Google Play Tightens Crypto Rules—DeFi Apps Risk Exclusion from Key Markets

Google Play's updated crypto policies are slamming doors on decentralized finance apps. The tech giant's move could force DeFi innovators to either comply with restrictive rules—or vanish from millions of Android devices.

Why now? Regulatory pressure meets app-store hegemony. While Google claims it's 'protecting users,' critics argue it's another case of legacy gatekeepers stifling financial disruption. After all, nothing says 'consumer safety' like centralized veto power over open-source protocols.

The fallout? DeFi teams face a brutal choice: rewrite their architecture to fit Google's walled garden, or abandon the 3 billion-strong Android user base. Meanwhile, Apple's App Store watches—and likely drafts copycat policies.

One hedge fund manager quipped: 'Next they'll require ETH transactions to file Form 1099s.' The future of finance? Maybe. But first, it needs permission to install.

DeFi apps under threat

In its guidelines, Google Play did not distinguish between centralized and decentralized crypto exchanges. This means that DeFi exchanges, which typically do not have corporate entities to register with regulators, could soon find themselves removed from the Google Play Store.

If a decentralized exchange like Uniswap or PancakeSwap fails to obtain a license, users would only be able to access it through web browsers. Furthermore, the DEXs would not be able to argue that they are not targeting users in the U.S. and the EU directly, and would be delisted by default.

The same rules apply to custodial and non-custodial wallets. This could push many open-source wallets off the Play Store, making it significantly harder for regular users to download them on their devices.