Parler Android App Returning to Google Play Store

The right-wing social media app was banned from Google Play following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Imad Khan Senior Reporter

Imad is a senior reporter covering Google and internet culture. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN, Tom's Guide and Wired, among others.

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Imad Khan

Sept. 2, 2022 4:49 p.m. PT

2 min read

Parler Social Media — Google had banned the Parler app over posts that incited violence.
James Martin/CNET

Right-wing social media app Parler is returning to the Google Play Store after being kicked off following the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Google had banned the app over posts that incited violence, saying the app's content moderation was lacking. It now says the moderation has been improved and meets its requirements.

"As we've long stated, apps are able to appear on Google Play provided they comply with Play's developer policies," a Google spokesperson said in a statement Friday. "All apps on Google Play that feature User Generated Content (UGC) are required to implement robust moderation practices that prohibit objectionable content, provide an in-app system for reporting objectionable UGC, take action against that UGC where appropriate, and remove or block abusive users who violate the app's terms of use and/or user policy."

After the Capitol insurrection, tech companies were quick to drop the Parler app from their platforms as evidence suggested it was used to call for violence and plan the attack. The Parler website, which was hosted via Amazon Web Services, was also dropped, taking the social media site offline entirely. Parler found a new web host a month later. The app returned to the Apple App Store in May of last year.

The news about Parler's return to Google Play comes a day after US President Joe Biden gave a speech calling on Americans to "reject political violence with all the moral clarity and conviction this nation can muster."

The news also comes as Truth Social, another right-wing social media platform, is trying to get reinstated to Google Play. Truth Social, owned by Trump Media & Technology Group, failed to get approval last month, with Google saying the company needed to do a better job of content moderation. Google said Truth Social is working on addressing its concerns.

Parler could return to the Google Play Store as early as Friday, CNN reported.

Parler didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The company told CNN that in recent months it's worked "continuously" to upgrade its systems.