Google just gave the boot to over 180 apps, wiping out a whopping 56 million downloads in the process. The reason? A massive ad fraud scheme that had been tricking advertisers into paying for fake engagement. These weren’t your everyday sketchy apps — on the surface, they looked like legit, useful tools. But behind the scenes, they were running ads non-stop, making it a headache for users while quietly raking in cash from advertisers.
Fake apps that just wouldn’t go away
These fraudsters had a clever trick up their sleeves. They created what’s known as "vapour apps" — apps that looked like regular ones (think flashlights or QR code readers) but were really just ad machines. Once installed, some of them wouldn’t even show an app icon or an open button, making it nearly impossible to delete them. Users would keep seeing ads everywhere, while advertisers ended up paying for engagement that wasn’t even real. It was a lose-lose situation — except for the scammers.
Google scrambling to fix the mess
Google had been trying to patch up the problem with security updates, but the fraudsters were always one step ahead. No matter what Google did, the dodgy apps kept slipping through. At this point, the only way to put an end to it was to remove the apps entirely. But the damage was already done — users had a terrible experience, advertisers wasted money, and even genuine developers, who rely on ads to make a living, got caught in the mess.
Cleaning up the Play Store
To fix things, Google teamed up with Integral Ad Science (IAS), a company that specialises in tackling ad fraud. Together, they managed to track down and shut down the fraudulent apps. Google is also stepping up its security game, ensuring that even if these kinds of dodgy apps come from outside the Play Store, Google Play Protect will step in to warn users and automatically disable them.
By taking down these apps, Google is trying to clean up the Play Store and make sure both users and advertisers don’t get scammed. But let’s be real — this probably won’t be the last time fraudsters find a way to game the system.
