An anti-China app developed by a Jaipur-based tech firm in India has been downloaded more than 1 million times from the Google Play Store within two weeks of its launch.

Launched on May 17, 2020, the app called “Remove China Apps” has been developed by OneTouch AppLabs. This application, which is available for free on the Google Play Store, is ranked #2 on the list of top free apps on the platform. The app has a solid rating of 4.8 out of 5 and has received reviews from over 117,000 users at the time of writing. 

According to a survey by the Takshashila Institution, 67% of Indians hold China responsible for the spread of the current COVID-19 pandemic, reports Business Insider. Also, the rising border tensions between India and China over the past few weeks has further intensified anti-China sentiment among people in India.

“Every Indian knows that China has a big market capture in India with its products. China makes a lot of money and uses the same money in anti-India anti-India activity,” said the co-founder of OneTouch AppLabs, who did not want to be named. “China should pay for this.” 

The Remove China Apps claims to identify and list all the China-origin apps installed on the user’s smartphone, such as TikTok, Tencent Games, ShareIt, CamScanner, and more that user can then delete from the device.

The app has a very simple interface and doesn’t require any special consent-based permissions for downloading it. It has a simple single-page document informing what data the app takes. It also does not serve any advertisements.  

The description of ‘Remove China Apps’ on the Google Play Store clearly states that the app aims to only identify the country of origin of a particular app and it does not promote or force people to uninstall it. 

This application is being developed for educational purposes only to identify the country of origin of a certain application(s), we do not promote or force people to uninstall any of the application(s).

Detecting the country of origin is based on the market research but we do not guarantee for any correct/wrong information, so users should act only at their own will.

How To Install And Use ‘Remove Chinese Apps’ : 

  • Download the ‘Remove China Apps’ app from the Play Store.
  • Open the downloaded app and click on ‘Scan Now’.
  • The app will now scan and look for any Chinese apps on your phone.
  • Once your device is scanned, it will list all the Chinese apps on your phone.
  • Click on the delete button next to the app’s name to remove it. 

However, please note that the app can only delete the Chinese apps that you have downloaded. It cannot delete the Chinese apps that come pre-installed on Android phones as bloatware.

Currently, ‘Remove China Apps’ is available only for Android phones and not for iOS-powered devices such as iPhones and iPads.