Earlier this year, Google announced that it would block app installations from unverified developers, sparking criticism that Android was becoming a “walled garden” like Apple’s iOS.

Under the new program, set to launch in September 2026, Android developers must register with Google to distribute apps. When users install an app, the operating system will communicate with the Android Developer Verifier — a new system service — to check if the developer is verified. Unverified developers’ apps will be blocked with a warning message.

To ease the process, Google will maintain a local cache of popular apps, enabling offline verification for common software. Lesser-known apps may still require an internet connection for validation. The change will also apply retroactively through Google Play Protect on older Android versions.

While Google argues the policy will reduce malware and scam apps, critics — including F-Droid, a third-party open-source app store — warn that the requirement could threaten alternative app distribution ecosystems. Many open-source developers are reluctant to provide personal identification to Google, raising concerns that the move could stifle innovation and independent software communities.

Google has waived the $25 registration fee for students and hobbyists but has not clarified how the policy will affect broader sideloading practices through ADB or other methods.

The company insists that the measure is essential to combat malicious app distribution. Rollout of the verification system will continue through 2027 across eligible devices.

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The scheme, dubbed SlopAds, secretly generated fake ad views and clicks in the background, siphoning advertising revenue while providing no real user engagement. At its peak, the operation produced 2.3 billion bid requests daily.

The fraud was discovered by HUMAN’s Satori Threat Intelligence team, which promptly reported the apps to Google. The tech giant has since removed the apps and activated its Play Protect system to warn users and prompt uninstalls.

Investigators revealed that the apps concealed their fraudulent behavior using steganography and hidden WebViews, which opened invisible browsers to load cashout sites. Many of the apps and domains carried AI-themed names, helping to disguise their true purpose.

SlopAds’ fake traffic spanned 228 countries, with the highest activity traced to the United States, India, and Brazil. Researchers also noted that instructions for the scheme were delivered via Google’s Firebase platform, while some fraud modules were hidden inside PNG images and later reassembled on users’ devices.

Analysts warn that while the apps appeared harmless, they drained device resources and caused significant losses for advertisers, who unknowingly paid millions of dollars for non-existent impressions and clicks.

This discovery follows similar reports of malicious apps on Google Play. In October 2024, more than 200 harmful apps with eight million downloads were identified, with Nigeria ranked among the top 10 most targeted countries.

The post Researchers Uncover SlopAds, One of the Largest Mobile Ad Fraud Schemes appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECHDIGEST – In the last four years, the number of applications on the Google play store reduced from 3.6 million to 2,591,578, representing 28 percent drop by March this year.

According to trading platforms analysis, which presented data showing that the store’s app numbers had fallen by a million, the decline is due to Google’s periodic purges of apps violating its terms of service. Trading platforms noted that some of the apps were malicious intruding into users’ privacy and compromising their security.

Commenting on the development, tradingplatforms.com’s Edith Reads said, “Google owes its customers the duty to protect. Its Play Store is teeming with apps that could interfere with the proper functioning of users’ devices. Some could even jeopardize the security of users who download them. This reality makes such cleanups inevitable.”

Google Play’s almost 2.6M Android apps listing makes it the largest app store in listing terms, followed by Apple App Store with 2.3 M applications for devices running on the iOS technology. Amazon App store supplies its customers with about 500K android apps. Its best-sellers are in utilities, gaming, and education. The Chinese app market is bursting with third-party Android stores, which include Tencent’s app store hosting nearly 44K apps.

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Protecting users

Google sets standards that developers wishing to list their apps on its store must adhere to. These include their commitment to adhering to its user data policies. Those policies stress transparency in how those apps interact with users’ data. The threshold is higher for any apps handling sensitive and confidential information.

The firm uses a two-pronged approach to ensure compliance with its listing terms. Beginning in 2015, it uses a combination of human reviewers and AI tools to flag malicious or non-compliant apps. It then bans any apps that are in serious violation of its terms.

The apps store comes with the Google Play Protect feature. This software scans all apps for threats alerting Google’s engineers to step in if needs be. It also follows a peer grouping policy. Here it groups and compares attributes of apps with similar attributes for easy monitoring.

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