UpScrolled, a social media app developed by a Palestinian-Australian software engineer as an alternative to censorship on other platforms has been reinstated on the Google Play Store on Sunday after a suspension lasting approximately one day.
The app, launched by Issam Hijazi in June 2025 after accusations that TikTok was censoring pro-Palestinian content, has grown rapidly to over 2.5 million users, becoming one of the most widely downloaded apps on the Play Store and the App Store.
Many users began switching to UpScrolled when TikTok’s US operations were acquired by a consortium of pro-Israel investors.
It has marketed itself as a space free of the influence of billionaires and algorithms which engage in shadow-banning.
At one point downloads of UpScrolled surpassed those of TikTok in the US, the UK, and Australia and its servers were overwhelmed.
Google initially removed the app from the Play Store on Saturday without providing any explanation, and users searching for it received a “not found” message.
UpScrolled issued a statement sarcastically linking the ban to Valentine’s Day and saying it was working to resolve the issue with the Google Play team.
However, on Sunday, UpScrolled announced that it was back on Google.
"It's official… We're back together! Google Play reinstated," the platform said on the social media platform X.
While still marketing itself as a censorship-free space, UpScrolled has recently expanded its moderation team in response to criticisms that some harmful content was available on the app.