Google Play Store, App Store: How to spot fake apps?

How to spot fake apps in Google Play Store or iPhone App Store? In the world of developers, there are those who create innovative applications and games, and those who try to use the wave against the user. Both Google and Apple are after hijackers: these sometimes paying fake apps designed to trick you in some way. Such apps can take the form of a semi-compatible copy of an app already available in the app store, or exactly an app or game that shouldn’t normally exist. There may also be apps that promise unavailable features.

Google Play Store, App Store: How to detect and trap fake apps

The risk is multiple: Not only do these apps force you to spend money through purchases, in-app purchases, and sometimes even overpriced subscriptions with implied renewals. Knowing that these sums will go into the pockets of disreputable people, not really innovative developers. The other risk is that said apps hide malware. Then it becomes easier to spy on you without your knowledge or to recover your smartphone from a botnet, for example, in large-scale DDoS attacks, where it can join without your knowledge. Here are some tips for spotting them.

Authenticate the developer

The developer of the app is always mentioned somewhere: at the top of the corresponding page in the Play Store and in gray, just below the name of the app in the App Store. This is Google when it’s a Google app, Facebook when it’s the app of the same name or Instagram, etc. should be. If you don’t know the developer on large apps, you’re probably dealing with a fake app. Be careful though, counterfeiters can be clever. For example, there was an application case named Update WhatsApp Messenger and allegedly from WhatsApp Inc. The hacker actually added an undivided space to his name to achieve his goals…

Read the app description carefully for errors

Fake apps don’t always have as professionally written description as real apps. The presence of a large number of typographical or typographical errors should raise awareness. Large studios often entrust this work to communicators, or at least to people who have the job. In tone and in terms of features or promotions, promises should say: are they believable? Is there anything similar to this in store? If the answer to any of these questions is Nogo to the next step.

Read the reviews carefully

Be careful, there are lots of false reviews and ratings, especially on the Google Play Store. However, careful reading will make it possible to detect them and will give you an idea of ​​the usefulness and authenticity of the application you want to download. Sometimes it is necessary to separate irrelevant comments (which seem like they were written by a robot) from others – negative comments are usually really interesting ones.

Check the publisher’s website

If in doubt, it is better to do some research on google to go to the publisher’s site. This will tell you for sure if the app you want is available on the Google Play Store and/or the App Store. Then it is impossible to stumble: if the publisher has not yet presented the application, but you find it in the Store, it is necessarily a trap. When you Google the publisher’s name or the name of the app, you may come across information that will allow you to detect fraud.

Pay attention to the permissions the app requests

On Android, you can also control what permissions the app requests. Does this seem reasonable? What’s the benefit of changing the settings of a simple messaging app? Or access to your contacts for a word processing application? If an app seems to be asking you for more permissions than necessary, it may be hiding malware or at least behaving maliciously. Enough to track you down another malpractice.

And of course, avoid downloading APKs outside of the official Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

This makes sense as we show you how to avoid fake apps on Play Store and App Store in this article. But it is better to avoid downloaded APKs or IPAs and side loaded or “wildly” installed from other sources or other app stores. It is not always possible to avoid these alternative sources. In this case, it is better to learn a lot about the sources so as not to accidentally install malware.

What should you do if you have already been trapped by fake apps?

The best reflex is to immediately report the existence of a fraudulent app on the App Store or Play Store to Google or Apple. You can do it from this page for Google Play Store or through This help page for the iPhone App Store. Hereby, you will be able to request a refund of the amount you spent on purchasing the app, if necessary. And after verification, the developer may see that his application has been withdrawn or even banned from the Store altogether…

And have you ever been trapped by fake apps? What was your reflex? Tell us everything in the comments!