Google has allowed Parler back onto the Google Play Store, according to a tweet from the social media platform, after it removed the app in January 2021, citing the platform’s lack of moderation on posts inciting violence at the US Capitol. Apple re-instated Parler to its App Store in May 2021, after temporarily removing it around the same time Google did.
Parler, which advertises itself as a platform for free speech, agreed to moderate posts that show up in the Play Store app, according to a Bloomberg report. The company previously told The Verge that it has a similar deal that allows it to remain on the App Store — “Anything allowed on the Parler network but not in the iOS app will remain accessible through our web-based and Android versions.” (The Android version was, at the time, available via side-loading and therefore did not have to conform to Google Play policies.) The company also said that its algorithm could detect violent content that violates its guidelines.
Parler isn’t the only social network that’s been in talks with Google to get on the Play Store — former president Donald Trump’s social network, Truth Social, has faced similar challenges. As the company behind the app, Digital World Acquisition Corp., faces mounting bills, it says it’s been working “in good faith with Google” to get onto its app distribution platform. Meanwhile, Trump has used the platform to post messages that may put Truth Social in conflict with the Play Store’s user-generated content policy.