Google has removed an Android service that has helped people eliminate other apps made in China.
Remove China Apps had been downloaded over a million times in the first 10 days after its launch.
It has proved particularly popular in India, where tensions with China are high beyond a disputed border in the Himalayas.
Google has stated that it has violated the policies of its app store but has not provided any further details.
The software was developed by the Indian company One Touch AppLabs.
On his website he wrote: "Dear friends, Google has removed Remove China Apps from [the] Google Play Store.
"Thanks for all your support in the past two weeks.
"You are fantastic."
The app highlighted the popular social media site TikTok, owned by Bytedance based in Beijing
But he also pointed out the Zoom video conferencing app, based in California but founded by an entrepreneur born in China.
The Remove App China service highlights TikTok, owned by Bytedance based in Beijing.
But also reports Zoom, which is based in California but was founded by an entrepreneur born in China.
However, it was unable to detect apps pre-installed on Chinese-made smartphones.
Among the other apps he highlighted were:
- ShareIt, which allows people to transfer files including photos, videos and music
- CamScanner, which allows users to use their phones to scan images and turn them into PDF documents
- UC browser, a Chinese browser owned by Alibaba
Fans helped her advertise through social media posts, where they suggest alternatives to Chinese apps.
But critics said the service is fueling anti-Chinese sentiment, which was already on the rise after the emergence of Covid-19 in Wuhan city.
Boycott calls
The developers of Beluga Whale, an online community for Chinese app makers, have invited others to report the app to Google, calling it a "form of market disturbance".
One said to the Techcrunch news site: "I think what will happen in India will happen in other countries in the future, so this is a long-term impact that should take into account the calculation of Chinese developers."
Tensions escalated between India and China after Chinese troops moved to what had been regarded by India as its territory in the disputed Kashmir region.
Indian engineer Sonam Wangchuk posted a video on YouTube suggesting that Indians should boycott everything Chinese, which has so far had two million views.
Since then the hashtags #boycottChina, #boycottmadeinChina and #boycottChineseapps have trended on social media.
Bollywood actor Milind Soman, who has over 99,000 Twitter followers, went up on the platform to say he had uninstalled TikTok.
Marks another setback for the video clip app, which recently underwent a reaction in India due to a parody acid attack clip that led users to publish millions of reviews from a star via the Google Play Store.
Neither Google nor TikTok responded to requests for comment.
