(NewsNation) — Google is withholding former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social app from its Google Play app store due to moderation issues they’ve asked to be addressed, Axios reported Tuesday.
This despite claims last week from the app’s CEO, former U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, that the decision was “up to Google” when he was asked when the app would be available for Androids.
“On Aug. 19, we notified Truth Social of several violations of standard policies in their current app submission and reiterated that having effective systems for moderating user-generated content is a condition of our terms of service for any app to go live on Google Play,” a Google spokesperson said to Axios Tuesday.
“Last week, Truth Social wrote back acknowledging our feedback and saying that they are working on addressing these issues,” the spokesperson continued.
Truth Social is the former president’s new social media venture after he was banned from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, when he was accused of posting messages inciting violence.
It is for that reason that Google has paused in allowing the app into its store, as representatives told Axios their concerns are about physical threats and incitements of violence.
They also said that while Truth Social does have “sensitive content” banners that read “this content may not be suitable for all audiences,” content threatening violence still bleeds through.
The news couldn’t come at a worse time for the app, as it faces strong financial and legal woes that reports say include owing one of its tech vendors more than $1.6 million.
Despite the holdups, Truth Social can reportedly still offer a desktop version of its app for Android users but has not chosen to do so.
Without Android users, the app misses out on 44% of U.S. smartphones, according to Axios.
Truth Social is available in the ITunes store for Apple iOS users.