UC Browser for Android appears to have been taken down from the Google Play Store. The mobile-friendly version of the web browser seemingly disappeared without a trace earlier today, just weeks after the app topped 500 million downloads on Google’s mobile store.
For those unfamiliar with the name, UC Browser is developed by UCWeb, which is owned by China’s Alibaba Group. As well as being a hugely popular alternative to Google Chrome in its home region, UC Browser has an enormous base in India.
While Chrome has since reinstated some of its dominance, back in June, UC Browser became India’s favourite mobile browser and at one point grasped over 50 percent market share. In addition, it is the sixth most downloaded Android app in India.
UCWeb has also claimed that Indian users make up 100 million of its total monthly active users from around the world, with the latter figure reportedly reaching 420 million, per reports from 2016. As a result, its removal is a shocking step to say the least. It will also lead to a number of key questions, most notably: why was it removed after all this time and after so many downloads?
UC Browser’s disappearance was first spotted by the eagle-eyed netizens on Reddit, and its users have an interesting theory.