Google officially kicks Kaspersky antivirus software app off the Play Store

3 weeks ago 6

The official Android app for Kaspersky antivirus software have been removed from the Google Play app store in the latest blow for the company.

BleepingComputer notes the move appears to have happened over the weekend, with Kaspersky's developer accounts also disabled and removed following a recent ban by the US government.

"The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security recently announced a variety of restrictions on Kaspersky. As a result, we have removed Kaspersky’s apps from Google Play," a Google spokesperson said.

Kaspersky Android app removed

In a post on its official forums, Kaspersky said it was aware of the issue, and was investigating why its software is no longer available on Google's app store.

"The downloads and updates of Kaspersky products are temporarily unavailable on the Google Play store," a Kaspersky employee posted.

"Kaspersky is currently investigating the circumstances behind the issue and exploring potential solutions to ensure that users of its products can continue downloading and updating their applications from Google Play."

The company said users could still download its apps from alternative app stores, such as Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery, and Xiaomi GetApps, or install the apps by downloading the .apk installation file from Kaspersky's website.

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The move is the latest problem to hit the security giant, which has faced mounting issues in recent months as it faces US sanctions following concerns over national security. The US has long argued Kaspersky software is at risk of being manipulated by the Russian government to hand over secrets and control of the computers, and ordered a full ban on the sale of its products earlier in 2024.

The Russian firm was added to the US Entity List, which comprises “foreign individuals, companies, and organizations deemed a national security concern,”, with a ban on the sale of Kaspersky products starting July 20, 2024.

Subsequent updates to Kaspersky software also ceased from September 29, but the company did offer free security products and safety tips to its customers for six months.

This was followed by further controversy in September 2024 when Kaspersky customers in the US found their antivirus software replaced without warning with a new solution called UltraAV.