Petteri Pyyny
26 Nov 2019 9:52
In one of those "WHAT?" decisions, Google has removed one of the most popular torrent client, LibreTorrent from its Android app store.
LibreTorrent has become extremely popular among Android users simply bacuse it doesn't use aggressive advertising and it simple works as should. So, as the app has a good reputation, it has sparked tons of copycats in Google Play store, with name variations created from LibreTorrent's official name. Typically, those clones use 3rd party torrent code and come bundled with massive pile of aggressive advertising, creating a bad user experience.
One would imagine that Google would clean its store by kicking out the copycats?
Nope. Instead, Google has decided to remove the official LibreTorrent from its store.
After this rather surprising move, the developer of the app filed an appeal to get his app listed back to the Play store. Google, however, refused to do so, stating that "We don't allow apps that spam users or Google Play, such as apps that are duplicative and low-quality".
Good reasoning. Only problem with that is the fact that it applies to all the LibreTorrent clones, not to the official product itself. Only way for the author to get the app listed again would be to change its name and add it as a completely new app to the Play Store - losing the millions of downloads, reviews and the name recognition of the app. The very name recognition that caused the mess in the first place.
LibreTorrent can still be installed as an .apk file, but that requires user to bypass Google Play. However, for most users, installing apps outside Play store is not recommended option, as it also opens the Android system to various other risks.