Google Play Store: on deleted apps
If you’ve been using Android for years, you’ve probably experienced an app suddenly disappearing from the Google Play Store. Until now, you usually only noticed this when you tried to reinstall the app or read somewhere that it had been taken offline. It looks like this is set to change soon.
References to new notifications have been found in a recent version of the Google Play Store, which will alert users when an installed app has been removed from the Play Store. This is code currently under development, so the feature has not yet been officially announced by Google.
The notifications would inform users that an app “no longer receives updates” because it has been removed from the Play Store. This could be useful, as at present you only receive warnings via Google Play Protect for apps considered dangerous or harmful. Apps that are voluntarily removed by developers, or that disappear for minor policy reasons, often remain on your device unnoticed.
Indications
According to the text snippets found, Google would display different notifications depending on the number of apps affected. Think, for example, of a notification such as: “This app has been removed from Google Play and will no longer receive updates.”
This could be a useful addition for users. Outdated apps can, after all, cause problems over time, such as security vulnerabilities, compatibility issues or features that no longer work properly on newer versions of Android.
It does not, however, automatically mean that a removed app is dangerous. Sometimes developers simply stop maintaining it, an app is replaced by a newer version, or it no longer complies with certain Play Store rules.
The feature was discovered through an APK analysis of Play Store version 51.4.19. This involves identifying new features based on code that is already present in the app but is not yet actively used. As is often the case with discoveries of this kind, it is therefore not certain whether Google will actually release the feature in the end.
It is not yet known exactly when the warnings will become available.
