Fake Chrome app racks up 100,000 downloads – with Google's own ads pushing it above the real thing
Critics say it's a bad look for a company trying to crack down on sideloading.
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- A fake Chrome app on Google Play copied Chrome’s name, icon, and description.
- The app showed more than 100,000 downloads, but the timing of those installs remains unclear.
- A Reddit screenshot showed the fake app as a sponsored result above the real Chrome browser.
- Google removed the app, but has not explained how it passed review or appeared in ads.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
A fake version of Google's own Chrome browser slipped onto the Google Play Store, copying its branding closely enough to rack up more than 100,000 downloads – even appearing as a sponsored listing above the real thing.
The discovery is embarrassing for Google, which is trying to stop people from installing apps from outside its official Play Store - a process known as 'sideloading' – for security reasons.
Web browser news source PiunikaWeb shared a screenshot of the counterfeit app on Wednesday, showing it at the top of the Play Store search results.
The listing copied Chrome's name, icon and description, but was published by a developer called Hizbartech rather than Google LLC.
The app launched as a game called Ball Bounce in August before being rebranded to resemble Chrome on September 30th – but its package identifier (the fixed ID code Android assigns an app) stayed the same: com.ballbounce.Hizbartech.
More than 100,000 downloads were reported as a cumulative total, so it's unclear how many of those installs happened before or after the app was rebranded as Chrome.
App may have been designed for ad bait, not malware
Reddit users who investigated the app reported finding a messaging style interface containing AI generated avatars and pre-programmed responses rather than a functioning browser.
The developer’s motive remains unclear, although Reddit users have suggested the fake browser may have been designed to generate ad revenue by attracting downloads from people searching for Google Chrome.
OK_Noise9883 wrote: “I did research, there are no viruses, some guys from Pakistan stole the game app and made it into an app that plays ads on short repeat when you start it.”
It's not yet confirmed whether the app contained malware or stole personal data.
How did app slip through Google’s net?
A screenshot on Reddit showed the fake app appearing as a sponsored result above the genuine Chrome browser, although PiunikaWeb was unable to reproduce the advertisement during its own checks.
The app has now been removed from Google Play.
Google has not explained how the listing passed its checks at the time of the initial reports.
The browser community claims that the incident raises questions about Google’s app review and advertising processes, particularly as the company introduced tighter restrictions on the practice of installing apps from outside its official Play Store.
In an attempt to prevent malicious developers from distributing malware-infected apps, Google announced its plan to restrict sideloading on Android devices back in August 2025.
Since September, only apps from verified developers have supposedly been allowed on Google-certified Android devices.
It is hard to ignore the irony here, given that Google has spent months locking down Android and restricting sideloading for user safety,says web browser community news source, PiunikaWeb.
“When Google’s own ad system takes money to promote a fake version of its flagship browser above the real thing, it’s a bad look for the company,” it added.
