For about six weeks in late summer 2022, Android users could not find Donald Trump’s social network in the one place most of them look for apps. Google had said no.
A Google spokesperson told AFP on 31 August that the company would not list Truth Social in its Play Store, citing a lack of moderation and “multiple violations” of its policies. Google had warned the platform on 19 August that “effective systems” for moderating user-generated content were a necessary condition for any app on Play. Truth Social’s answer, according to Google, was that it was working on those issues. There was a workaround. Unlike Apple’s iOS, Android lets people install apps through other routes.
A reversal in October
The block ended in mid-October. NPR reported on 14 October that Google had announced, late on the Wednesday, that Truth Social could be downloaded from its store. Google said the app could stay as long as it moderated user-generated content and removed objectionable posts such as those inciting violence. What had changed since August was unclear, NPR noted.
The stakes were large. Google’s operating system runs on some 70% of smartphones worldwide, and in the United States, where iPhones dominate, about 44% of devices are Androids, according to StatCounter. Devin Nunes, chief executive of Trump Media & Technology Group, said that with its place in the store the service “can now be accessed across all devices in the United States”. He called it “a significant milestone in our mission to restore free speech online.”
What the platform is
On Truth Social, users post “truths”, the equivalent of tweets. NPR described the platform as dominated by right-wing and conservative voices, with views that can drift quickly into conspiracy. Trump and his allies have promoted it, with mixed success, since the former president was banned from major social media sites following the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol. It had been available on iPhones for months. At launch it ranked among the most downloaded free apps in Apple’s App Store, though interest had since declined.
Money trouble behind the scenes
The parent company’s finances drew scrutiny that summer. Fox Business Network reported that Trump Media had not paid RightForge, the internet provider behind the platform, for several months. Truth Social replied in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was “financially sound” and pointed to $15 million in bridge loans it had recently raised. Trump called the reports “gossip” spread on purpose to mislead.
The company’s planned route to the stock market also looked shaky. Digital World Acquisition Corp., the blank-check company trying to merge with Trump’s firm, was under regulatory investigation. It faced a deadline of 8 December to complete the listing, or it would be set to liquidate. Digital World had landed some $1 billion in commitments, but in a filing the month before NPR’s report it said investors had pulled out nearly $139 million.
Sources
- Google is now distributing Truth Social, Trump's Twitter alternative (NPR)
- Trumps Truth Social: Google bietet es nicht im Play Store an (Berliner Zeitung / AFP)
