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Google globally kicked Kaspersky’s Android security apps out of the Google Play Store and shut down the Russian company’s developer accounts.
Kaspersky confirmed the issue on the company’s official forums on Sunday and said it was currently investigating why the software is no longer available on Google’s app store. A Kaspersky representative said that downloads and updates of Kaspersky products were temporarily unavailable in the Google Play Store and that they were looking into potential solutions to ensure that users could continue to download and update applications from Google Play. Over the past week, users have increasingly reported that Kaspersky’s products, including Kaspersky Endpoint Security and VPN & Antivirus by Kaspersky, are no longer available in the Google Play Store in the US and other regions of the world.
As long as the apps are not available, Kaspersky advises users to install them via alternative app stores such as the Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery and Xiaomi GetApps. The company’s security apps can also be installed by downloading the .apk installation file from the Kaspersky website. A support page provides more information on how to install and activate Kaspersky software on Android devices.
This development follows Kaspersky’s announcement that it would cease operations in the United States after the US government imposed sanctions on the company and 12 executives in June and banned Kaspersky antivirus software on national security grounds.
Google has since confirmed to BleepingComputer that this has prompted the decision to block Kaspersky and its products from the Google Play Store.
