Messaging app ToTok returns to Google Play Store despite spying claims

ToTok remains unavailable on Apple App Store

Popular chat app ToTok has been restored to the Google Play Store despite allegations that it was developed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government for the purpose of spying on its people.

"The wait is over. We are happy to inform you that #ToTok is now available for download on the Google Play Store. Thank you for your patience. Let's connect!," the app developer company announced in an update on its website.

The new version of ToTok on Google Play appears to have been updated by its developer. The app page on Google Play Store says that ToTok now comes with a new dialog box to ask for user permission to access their contact lists.

Google didn't reveal why ToTok has been reinstated but said it takes security violations seriously. "If we find behaviour that violates our policies, we take action," a Google spokesperson insisted.

However, the app is still missing from App Store.

ToTok is a popular video calling and messaging app, which was released last year and is currently used by millions of users worldwide. It enables users to make high-quality voice and video calls at no cost.

The app, over the past few months, has become highly popular in the UAE where rival social messaging apps, such as Skype and WhatsApp, were partially restricted by the government - before ToTok magically appeared to fill the government-imposed gap in the market.

However, last month, the app was pulled from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store over allegations that it was being used by the UAE intelligence agencies to track users' locations and conversations.

The New York Times claimed in a report that US intelligence officials had confirmed that ToTok app was an Emirati spy tool, which was able to track user's location as well as to access the contact list, cameras, calendars and microphones on the device.

The report further claimed that the app developer, Breej Holding, was most likely a "front" for a firm linked with Abu Dhabi-based cyber intelligence company DarkMatter.

DarkMatter is thought to be run by UAE intelligence officials, former operatives from the US National Security Agency and former Israeli military intelligence officers. ToTok, however, denies all those allegations.

In an interview with the Khaleej Times last month, ToTok co-founder Giacomo Ziani said that they were saddened to see the app being targeted by some people who, he suggested, probably don't want the app to become a global player.

Ziani insisted that the app complies with all international regulations and was not linked to any government.