TECHDIGEST – Tech giant, Google, has announced the endorsement of the former U.S. President Donald Trump’s social media app, Truth Social, for distribution on Play Store, Google’s app repository with about 3.3 million Android apps.

The Chief Executive Officer, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), Devin Nunes, disclosed the endorsement in a statement seen by Ripples Nigeria recently.

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Earlier, Google’s Play Store, which has been the main way users of Android phones in the United States and elsewhere download apps, has failed to approve Truth Social over the concerns about the violations of its Play Store policies.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Google, and we’re glad they helped us to finally bring Truth Social to all Americans, regardless of what device they use,” Nunes said in a statement.

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TECHDIGEST – Details about former U.S. President Donald Trump’s new social media app are trickling out as about 500 beta testers have begun using an early version of “Truth Social,” two sources told Reuters.

The testing of Truth Social comes a year after Trump was banned from Facebook (FB.O), Twitter (TWTR.N) and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) YouTube. His new media and technology venture, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), has pledged to deliver an “engaging and censorship-free experience” on the app, which Chief Executive Devin Nunes has said will launch by the end of March.

TMTG remains shrouded in secrecy and is regarded with skepticism by some in tech and media circles. It remains unclear whether the app’s goal of freedom of expression can co-exist with Apple’s (AAPL.O) and Google’s app store policies. TMTG was not immediately available to comment.

Liz Willis, a correspondent and vice president of operations at Right Side Broadcasting Network, told Reuters she received an email Tuesday stating that “T Media Tech LLC has invited you to test Truth Social.”

Willis was able to download the app on her iPhone through the beta testing site TestFlight, the Apple-owned product that developers use prior to launching their apps in the App Store. Users have been posting on this version of Truth Social for the past 24 hours, Willis said.

Wayne Dupree, founder of WayneDupree.com and host of a conservative podcast, is also among the app’s beta testers.

“I can see my participation in Truth Social outgrowing Twitter because it seems I am not suppressed like I have been on Twitter, since 2016,” said Dupree, who added there was currently no edit button.

“I want to share my single dad chronicles. I want my followers to see I am more than politics and I feel Truth Social is going to allow my audience to see me as Twitter purposely does not.”

Twitter has repeatedly denied its platform is politically biased.

By late Wednesday, Trump’s account on Truth Social had 317 followers, according to a screenshot viewed by Reuters. Trump had 88 million followers before Twitter banned him.

Truth Social allows users to post and share a “truth” the same way they would do so with a tweet. There are no ads, according to Willis and a second source familiar with TMTG.

Users choose who they follow and the feed is a mix of individual posts and an RSS-like news feed. They will be alerted if someone mentions or begins following them.

According to a screenshot, the app says that “A new direct messaging experience will be available soon. Please stay tuned.”

Several conservative media personalities also have accounts, according to a screen shot reviewed by Reuters. Reuters could not immediately reach those individuals for comment.

Trump’s account shows one “truth” that he posted three days ago, verified at the account of @realDonaldTrump with a red check and with the message: “Get Ready! Your favorite President will see you soon!”

Donald Trump Jr on Twitter highlighted his father’s first post on Truth Social.

TMTG released an updated version, “Truth Social 0.9,” Wednesday morning. It is testing for bug fixes for “re-truths,” which is what it calls a retweet, “image aspect ratios and compression, improved error handling and account creation.”

On Wednesday morning Nunes, who joined the app on Feb. 10, posted: “Good morning Truth testers. Please screenshot any bugs when the screenshot preview comes up.”

If a tester sees anything that they don’t like, they can screenshot it and report it to the developers.

A message says: “Beta feedback and device information is collected and shared with the developer and it will be linked to your email address.”

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TECHDIGEST – Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, has announced the launch of his own social media platform, nine months after being expelled from all major sites for his role in allegedly inciting violence at the US Capitol following his election defeat last year.

Trump, in a statement, said the launch of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) and its “TRUTH Social” app is meant to remedy his suspensions from sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the wake of the January 6 storming of the Capitol by his supporters as legislators met to certify the victory of the Republican’s Democratic rival, incumbent President Joe Biden.

He said: “We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favourite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable.

“I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all. I’m excited to soon begin sharing my thoughts on TRUTH Social and to fight back against Big Tech.”

The social network is set for a preliminary rollout in November and a full rollout in the first quarter of 2022, according to the release. It is being created through a new company formed by a merger of the TMTG and a special acquisition company.

The social media platform is the first of the three stages in the company’s plans, followed by a subscription video-on-demand service called TMTG+ that will feature entertainment, news and podcasts, and an entry to the cloud-computing space, according to the release.

Trump, who was impeached by the US House of Representatives for his role in egging on rioters on January 6, but later acquitted of the charges in the then Republican-controlled US Senate, has been vocal about his desire to launch his own media platform following his presidency.

Recall, an earlier effort to launch a blog on his existing website was abandoned after the page drew dismal views.

In May, a semi-independent Facebook oversight board upheld Trump’s suspension from the site, on which he had about 35 million followers, while criticising the open-ended nature of the ban and calling for the company to determine a more concrete timeline of the ban within six months.

In July, Trump sued Facebook, Twitter and Google, along with their chief executives, seeking the restoration of his accounts and punitive damages.

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