In a bizarre incident, Facebook-owned WhatsApp seemed to have disappeared from the Google Play Store, some users complained on Friday.
“Users are now reporting that the Facebook-owned instant chat messenger app no longer appears on the Play Store search results,” MSPoweruser reported.
This essentially means that those who are looking to join WhatsApp for the first time won’t be able to install WhatsApp via Google Play Store as of now.
However, if you have previously installed the WhatsApp but uninstalled it later for some reason, you can see the app in the ‘Previously installed app’ section in the Google Play Store. This, in turn, means that WhatsApp hasn’t completely disappeared from the Google Play Store and neither did Google blacklist the app, the report added.
The reason remains unclear but, WhatsApp for Business, still remains on the Play Store, as spotted by WABetaInfo, a fan website that tracks WhatsApp updates.
(With input from agencies)