CODEWITHSUNDEEP
google-play
hultqvist
hultqvist

Reputation: 18409

Delete unlisted google play app

What is the practical method to remove an obsolete app in Google Play so no user accidentally install it?

Years ago I unlisted a few Google Play apps because they were obsolete and are no longer working with the current version of our service.

Still screenshots of these apps appear in Google search results, especially in the image search results.

These results come from third party sites that most likely profit from ads by cloning content from google play store. Example of these sites are apkpure, mobogenie, downloadapk, apkzip, apkgk.

These sites link back to the unlisted app in Google Play making it appear legit.

Google is very clear that you can't delete an app.

Is there a practical method to "delete" the app?

I've considered replacing all images in the Google Play listing with text such as "DO NOT INSTALL".

Upvotes: 0

Views: 191

Answers (1)

Nick Fortescue
Nick Fortescue

Reputation: 13826

If you unpublish it, new users can't install it, even if they find it through search results.

Upvotes: 1

Related Questions