Fact Check

Adamu Garba claimed Crowwe App was removed for an update but this is false

Claim: The CEO of Crowwe application and one-time presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, has claimed that he asked Google to take down his social media platform from Google Playstore because he needed to update the App.

Verification has shown that an Application must not necessarily be removed for Updates and Google is not in the best position to remove apps for updates. Google only removes applications that are perceived to have violated its policy.

Full story

Following the announcement of a ban on Twitter by the Nigerian Government, the Chief Executive Officer, IPI Group, Adamu Garba, recently presented the Crowwe app as an alternative to the microblogging website.

Meanwhile a publication by Peoples Gazette on Monday, June 14, 2021, stated that Google had deleted Crowwe App days after the federal government suspended Twitter.

The publication noted that the app has since received terrible reviews which could be responsible for its disappearance on the play store app.

Screenshots of  Peoples Gazette publication and Twitter post

In reaction to the publication, Garba made a statement on Tuesday the 15th of June 2021, that he asked Google to take Crowwe down because he needed to update the App.

Garba in an interview with The PUNCH, on Monday, said there was a bug affecting the contact list information, so he had to submit a support report to take it down which was done, and the app would be back latest by Tuesday Morning.

Screenshot of Punch publication on Monday

Verification

To verify this claim, Dubawa visited Google play store on Tuesday to check if the app has been uploaded but it appears the App is still missing.

This prompted Dubawa to verify if the App needs to be taken down to fix technical issues.

An App Developer, the co-founder/CEO of Elesaro, Johnpaul Nwobodo, said an application must not be removed before any update, as users can download the update on Play store.

Adding that, even if the App must be removed for any technical update, it is the developer or the company that is meant to remove the app not the host, in other words “not Google”.

Dubawa checked on Google Play Console help, and it revealed that the Developer just needs to submit the  app bundle or APK  and Once the update is published, it will be distributed to existing users.

Another look at a programming site, Venkatramanan Ramasubramanian, a mobile application developer said that a company does not necessarily have to remove an application before updating it.

Google removes applications that are perceived to have violated its policy.

Has Crowwe App Violated Google Policy?

Recall that Dubawa verified a claim by critics, that Crowwe’s Terms and Conditions were copied from another app, Spotify and it turned out to be true. Dubawa checked some of the reviews from the app users and found one threatening complain by Hollarisky, on the 06/14/2021, to sue play Store

 

Screenshot of Hollarisky’s complain

Dubawa went on to study the Google Play store terms and policies and it states that Google can take down apps that  causes harm or liability to a user, third party, or Google — for example, by hacking, phishing, harassing, spamming, misleading others, or scraping content that doesn’t belong to you.

Google Play store Policy reads “Once your app is removed, the published version of your app won’t be available on Google Play until a compliant update is submitted,” 

“Until a policy violation has been fixed, don’t republish a removed app,”

About Crowwe App

Crowwe is a Nigerian multi-purpose app built to ensure privacy in instant messaging and financial transaction app that comes with a digital wallet that helps to transfer and receive money while chatting.

The Crowwe app, which has been described as the Nigerian multi-purpose app, built to ensure privacy in instant messaging, ease mobile payment,  connect with friends and family while building business and life, has received the worst reviews, with a 1.1 Rating from the App store.

Screenshot of App review

Conclusion

Dubawa’s Verification has shown that an Application must not necessarily be removed for Updates and Google is not in the best position to remove apps for updates. Google removes applications that are perceived to have violated its policy.

As of the time of filing this report, the Crowwe App is still missing on play store. So this is to say that Adamu Garba’s claim that he asked Google to take down his social media platform from Google Playstore because he needed to update the code, is False

The researcher produced this fact-check per the 2021 Kwame Karikari Fact-checking Fellowship partnership with JAY 101.9 FM Jos to facilitate the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country

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