Mitron, claimed to be India’s answer to TikTok, recently became one of the most popular apps on the Google Play Store. However earlier this week, the app was suspended and removed for violating the Spam and Minimum Functionality developer policies. Since then, it seems that the developers have made some changes as the app has made a comeback and is once again available for download. A report suggests that the developers have introduced new changes and updated the privacy policy.
Google had suspended the app and had released a statement saying “A number of recent app removals received particular attention in India and we wanted to clarify our actions. Earlier this week, we removed a video app for a number of technical policy violations. We have an established process of working with developers to help them fix issues and resubmit their apps. We’ve given this developer some guidance and once they’ve addressed the issue the app can go back up on Play.”
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Mitron App Suspended from Google Play Store, But Other 'Mitrons' Have Spawned Already
As soon as Mitron was suspended, a number of other apps of the same nature had started spawning on the Play Store. Searching the term ‘Mitron’ on the Play Store shows apps like ‘Mitron Indian’ by Tools LLC,’ Mitron - India’s Short Video Platform’ by Vee Developer and ‘Mitron’ by Socialeee. These apps were all introduced in late May, having a similar sentiment for not being Chinese and pushing the Indian tag.
In our previous investigation of the Mitron app, we had reported that it was a hastily repackaged version of TicTic – a Pakistani clone of TikTok. Notably, it was also lacking a privacy policy. According to Irfan Sheikh, founder and chief executive of TicTic’s developer Qboxus, the promoters behind Mitron had simply purchased TicTic’s source code via CodeCanyon for $34 (~Rs 2,600), and uploaded it on the Google Play Store in India with their own logo. Everything from the interface to how the app was operated, remained the same. This was a clear indication that the app was anything but ‘made in India’, and since it lacked privacy policies, it also made it a fraudulent app looking to cash in on a prevalent sentiment in the country.
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