Google Play has delisted UpScrolled, the “censorship-resistant” social media app founded by Issam Hijazi, following its rapid growth to over 2.5 million users and its brief stint as a top-ranked alternative to TikTok.

While the app remains available for existing users, Google has not provided a specific reason for the removal; UpScrolled’s team confirmed they are working with the Play Store for reinstatement while maintaining their commitment to unfiltered content.

This development follows the app’s rapid ascent in popularity, particularly amid concerns over content moderation on competing platforms like TikTok.

  • kadu@scribe.disroot.org
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    1 month ago

    Reminder that Google is on it’s third attempt to prevent or limit the installation of APKs outside of the Play Store, meaning they are near the point they can effectively control what apps people run.

      • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Do it now, use obtainium, droidfy and aurora. Nearly every app works except google wallet.

        • pkjqpg1h@lemmy.zip
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          1 month ago

          The updated F-Droid Basic is great, it’s modern and it

          • UI rewritten from scratch with Kotlin compose
          • improved search, also searching in descriptions and translations
          • easier to discover new apps, also highlighting the most downloaded ones
          • installation approval before downloading
          • multiple updates/downloads at the same time
          • notifying user of issues with apps (e.g. signing key changed)
          • optional Material You color theme
          • improved filtering of lists source
        • SpezCanLigmaBalls@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          My only problem stopping me is I use my phone for work too. Microsoft auth, outlook. Mostly just auth. I was looking it up a bit ago and people said it breaks it for work accounts

            • shane@feddit.nl
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              1 month ago

              Or ask your work to give you a phone?

              My company insists on spyware for my phone, so I insist they give me a phone for work stuff. I leave it off in a drawer at home when I’m not on call.

            • Zombie@feddit.uk
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              1 month ago

              I’d recommend demanding work getting a cheap budget phone.

              If they require you have work software they can provide the hardware to run it.

              Your phone is your phone.

          • Saljid@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            I currently use MS Auth on my Graphene OS phone. Have installed Play Services on that profile, though

          • pirat@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            The MS auth I need for a work VPN has been set up to call my phone instead, letting me sign in by tapping the # button after answering the phone call from MS.

    • pkjqpg1h@lemmy.zip
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      1 month ago

      This was the real reason for me to ditch the whole Google

      I may compromise privacy

      but I’d die for FREEDOM

  • Pika@sh.itjust.works
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    1 month ago

    De-listed where? It’s listed still for me.

    I’m guessing it was a regional de-listment and it just wasn’t specified.

    Being said, this page was enough to make me install the app, still unsure if I wanna use it or not but, I don’t wanna risk losing the ability to install the app either.

      • ben@lemmy.zip
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        1 month ago

        The more I work for tech companies the more I genuinely end up believing that stuff like this being removed is in fact just incompetence at least 50% of the time

        • BreadstickNinja@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          A lot of companies seem to automatically delist things that get mass reported, which makes them subject to interference by armies of paid or unpaid trolls. Hopefully the issue gets corrected but this seems to happen more and more frequently.

        • fortnitefinn@sh.itjust.works
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          1 month ago

          I work in tech too, and I’m convinced almost none of these abusive tactics are the result of incompetence.

          The abuse is the point. They need to constantly remind people who is in charge.

      • fortnitefinn@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        This is what Google does. They censor content and keep it gone as long as there isn’t a sufficient retaliation.

        It’s what they did to remove AdNauseam from their addon repository. The only difference is nobody fought back so it remains gone to this day without justifiable reason.

    • geneva_convenience@lemmy.mlOP
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      1 month ago

      The devs confirmed it was delisted. Not sure what its current status is. Seeing mixed messages online so it might be regional delisting or it might have been restored.

  • pkjqpg1h@lemmy.zip
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    1 month ago

    Google is a fucking monopoly. (Please do not use any Google product. If you care about freedom, there are tons of alternatives for most products.)

    Start with:

    switch to DuckDuckGo search or Brave Search

    switch to Firefox on your phone and use uBlock Origin (not the weak lite version, but the full Origin version)

    Good job you’ve done 80% of the work. You can continue to de-Google

    btw

    • scala@lemmy.ml
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      1 month ago

      Don’t use brave it’s still chromium/ pays Google

        • scala@lemmy.ml
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          1 month ago

          Waterfox ftw.

          Honestly Firefox is fine for now until they add their AI shit

            • scala@lemmy.ml
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              1 month ago

              Right. I saw that. That’s good to bad it’s opt-out rather than opt in. Applaud Firefox for that though, rather than everyone else shoving it down your throat the second you sign in.

      • nforminvasion@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        And yet it has some of the best fingerprint randomization techniques. Down to some insane details. And before you say, just use the Tor browser for that… I do. But that is a different type of resistance, uniformity. Which is great for some use cases, but randomization also works even better in other situations… Eg, personalized browsers with a few extra extensions and customizations.

    • QuandaleDingle@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      My main problem now is that Google has a monopoly on the Android app store. Plus, most banking apps use play services, so good luck using your own phone ROM.

      • njordomir@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        My bank has a mobile site that is more functional than their app. I guess that’s not the case for every bank.

        • pkjqpg1h@lemmy.zip
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          1 month ago

          do they expect from me to throw my phone away becuase it’s old? hardware is working great >5 years but they limit the software and of course I will pass that limit

          it’s not that hard to do if a company don’t accept/respect your choice then you shouldn’t accept them

          edit: typo

      • pkjqpg1h@lemmy.zip
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        1 month ago

        I use a custom ROM (idk if this is the right word). I don’t have Google Services or any Google apps. My previous banking app didn’t accept custom ROMs, so I just canceled that and switched to one that does accept them. Now my banking app works great and I have no problems on my phone.

    • TractorDuffy@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      the only thing I can’t replace yet is Maps. reviews, photos, in-trip driving instructions, it’s just so full-featured I can’t imagine myself without it

      • pkjqpg1h@lemmy.zip
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        1 month ago

        I haven’t used Google Maps for four months. OpenStreetMap has been enough for me. I don’t need reviews, photos, or driving instructions. Also, the constant use of navigation apps is atrophying our mental mapping skills.

  • arcine@jlai.lu
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    1 month ago

    Ditch Google Play !

    You can use Obtainium and F-Droid to install apps as directly from the Developer as possible.

    You can use Aurora Store to get things from the App Store anonymously.

    If you want, you can install /e/os (any phone) or GrapheneOS (Pixels only) to de-google your Android as much as possible !

    • pkjqpg1h@lemmy.zip
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      1 month ago

      F-Droid (main repo + izzy’s repo) is enough for 70-80% of app needs and their quality is very good (in play store there is millions app but most off them is scam and trash)

      • arcine@jlai.lu
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        30 days ago

        I tend to prefer getting the apps directly from the code repositories via Obtainium, but I use F-Droid to search for apps !

  • voodooattack@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Clickbait? The developer is Palestinian/Australian, the app’s audience is global, and it’s not just Palestine-specific. So what’s up with the sensationalised title?

    • geneva_convenience@lemmy.mlOP
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      1 month ago

      It’s an app developed by a Palestinian which got popular because of recent increasing censorship on TikTok and Instagram against Palestine.

      • voodooattack@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I’m aware. But it’s not just Palestine being censored, it’s currently anything the current U.S administration doesn’t like. So anything anti-trump/Zionist/Israel/ICE falls into this category.

        I’m saying the title is misleading because it could be construed as “a social media app/platform specifically made for Palestinians”, which is what most people that haven’t heard of the app before would assume by reading the title alone.

        • geneva_convenience@lemmy.mlOP
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          1 month ago

          That’s true but most of the hammer is coming down on Palestine content right now. Netanyahu publicly said the goal of the TikTok purchase was to censor for Israel and they’re pulling out all the stops. ICE content isn’t nearly as censored as Palestine content atm

    • bossito@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      If anything the app is Australian, Australian made, the developers are in Australia… this is clickbait

  • MochiGoesMeow@lemmy.zip
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    1 month ago

    I hope Europe makes their own App Store and sells cool flip phones like they have in Japan.

    Sell it to us too.

    Kindly, An American wanting to starve the corrupt beast of my government.

  • merdaverse@lemmy.zip
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    1 month ago

    Has anyone here actually tried the app? The first (and thankfully last) time I tried it, it was full of nazis and actual CSAM. Maybe too censorship resistant for its own good??

  • CovfefeKills@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    It’s back I am downloading it now. Good guy google with the streisand effect.

    E: Oh it’s just isreal hating which is fun and all but doesn’t get anyone anywhere but a list lol