Google Play Store bans app over coronavirus content

In view of its new COVID-19 policies, tech giant Google has begun the crackdown on apps and services on the Play Store that do not conform to them. One such victim of the crackdown is an old and popular app: Podcast Addict. It is one of the most popular podcast apps on the Google Play Store but has been removed from the platform on account of violating the new coronavirus policies, as per a report by 9To5Google.
Google updated its COVID-19 guidelines recently to prevent the spread of misinformation about the novel coronavirus. Podcast Addict is not a recent app; it has been there on the Play Store for close to nine years and has had more than 5 million downloads.
As per the report, Google sent this message to Xavier Guillemane, the developer of the app: “Pursuant to Section 8.3 of the Developer Distribution Agreement and the Enforcement policy, apps referencing COVID-19, or related terms, in any form will only be approved for distribution on Google Play if they are published, commissioned, or authorized by official government entities or public health organizations.” The app was axed from the tech giant’s market without any prior warning.