How did 59 apps banned from Google and Apple's App Store?

pawan | On 29 June, the central government has banned 59 apps, including TikTok. Most of these apps are origin country China and these apps were quite popular in India. After the advisory of banning these apps, they were also removed from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Government of India had issued an order to ban these apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

Of these 59 apps, the Chinese short video making app TikTok was first removed from the Google Play Store. After this, the Google Play Store notified the developers of these apps and blocked their access, due to which these apps were removed from the Play Store and are not visible after searching the users. These apps were also completely removed on the Apple App Store. Apple also removed access to these apps, due to which these apps stopped appearing in India.

Be it the Google Play Store or the Apple Store, every App Store region specification works. If an app is banned in India, then users will not see these apps on the App Store in the same region only. However, for this, the App Store has to remove these apps from its platform. Earlier also TikTok was banned for some time in India, after which it was removed from the App Store, but as soon as the ban was removed from the app, it started appearing on the App Store. Something similar has happened with PUBG. Last year, PUBG was banned following an order from the Madras High Court. After the ban, its server was removed from the App Store in India, which was later re-listed after the ban was lifted.

How do apps work?

Now you may be wondering how the process of deleting any app on Google Play Store or Apple App Store and bringing it back will be completed? Let me tell you whether Android or iOS, any operating system provides API (Application Program Interface) to app developers. Using which developers prepare their app for that operating system. Every year a new version of Android or iOS comes out. Its beta build API is rolled out to app developers before rolling out a new version of the operating system. App developers make changes to their apps by keeping in mind the API of the new operating system so that the apps can work properly even after the new operating system is rolled out for smartphones.

What is API?

An API is a program interface that uses a GUI (graphical user interface) component. The APIs from Google and Apple are quite good, which makes it easier for app developers to develop apps for these operating systems. App developers build blocks according to the API to develop apps for any platform, for which each block is brought together. An API is a base for developing any app in simple language.

Apps do not work without API access

If an app is listed on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, then the app developers access their APIs. When an app is banned in a region (region or country), the App Store blocks the access granted via the API of that app to the assigned region, after which that app does not work in that region. Even if that app is installed on a user's phone, it will still not work, because the access to the app through the API is blocked in that region.

The list of all the apps available on the App Store is available according to the region with that App Store. As soon as an app is banned in a region (region or country), the app is removed from the list of that region. Because of which the app gets unlisted on the App Store in that region. At the same time, users can download, install and use that app in the region in which the app is not unlisted, because in that region the necessary access to the app through the API continues. Similarly, once the ban is removed, the app gets access to the API in that assigned region or country. After which that app starts working again in that region or country.