A “no results found” message is displayed when searching for “coronavirus” or “COVID-19” on the Play Store app or play.google.com
Back in January, Google Search enabled an SOS Alert for all coronavirus-related queries to provide trustworthy information. Google Play now looks to have disabled searching for “coronavirus” Android apps.
Searching for “coronavirus” or “COVID-19” on the Play Store app or play.google.com returns a “no results found” message for Android apps and games. Similar terms — like those appending “tracker” or “map” — also do not work.
Other terms like “COVID19” (without the dash) successfully return results, including one for the official Centers for Disease Control and Prevention application.
According to 9to5Google, there may be a few reasons for this. One suggestion is that it may be a bug or some form of a countermeasure in response to the high traffic.
Google might want to cut down on apps gaming SEO for the popular query and make sure there’s no misinformation. Terms that still work show several niche apps with hundreds to tens of thousands of downloads offering news about the coronavirus, while a handful of games are mixed in. Or, it might just be a way for Google to manually ensure that credible applications like the CDC are shown first.
Some apps about protecting yourself from the virus might be benign or even helpful guides, with information about correct hand-washing and how to quarantine yourself. However, apps could also be used to spread misinformation that’s unhelpful at best, and dangerous at worst.
It’s also possible that unethical developers are attempting to cash in on the crisis, pushing out very simple apps that contain little information at all, and are mostly a means of showing ads or convincing worried users to sign up for premium features.
Google isn’t the only tech company stepping in to curb the spread of misleading information about the virus.
Last year, Pinterest decided to intervene when users search for information about vaccinations and cancer, showing only information from reputable medical publications. It’s now taken the same approach with coronavirus, showing a set of information cards created by the World Health Organization (WHO) offering advice on limiting the spread of the virus.
Facebook is taking a similar approach. Mark Zuckerberg says that the social network is giving WHO free advertising space, and redirecting searches for ‘coronavirus’ to information from the WHO or a local health authority.
False claims and conspiracy theories will be swiftly removed, and anyone trying to exploit the situation by advertising miracle cures will find their accounts blocked.
Twitter isn’t going so far as to block content, and a search for the virus brings up tweets containing all sorts of false information (including a tutorial on making an effective face mask using a piece of toilet paper and rubber bands).
These are preceded by a notification box marked ‘Know the facts’ with a link to a verified local health provider, but the site might choose to follow Google and Facebook’s example, and tighten up its policy in the coming weeks.