Imagine if you were a new Android user, and you searched for WhatsApp via the Play Store and saw two entries with somewhat the same name, using the same branding, and even have the same developer names. What would you do? This was the situation this weekend, noticed by a Reddit user. Fortunately for us, Google has belatedly done its work.
This situation was noticed by Reddit user “E_x_Lnc”, who saw two apps – the legit WhatsApp, and one which was called “Update WhatsApp Messenger” – with similar visual assets and even seemingly similar developer names. Of course, this would be very confusing to newbie Android users – and potentially dangerous if the other app was not legit and contained some sort of malware.
Fortunately – and belatedly – news of the situation reached Google, and they apparently forced the developer first to change their name, and then to stop using visual assets similar to the original. As of time of writing, the app has already been removed – and it would be good if the developers was banned from the Play Store altogether, we think.
This shows that it is somehow possible to mimic legit apps – and the only reason you would mimic an app with a huge following is if you somehow needed your version to be downloaded by many people before you get caught. That sounds like some shady behavior, so hopefully Google can heighten their protection against these.
SOURCE: Reddit
