Months after it was blocked, Truth Social, the newly launched social media platform of former US President Donald Trump, has been approved to enlist on Google Play Store.
The approval, which was announced by the company’s spokesperson, means that Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which operates Truth Social, is hence allowed to make the app available in the Play Store.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with Google, and we’re glad they helped us to finally bring Truth Social to all Americans, regardless of what device they use,” TMTG’s Chief Executive Officer Devin Nunes said in a statement.
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The news is a big deal for the Twitter-like social media app, created after Trump was banned from other social media platforms, as it increases its chance of usage by Android users.
Since it was launched in the Apple Store in February, Truth Social, had not been approved for enlistment on Google Play Store, making it difficult for the app to be downloaded by many Trump supporters. The Android operating system is so popular in the US that about half of smartphone users rely on it to download apps.
A Google spokesperson said in August that the Truth Social app had not been allowed on the Play Store because of insufficient content moderation. Truth Social was found violating Google Play Store policies prohibiting content like physical threats and incitement to violence.
A Google spokesperson in late August told Axios, which reported the story first, that they first notified Truth Social about several violations of standard policies in their app submission that barred it from approval on August 19.
Axios reported that Truth Social has been working to update its policies in the time since, and in time, it has made the needed changes to be approved by Google.
Following an increase in violence emanating from online hate speech, tech companies, including app stores, were forced to tighten their policies. Thus, all apps on Google Play that feature user-generated content are required to have robust content moderation policies that prevent not just illegal content, but content that incites violence or is considered hate speech.
Part of the app stores’ morality policies require that apps must also provide an in-app system to enable users to report contents that violate its policies, and must also be willing to enforce its content moderation standards.
Google said that Truth Social agreed to commit to enforcing its own website policies that forbid things like inciting violence, as a part of the agreement to be allowed in the Google Play Store.
“Apps may be distributed on Google Play provided they comply with our developer guidelines, including the requirement to effectively moderate user-generated content and remove objectionable posts such as those that incite violence,” a Google spokesperson noted.
Trump was banned from major social media platforms due to the violence that followed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden. It was believed that the former president used social media to inspire the Capitol riot that resulted in the death of several Americans.
Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC), the shell company that is about to take TMTG public, rose on Wednesday following the news that Truth Social has been approved for Google Play Store. DWAC shares closed up more than 14% at $18.30 Thursday.