Social media app Parler returns to Google's Play Store

FILE PHOTO: The logo for Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

(Reuters) -Parler, a social media app popular with U.S. conservatives, is returning to Google's app store more than 1-1/2 years after the Alphabet Inc-owned company removed it following the U.S. Capitol riots in January 2021.

The app was launched in 2018 and styled itself as a free-speech space for those seeking an alternative to platforms such as Twitter. It quickly gained traction from supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump.