Developer disguises app as Chrome

A developer named Hizbartech disguised an uninteresting application called Ball Bounce as Google Chrome on the Play Store and paid for an advertisement to place it above the real browser. The app, which had more than 100,000 downloads, was removed by Google on October 14.

Timing of app submission

Hizbartech submitted the application on September 30, the same day Google implemented mandatory developer identity verification in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. The developer changed the name and icon of the application to mimic Chrome during a simple update and copied the description of the official listing, according to screenshots examined by PiunikaWeb.

Google’s review process

The application was initially accepted by Google as a harmless game, and the developer only modified the listing after its validation. According to Google's security blog, the company conducts more than 10,000 checks on each published application and continues to "control and re-control applications after their publication."

Rules against impersonation

In its rules against identity theft, the company also prohibits applications that "deceive users by impersonating" a company or another application. Nevertheless, the fake Chrome listing remained online for two weeks before being removed following user reports and a first press article.

Strange features inside the app

Some curious users installed the 42 MB application and found no browser inside. One user reported that the application contained a strange contact app with a ton of AI avatars, while another mentioned a messaging app with pre-recorded responses.

Fake Chrome ad on Play Store

The fake Chrome app appeared as a sponsored ad at the top of the search results for "Chrome" on the Play Store, according to a screenshot shared by an internet user. Google accepted payment from Hizbartech to promote the counterfeit of its browser.

Reactions to the incident

The journalists from Android Authority are especially surprised by this second failure, as Hizbartech clearly tried to pass its application off as Chrome. The ad is difficult to reproduce, and the team from PiunikaWeb did not see it appear when typing "Google Chrome" into the search bar but found the listing as soon as they typed the developer's name.

User response and advice

Internet users called for the application to be reported as advertising software in a second discussion thread on Reddit. Google has estimated since the summer of 2025 that an application downloaded from the Web has 50 times more chances of containing malicious software than an application from the Play Store.

Recommendations for users

For Android Authority, no store is completely safe, and sideloading "is not the problem." Its journalists advise checking the developer's name and the package name before any installation. Users who installed the 42 MB copy or an older version of Ball Bounce can delete it from their phone's settings, recommends PiunikaWeb. Android Authority asked Google for explanations, which had not responded by the time of the publication of its article.