Nudify apps are hiding in plain sight on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store

Apple and Google often talk about the strict guidelines that apps need to follow in order to be allowed on their stores. However, every few months, new reports emerge of harmful apps making their way onto both the Play Store and the App Store. Apps like the fake Chrome browser spotted last month are concerning enough, but Google and Apple have a much bigger, more alarming problem on their hands with “nudify” apps.

Earlier this year, around 38 “nudify” apps were found on the App Store and Play Store, accounting for a combined 483 million downloads and $122 million in revenue. Now, Wired has uncovered that there may be several hundred more. What’s worse is that they are now masquerading as innocent services, such as language tutoring, AI-based pet photo editing, and workout coaching apps.

According to the report, investigators uncovered a network of over 400 apps and websites freely available across Apple’s and Google’s app stores. The operators behind them are also running Meta ads featuring explicit deepfake material to promote the software. These apps reportedly present a standard user interface when downloaded, leaving users with little reason to suspect anything nefarious. Behind the scenes, however, they ping a server that decides whether to unlock the hidden deepfake generator.

Researchers who uncovered the network note there is no definitive checklist determining whether a user sees the “safe” interface or the “explicit deepfake” version. However, one identified trigger appears to be downloading the app directly after clicking a Meta ad containing explicit deepfake content.

The report notes that the apps were traced back to Chinese developers and Hong Kong-based “KeLing Technology Limited.” The company reportedly scrubbed its connection to the apps after being contacted.

In a statement to Wired, Apple put the blame firmly on the developers, saying, “We review every app before it’s published, and these apps complied with our rules when we reviewed them. After approval, their developers changed the website the app pulls its content from, replacing what we approved with pornographic content, and promoted it through pornographic ads hosted on a third-party platform.”

Both Apple and Google have already removed a substantial number of the offending apps, according to the report. Still, the fact that these apps continue to surface with no end in sight remains troubling.

We have reached out to Google for a statement and will update this story when we hear back.