The Google Play Store has a problem with shady cast-to-TV apps

For the most part, the Google Play Store is a safe marketplace with millions of legitimate apps to download. However, it’s not impossible for shady apps to sneak onto the platform. In terms of the cast-to-TV/screen mirroring category, it appears you should probably watch your step, as a new report suggests it is flooded with sketchy software.

Stefan Hurzlmeier, the developer behind the Android screen-casting app LocalCast, recently noticed something strange about the ads running on his app. All of the ads were for competing casting apps. But the strange part wasn’t just that competitors were advertising on his platform. The developer also found it strange that these ads all had the same ad style, were advertising the same kind of app, and were all targeting LocalCast users specifically.

This prompted Hurzlmeier to start investigating the 16 apps being advertised on LocalCast. What the developer found during his investigation was interesting to say the least.

According to the report, these apps are operated by a small number of developer networks, primarily based in Vietnam and Pakistan. In addition to these 16 apps, it’s reported that these networks operate over 280 other apps across dozens of fake developer accounts, which have resulted in a combined 1.8 billion installs. The developer claims that it is “systemic Play Store manipulation” that has led to “coordinated ad campaigns targeting competing apps like mine.”

Hurzlmeier lists the following five groups as the worst offenders:

• iKame/Begamob (Vietnam): This group reportedly has over four Play Store accounts, 130-plus apps, and about 1.5 billion installs.
• MaxLabs (Hong Kong): This company is said to run eight separate Play Store developer accounts (Maxlabs Graphic Design Tools, Maxlabs Photo Editor, Maxlabs Personalization Tools, and so on).
• Package ID ai.chatbot.alpha.chatapp: This is allegedly a cast to TV app that was previously an AI chatbot called “AI Chatbot – Alpha.” It’s said that the app was renamed to inherit the chatbot’s rankings. Hurzlmeier says Google’s cached search result still shows the old name.
• Nice – Polska Sp. z o.o.: This casting app shows Nice – Polska Sp. z o.o. as its Play Store developer. However, Hurzlmeier claims that “the privacy policy is at generationztech.com, the contact is support@generationztech.com, and the company behind it is a UK shell run by a single person in Pakistan.”
• Incube Technologies (Pakistan/UAE): This network reportedly sells app store optimization as a service, and its casting apps are published through “SwiftBiz Apps.”

In regard to the app experience, Hurzlmeier claims that these apps don’t actually work. In addition to not casting, these apps allegedly serve uncloseable ads that require you to restart your phone, “free trials” that charge immediately, and $25.99 weekly subscriptions.

Android Authority has reached out to Google for comment. We’ll update this article once new information is available.