk, who inspired actor Aamir Khan’s character in the movie, appealed to the Indian citizens to boycott everything “made in China”. His call was reiterated by model Milind Soman, actor Arshad Warsi, and few others.

USE YOUR WALLET POWER#BoycottMadeInChina #SoftwareInAWeekHardwareInAYear to stop Chinese bullying in Ladakh & eventually to liberate the 1.4 Bn bonded labourers in China, as also the 10 Mn Uighur Muslims & 6 Mn Tibetan Buddhists.
Click this link to playhttps://t.co/ICjRQJ2Umf pic.twitter.com/lpzAXxARPj

— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) May 28, 2020

OneTouchAppLabs’ website clarifies that the app is for “educational purposes” only and doesn’t guarantee any “correct/wrong” information, asking the users to act upon their will.

The app has prompted a response from Chinese developers focusing on international markets. Baijing, or Beluga Whale, a renowned online community for China’s app exporters, said that Remove China Apps is “a form of market disruption” and urged Chinese developers to flag the app to Google.