ToTok app, alleged UAE spy tool, removed from the Google Play Store yet again

Popular messaging app ToTok has been pulled from the Google Play Store … again. According to 9to5Google, Google removed the app as of Friday afternoon after reinstating it in January.

ToTok originally launched in July and took off rather quickly in the Unite Arab Emirates. With messaging apps like WhatsApp and Skype being blocked in the Middle Eastern country, ToTok seemed like the next best option. Eventually, it even became popular around the world.

But only a few months later it was removed from both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store. As 9to5Google notes, Play Store claimed the removal happened because ToTok violated its policies. But there wasn’t any more detail than that.

When a New York Times investigation was published after the removal, it all started to make a bit more sense. The report alleged that ToTok was was gathering all types of information on its users’ activity, including conversations and locations.

As with most messaging apps, ToTok asked its users to grant the app access to the phone’s camera, photos, microphone, location, calendar, and contacts. This allegedly allowed both ToTok developers and the UAE’s intelligence agency to use it as a full blown surveillance tool. 

ToTok (sort of) addressed concerns in a blog post by claiming its removal from both Apple and Google’s app stores were due to a “technical issue,” and that they were working with both companies to fix the issue. 

But there was nothing mentioned in terms of, you know, spying. Instead, the post made sure to emphasize its “tens of millions of users across hundreds of countries,” thousands of positive reviews, and “high-security standards.”

The app was up and running again on the Google Play Store in the beginning of January. And since then, it seems things have been fairly quiet in terms of further investigations or allegations regarding the app. 

So, why the sudden (and quiet) removal from the Play Store yet again? It remains unclear. We’ve reached out to Google for comment and will update this story if we receive a response.