A fake WhatsApp clone is showing up before the real version on the Play Store
The ‘WhatsApp Messenger’ dupe reportedly popped up as a sponsored result above the real version.
The ‘WhatsApp Messenger’ dupe reportedly popped up as a sponsored result above the real version.
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
is a news writer covering all things consumer tech. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI.
After a Chrome clone was spotted on the Play Store earlier this week, a user on Reddit says they’re seeing a fake version of WhatsApp in a “sponsored” slot above the real version. As reported earlier by Android Authority, the WhatsApp dupe has racked up over 500,000 downloads and, at the time of writing, its Play Store listing is still live.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The WhatsApp clone is from a developer going by “Agment Assets sallu” who doesn’t currently have anything else listed on the Play Store. Their listing for the WhatsApp impostor has the same icon, screenshots, and text as the real version, but the real WhatsApp has over 10 billion downloads, an “editor’s choice” badge, and over 246 million reviews. Android Authority points out that the WhatsApp clone may be using Google Play’s Early Access program to disable public user reviews, which could have helped users warn people against downloading the app.
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