Is Kaspersky blocked / removed from Google Play?

[thtmax]

When I searched for Kaspersky's apps on Google Play today, I didn't see any of them appear, and only other brands' antivirus.
So I used my PC to check if Kaspersky was removed from the App Store as well, but everything is fine on App Store.

Google Play:
 

App Store:


I know there's another method that download APK file directly from Kaspersky,
but I am still curious is Kaspersky blocked on Google Play, are those apps under maintenance, or is this a bug? 

Edited September 27 by thtmax
Separate 2 images to make them easier to read

[Flood and Flood's wife]

 

On 9/27/2024 at 3:10 PM, thtmax said:

When I searched for Kaspersky's apps on Google Play today, I didn't see any of them appear, and only other brands' antivirus.
So I used my PC to check if Kaspersky was removed from the App Store as well, but everything is fine on App Store.

1. but I am still curious is Kaspersky blocked on Google Play, are those apps under maintenance, or is this a bug? 
2. I know there's another method that download APK file directly from Kaspersky,

Hello @thtmax, 

Welcome!

1. For Google Play Store, it's not a bug.
2. Alternative sources: Galaxy, Huawei, Xiaomi, Apple or the .APK direct download (as you've already noted), are available at: How to download Kaspersky applications on Android and iOS.

Thank you🙏
Flood🐳+🐋

Edited September 28 by Flood and Flood's wife
How to download Kaspersky applications on Android and iOS

[thtmax]

9 minutes ago, Flood and Flood's wife said:

 

Hello @thtmax, 

Welcome!

1. For Google Play Store, it's not a bug
2. Alternative sources: Galaxy, Huawei, Xiaomi, Apple or the .APK direct download (as you've already noted), are available at: https://support.kaspersky.com/common/beforeinstall/

Thank you🙏
Flood🐳+🐋

 

Thanks for reply!

May I ask if this situation will keep going on or is it just temporary? Cuz I think it is rare to see all of Kaspersky’s products disappear from Google Play, it concerned me a little bit if something might have happened which could affect to users like me.

[Danila T.]

6 minutes ago, thtmax said:

Thanks for reply!

May I ask if this situation will keep going on or is it just temporary? Cuz I think it is rare to see all of Kaspersky’s products disappear from Google Play, it concerned me a little bit if something might have happened which could affect to users like me.

Hello,

We will publish the information shortly.

[garioch7]

@Danila T.,

I sure hope so, very shortly.  Kaspersky has known about this US ban for some time.  I can no longer get updates from the Google Play Store, from which I downloaded two Android copies, which are now being updated by the Samsung Galaxy Store (I own two Samsung Galaxy phones).  I am a new Kaspersky Premium customer (May 2024).

If you check my past posts, you will see that I was flamed by a Forum Master and sent a PM by a Moderator for pointing out that flaming was contrary to Forum Guidelines.  That happened because the Samsung Galaxy Store updates are not current.  Happily, @Flood and Flood's wife were able finally prove, that despite being a Kaspersky newbie, I did not have the option to even determine whether my phones were a part of KSN and no option to include it or not.

I will say that I love the product, but the actions that Kaspersky has taken, and not taken, with respect to the US ban on their products, have given me serious reason to be concerned.

I live in Canada.  I don't want any product doing a silent forced installation of software that I have not explicitly consented to, just like my US neighbours.

I will also say, as a longtime respected member of many security Forums, that I have never witnessed an English Forum as "locked down" as this one.  You have your Forum Guidelines, which include the nebulous condition that Moderators will be obeyed and can make up their own rules.

I don't know if the Russian Forums are so constrained, but the impression that the English Forums leaves with a newbie is that you better learn our rules, and you had better learn them fast, that is, if you can find them.

Kaspersky is such a great product.  The corporate communications strategy does not begin to do it justice.  I suspect that they will be teaching the Kaspersky response to the US ban in MBA courses as to how to do it wrong.

You will, I hope, pardon me.  I have US friends and family.  Kaspersky has let them, and me, down.

I live in Canada.  I can't get current K updates for my phones from the Google Play Store.  As a customer, I am weary of waiting for solutions from K.

Respectfully submitted,
Phil

[BlackEdition]

15 hours ago, Danila T. said:

Hello,

We will publish the information shortly.

Im not sure how long "shortly" is, but your reply was 15 hours ago and im not finding any new info in this thread and forum.

Does the APK file method work without any issues? Any limitations? What about app updates?

When I go to All Features > Update antivirus database, is that enough to get all the updates or do we need to download a new APK with every new version? Please explain this to your current users.

I think you guys should do the same as what AdGuard does with their app, all the app updates can be served directly within the app (Google Play doesn't allow ad-blocking apps, so APK is the only way to install it and all the updates are available with a click of a button).

 

Edited September 27 by BlackEdition

[RandheerSingh]

Yes. I also cant find Kaspersky in Playstore. Cant find it on Samsung Galaxy store in India also. When will Kaspersky answer. I just formatted my mobile and my subscription is going on. Please help.

[nexon]

9 hours ago, BlackEdition said:

When I go to All Features > Update antivirus database, is that enough to get all the updates or do we need to download a new APK with every new version?

You must download APK file from store  when new version is out. Virus definitions are only small updates against viruses... 

@RandheerSingh as alternative you should download APK file directly to your phone via website. Simply select APK or any other store and also region. 

[BlackEdition]

3 hours ago, nexon said:

You must download APK file from store  when new version is out. Virus definitions are only small updates against viruses... 

Is this an official answer or do you not represent Kaspersky?

It's easy for them to implement a way to update within the app itself without having to re-install with every new version (just like I showed with AdGuard). If we need to download a new APK file with every update, then I would have to find a different security solution on my Android device.

[nexon]

Every app must be downloaded from store. So Kaspersky also. You can't update whole app via virus definitions. That's logical. 

But if you want you can ask tech support. 

[Flood and Flood's wife]

34 minutes ago, nexon said:

Every app must be downloaded from store. So Kaspersky also. You can't update whole app via virus definitions. That's logical. 

But if you want you can ask tech support. 

Hello @nexon, 

The issue is not about about downloading Kaspersky apps. 

The issue is not about the source of Kaspersky apps.

The issue is not about updating Kaspersky virus definitions. 

The issue *is* about the availability of Kaspersky app(s) functioning in the same *seamless* manner it/they previously functioned when it/they was/were available in GPS & now no longer does/do. 

Regarding contacting support - why? 

@Danila T. has already advised Kaspersky are across the issue.

The issue was formally raised with Kaspersky - Friday, 9 August 2024. One month and 20 days ago. 

Hello @BlackEdition, ioo, when @Danila T. wrote his post -> it was Friday 27th September, 16:44, we strongly suspect he was heading home for a weekend off - after a seriously crap week - we don't think "We will publish the information shortly" means - there will be a statement within 24 hours - happy to be proven wrong. 

Please wait patiently. 

Thank you🙏
Flood🐳+🐋

[garioch7]

@Flood and Flood's wife,

Thank you for your information.  I most certainly hope that a response and fix from Kaspersky is forthcoming soon.

I followed @nexon's advice and downloaded the current .apk from Kaspersky, but my Legal is still dated 2022, with no option to opt in or out of KSN.  It appears that this might be country-specific, but my Kaspersky Premium account is Canadian, purchased directly from Kaspersky in May 2024.

I can very well understand that @Danila T. had a "seriously crap week" last week.  He is on the "front lines," taking a lot of criticism from frustrated users, myself included.  I doubt that he was the one who decided that this is how Kaspersky would mishandle the US ban of Kaspersky products.

I was so seriously frustrated that I began researching alternatives to Kaspersky.  I left Bitdefender for various reasons.  Kaspersky is so much better than anything else that is out there.  For now, I am going to stick it out because I really don't want to downgrade my cybersecurity because of this imbroglio.

Perhaps naively, I am hoping that Kaspersky seriously improves its corporate communications and decisions as a result of this mess.

Kaspersky is such a great product. It is a real shame what happened to the company and its US customers as a result of the US ban.  Let us hope we have hit bottom, and because of the lessons learned, it will be onward and upward for Kaspersky going forward, with a renewed focus on customer rights.

You are quite right. I think we need to hit the "Pause" button now.  I am sure Kaspersky is by now aware of its customers' well-founded concerns with how the corporation has handled this so far.  Let's give them some time to rectify this mess.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

[MedvedevUnited]

Hello everyone,

First of all thank you for being here we will do our best to provide you with answers to your questions.

The downloads and updates of Kaspersky products are temporarily unavailable on the Google Play store. Kaspersky is currently investigating the circumstances behind the issue and exploring potential solutions to ensure that users of its products can continue downloading and updating their applications from Google Play. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. 

While we are working to restore the availability of Kaspersky solutions on Google Play, users can continue downloading and updating Kaspersky products from other mobile stores, including Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery, Xiaomi GetApps and others. The range of available Kaspersky products for Android is the same in each store. Learn more about Kaspersky products on mobile stores here: How to download Kaspersky applications on Android 

[garioch7]

@MedvedevUnited,

Thank you for your reply.  I am downloading from the Galaxy Store, but here in Canada, I am getting a different version than what @nexon cites as the current version.  The Legal menu is dated 2022 and has no option to turn off or on KSN, which I would definitely want to turn on.  Even downloading the .apk update file from the Kaspersky site did not update to what @nexon is seeing, wherever he is located.

I hope that this issue will be resolved very soon.  This is not what we paid for.  In the past, as @Flood and Flood's wife have pointed out, the version upgrades were seamless and automatic via Google Play Store.

Have a great day.  Please keep us posted here in the English community.  Thank you.

Regards,
Phil

[MedvedevUnited]

Hello @garioch7,

Could you, please, open the application installed on your device, go to Profile (bottom right), then 'About' and make a screenshot of what you see or at least copy application version displayed there? It shouldn't be an issue itself that Legal menu is dated 2022, it just means there was no updates in EULA or Privacy Policy or any other agreement you are checking since that.

Цитата

did not update to what @nexon is seeing

Could you, please, explain what do you exactly mean? I cannot catch it from @nexon's posts yet...

[garioch7]

@MedvedevUnited,

Thank you for your reply.  Here is the screenshot you requested attached.

The reference to @nexon was in an older topic.  This is a link to what he was seeing:

https://forum.kaspersky.com/topic/does-accepting-the-ksn-statement-on-android-enhance-the-protection-49801/?do=findComment&comment=183448

In my "Legal," I have no such option, as @Flood and Flood's wife subsequently explained int that topic.  I cannot opt in or opt out of KSN on my mobile (Samsung Galaxy S21).

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

[Jowi]

Atfer i found out, that my 11.113.x.x. is outdated here in Germany, then i installed it on other ways. In the new version 11.116.x.x. i found the function to deactivate it. On my phone it is under Legal - Statement Kaspersky Security Network (4th tab).

[nexon]

@Jowithere is no change. It was and it is here always... 

[Flood and Flood's wife]

10 hours ago, MedvedevUnited said:

Could you, please, open the application installed on your device, go to Profile (bottom right), then 'About' and make a screenshot of what you see or at least copy application version displayed there? It shouldn't be an issue itself that Legal menu is dated 2022, it just means there was no updates in EULA or Privacy Policy or any other agreement you are checking since that.

Could you, please, explain what do you exactly mean? I cannot catch it from @nexon's posts yet...

43 minutes ago, Jowi said:

After i found out, that my 11.113.x.x. is outdated here in Germany, then i installed it on other ways. In the new version 11.116.x.x. i found the function to deactivate it. On my phone it is under Legal - Statement Kaspersky Security Network (4th tab).

*ALL* 

Advice from HQ experts, dated 18th September 2024, 20:52, the night before the so-called seamless migration:

Regarding to turning off of KSN:

This option is available only for:
the EU, the UK, Brazil, and Vietnam, or by California residents

See:
https://support.kaspersky.com/help/Kaspersky/Android_11.113/en-US/167044.htm

For other regions see:
https://support.kaspersky.com/help/Kaspersky/Android_11.113/en-US/167830.htm

In these articles it is described - How it must work, if it works in different way - it is product`s (localization) bug probably.

**************************

1. Clearly the documentation: "California residents", is yet to be updated. (a non issue, will happen in due course).
2. As we've stated & shown Kaspersky multiple times, we do not reside in the EU, the UK, Brazil, Vietnam, or California, but - when the AV app was sourced from GPS, KSN OFF option was available - in Galaxy store - the app is distributed without KSN OFF option. 
3. In our opinion - the app with KSN OFF option - should be available globally - we cannot comprehend why Kaspersky HQ have decided to give 'choice' to residents of the EU, the UK, Brazil, Vietnam & previously California & FORCE the rest of the Kaspersky subscribers - across the globe - to participate in KSN; it should not be that difficult to distribute the version that has the OFF option - globally. 
4. Specific to the distribution of the AV app thru alternative distribution points - the app is not *auto-updating* when version updates are available - KHQ are blaming the stores for this - we disagree - when the app was available in GPS - the version *auto-updates* were seamless, it all happened without user-intervention - not since mid-July 2024, when the app was withdrawn from GPS, auto-anything became a thing of the past, instead it's manual, user-intervention required, every time - on all devices & the *only* change is the software was withdrawn from one store & distributed thru other stores. 
5. .APK has no version *auto-update* option. 

Thank you🙏
Flood🐳+🐋

Edited September 30 by Flood and Flood's wife
1. modified.

[garioch7]

@Flood and Flood's wife,

Thank you for your comprehensive explanation of the GPS and KSN issues that have been raised.

I hope that Kaspersky is listening because the "information being published shortly", as stated by @Danila T.  on Friday, has exceeded your 24-hour expectation, unfortunately.

As a Premium subscriber, I am unhappy with the GPS situation and the inability to seamlessly and automatically update my mobile Android versions on both of my phones.

I am happy to learn that, while I do not have the option to turn KSN off, I now know, thanks to your post, that it is on, which would be my choice, IF I was given the choice.

Like you, I cannot comprehend why customers in some countries have that option, and the rest of us don't.  Perhaps Kaspersky could shed some light on that anomaly.

Once again, THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge with the community, @Flood and Flood's wife !  You both are an incredible asset to Kaspersky and its customers.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

[MedvedevUnited]

@garioch7, thanks for providing details. According to the screenshot you've got the latest application version (11.116) installed so there is nothing to worry about. While Kaspersky products are unavailable on the Google Play store you may use alternative ways of downaloading and updating applications described in the article mentioned above: How to download Kaspersky applications on Android 

As for KSN opt out button @Flood and Flood's wife already posted link to Online Help articles explaining that's option logics, so it's almost nothing to add here: https://support.kaspersky.com/help/Kaspersky/Android_11.113/en-US/167044.htm

[garioch7]

@MedvedevUnited,

Thank you for your reply.  It does not address the question of WHEN or even IF the Google Play Store (GPS) Kaspersky Android version updates downloads will resume . . .

The issue was first reported, according to @Flood and Flood's wife, almost two months ago.  We were promised an update.  We were told Kaspersky was actively pursuing a solution.

I was not aware that the US ban on its citizens using Kaspersky products extended to the rest of the countries in the world who relied on GPS to automatically and seamlessly update our Android protection program. 

Would you be so kind as to explain to Kaspersky Android protection users what is being done to restore the service for which we are paying by subscription to Kaspersky?

I don't know if the Galaxy version update was the one you saw in my screenshot.  I had followed the advice of @nexon and downloaded the current version of the .apk file directly from Kaspersky AFTER the Galaxy Store update.  I was looking for the KSN option, so I thought at the time it might be in the latest .apk file.  That was the version that I sent you the screenshot of.

@Flood and Flood's wife have eloquently explained that, regardless of my version, there is no such option for your Canadian and most of your other customers, except for those in selected countries.

Nor has Kaspersky explained why the KSN opt-in or opt-out option is only available in certain countries.  An explanation is requested again.

As Kaspersky customers, are we not entitled to transparency and answers to our legitimate questions from the corporation?

Respectfully submitted for your consideration and reply.  Thank you.  Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

[Midnight Spirit]

22 hours ago, MedvedevUnited said:

@garioch7, thanks for providing details. According to the screenshot you've got the latest application version (11.116) installed so there is nothing to worry about. While Kaspersky products are unavailable on the Google Play store you may use alternative ways of downaloading and updating applications described in the article mentioned above: How to download Kaspersky applications on Android 

As for KSN opt out button @Flood and Flood's wife already posted link to Online Help articles explaining that's option logics, so it's almost nothing to add here: https://support.kaspersky.com/help/Kaspersky/Android_11.113/en-US/167044.htm

You may want to update this page then, or place a redirect on it: https://support.kaspersky.com/KISA/MR12/en-EN/95086.htm

[Flood and Flood's wife]

57 minutes ago, Midnight Spirit said:

You may want to update this page then, or place a redirect on it: https://support.kaspersky.com/KISA/MR12/en-EN/95086.htm

Hello @Midnight Spirit, 

Welcome!

Kaspersky Internet Security for Android, Installing the app, Article ID: 95086, Last review: Apr 5, 2018 - is very *old* documentation, it's been replaced by Kaspersky's *new* version: Kaspersky for Android, Installing and uninstalling the app.

Thank you🙏
Flood🐳+🐋

[garioch7]

@Flood and Flood's wife,

That "new" link you provided to @Midnight Spirit seems to imply that Kaspersky has written off the Google Play Store and abandoned us GPS clients.  GPS is no longer listed as a provider.

The official SILENCE from Kaspersky is so very disappointing.  This must be amateur "damage control."  I surmise now that Kaspersky has no intention of fixing the GPS issue.

That contradicts what you reported last week as having been stated by @Danila T. in this post on this very topic:

https://forum.kaspersky.com/topic/is-kaspersky-blocked-removed-from-google-play-50791/?do=findComment&comment=187990

My personal perception is that the Kaspersky position now is that their customers can "put up and shut up."

Not your issue, @Flood and Flood's wife!  You have no control.

The more that this US ban stuff keeps spiralling and intensifying to negatively impact non-US customers, and the lack of concrete remedial action and communication from Kaspersky is going to absolutely result in customer dissatisfaction.

Personally, I am SERIOUSLY disappointed.  This is not how a reputable company looks after its customers.  The Kaspersky US migration strategy of a forced, silent transfer to an unknown, untested, seriously deficient AV product is simply unacceptable.  Period.  Their initial plan, of which there have been reports, to migrate users to BItdefender made good sense, but even then, BD should not have been silently installed without the explicit consent of the Kaspersky users affected by the US ban.

If this is going to continue, this stonewalling by Kaspersky and the lack of communications, then I guess that I will have to eat the money I paid Kaspersky in May for my two-year Premium 5-seat subscription and find an ethical and customer-focused company to which I can confidently entrust my cybersecurity.  The last month of witnessing Kaspersky's incompetence has irrevocably damaged my trust in the company.

Personally, I really hope that they change course immediately.  Kaspersky Premium is a premier cybersecurity product.  I will be sad to have to abandon it.

Just my two cents.  Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil