Google Suspends Pinduoduo App from Play Store Over Malware Concerns

Google has suspended Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo’s app from its Play Store over security concerns and urged customers to uninstall the app from their devices, including any installs made from third-party app stores and other downloads. It is unclear whether other local app stores such as those by Huawei, Xiaomi, and Tencent have taken any action against Pinduoduo and its parent company PDD Holdings, as the Google Play Store is not available in China.

The app, which allows customers to buy fresh produce from farmers, has more active users than Alibaba in the country. Google stated that “Off-Play versions of the e-commerce app that have been found to contain malware have been enforced on via Google Play Protect”. Malware was found in previous versions of the app’s code on GitHub.

PDD Holdings also operates Temu in North America, an online marketplace app whose consumers primarily receive products direct from China. This move comes at a time when western governments are increasingly less trusting of Chinese companies and many official bodies are banning Chinese-owned apps amid cybersecurity concerns.