- Tipster AssembleDebug enabled the feature by enabling a flag in the Google Play Store.
- The feature allows you to uninstall apps remotely from your other connected devices.
- Google will soon be rolling it out to all Android devices.
In the last few years, Google has addressed a lot of things to strengthen the Android ecosystem. Now, it’s adding another feature to the same that will allow users who own multiple devices to use the Play Store and remotely uninstall apps installed on other devices.
A user and tipster who goes by the name Assemble Debug flipped the switch of a feature flag buried deep inside the Google Play Store and explained how the feature works in detail. The feature is still unavailable to the masses and probably won’t be available for some time.
The version of Play Store they used was 38.8, and the feature does exactly what its name suggests. Say you have two Android devices, one is with you and another is at home. You could go to the Play Store on your current device, select from a dropdown menu your other device, and remotely uninstall an app from it.
It’s a pretty nifty feature that finally completes the Google Play Store’s remote app installation functionality. It should be noted that the feature will probably require both your devices to be signed in via the same account and have an active internet connection.
The feature will also have filters to sort apps according to their names and sizes. It’s supposedly coming to all Android platforms, including Wear OS, TV, PC, and Android Auto soon.
To remotely uninstall an app on Android, you will need to:
1. Open the Play Store -> Tap on your Profile -> Tap Manage apps and devices
2. Go to the Manage section and select a device from the dropdown.
3. The apps installed on the selected device will be listed.
4. Check all the apps you want to uninstall and at the top right, tap on the bin icon.
5. Finally, tap Uninstall.
Beebom’s Take
While this may look like a great feature, which it is, we wish Google would add a biometric authentication for uninstalling apps. As of now, we don’t exactly know how the feature works internally; given how the tipster described it, if someone with ill intent were to get a hang of one of your devices or accidentally try the feature, they could try to uninstall apps on the device you are carrying. Needless to say, it would lead to a messed up situation.
What are your thoughts about the remote installation and uninstallation feature on the Google Play Store? Let us know in the comments section below.
