Binance app removed from Google Play in some EU countries

The Binance Android app is no longer visible on the Google Play Store in several European Union countries after users in Spain and Latvia reported it missing from Play search results earlier this week. Binance confirmed Google Play had updated its policies, affecting the availability of crypto app updates in “certain markets,” and added it is working with Google to restore availability.

One user in Spain found the app remained available on Oppo’s App Market but not in Google Play searches on their device. A separate user in Latvia reported the same disappearance. Binance has not named the specific countries affected or detailed which policy updates led to the removals.

Initial notices of the app’s disappearance surfaced last week when Erald Ghoos, chief executive of OKX Europe, posted that the app had been removed in relation to Markets in Crypto-Assets licensing requirements. The reports followed Binance’s decision to withdraw its MiCA application in Greece weeks earlier, shortly before MiCA’s transitional period ended on July 1.

After withdrawing the Greece application, Binance told some EU customers they would face restrictions on access to certain services while retaining the ability to withdraw funds. The company has not published a complete list of services or markets affected by those restrictions.

MiCA is the European Union regulatory framework for crypto-asset markets that requires firms to obtain licenses and comply with consumer-protection rules. The framework included a transitional period intended to give firms time to secure authorizations; firms that do not obtain required approvals face limits on offering regulated services across EU member states.

Google has not issued a public explanation of the policy updates or confirmed which apps and markets were affected. For Android users in affected countries, some device-specific app stores such as Oppo’s App Market may still offer the Binance app. Binance customers in the EU should monitor official Binance communications and their device app stores for availability updates while the company and Google work to resolve the distribution issue.