Google Play suspends Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo over suspected malware
- Google said it has discovered malware in some versions of Pinduoduo and has warned users about the issue
- Pinduoduo is no longer found in Google’s Android app store as of Tuesday, while sibling app Temu remains available
Google’s Play store has suspended Pinduoduo, a popular shopping app in China, citing the discovery of malware, just as its sibling app Temu has been climbing download charts in the US market.
The Google Play page for Pinduoduo, the main app operated by PDD Holdings known for its cut-to-the-bone deals, was inaccessible as of Tuesday, while Temu remains available.
Google said in a statement that it found malware in some versions of Pinduoduo available for download outside the Play store.
“Users that have malicious versions of the app downloaded to their devices are warned and prompted to uninstall the app,” the company said.
A Pinduoduo spokesman on Tuesday denied that the Pinduoduo app contains malware.
“We strongly reject the speculation and accusation that the Pinduoduo app is malicious just from a generic and non-conclusive response from Google,” a company spokesman said. “We are communicating with Google for more information.”