Over 50 more Chinese apps banned in India, list includes previously banned apps resurfaced as clones

Highlights

• The government of India has reportedly banned over 50 more apps of Chinese origin.
• This is the first time the government has banned these many apps ever since the historic 270 apps ban in 2020.
• The banned apps list seemingly includes Garena Free Fire, a widely popular smartphone game.

In a surprising turn of events, the government of India has reportedly banned over 50 more smartphone apps in the country, which likely have their roots in China. This is not the first time the government has banned a bunch of Chinese apps, as it banned 270 mobile apps back in 2020. As of now, there’s no official list of the new banned apps, but rumours are suggesting that the list includes Garena Free Fire, a popular smartphone game, and some previously banned apps that resurfaced as clones.

50 more Chinese apps banned in India

#ETNOWExclusive | Government of India bans around 50 more apps. The new ban also includes apps banned earlier but have resurfaced as clones. 270 apps have been banned by GoI so far @NayantaraRai @AshwiniVaishnaw @Rajeev_GoI @GoI_MeitY @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/74QjJJu8tF

— ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) February 13, 2022

As seen in the tweet above, 50 more apps have reportedly been banned by the government of India. The new ban includes apps that were banned earlier but resurfaced as clones. ET Now has not provided the complete list of banned apps in India.

The list of over 50 banned apps in India seemingly also includes Garena Free Fire as the game has been pulled from Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Chinese company Tencent owns a significant chunk of Free Fire’s parent company, which could be a reason behind the ban. However, it isn’t clear if Free Fire has been removed due to the government’s ban or due to some other reason entirely.

The 54 Chinese apps include Beauty Camera: Sweet Selfie HD, Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera, Equalizer & Bass Booster, CamCard for SalesForce Ent, Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite, Viva Video Editor, Tencent Xriver, Onmyoji Chess, Onmyoji Arena, AppLock, Dual Space Lite.

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2022

According to ANI, 54 Chinese apps in total have been banned in India. The list includes Beauty Camera: Sweet Selfie HD, Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera, Equalizer & Bass Booster, CamCard for SalesForce Ent, Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite, Viva Video Editor, Tencent Xriver, Onmyoji Chess, Onmyoji Arena, AppLock, Dual Space Lite. Sources told ANI that these apps “pose a threat to India’s security.”

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Previously, the government of India banned popular apps like TikTok and PUBG Mobile in the country. PUBG Mobile has resurfaced as BGMI and TikTok is also rumoured to make its comeback soon in the country. That being said, it will be interested to see which all apps the government has banned this time around, in addition to Garena Free Fire, of course.

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