The Infinite Brief

The trick takes advantage of the fact that apart from the app icon and name, there is one more element the user sees when browsing apps – the developer name, displayed just below the app name.

And since unknown developer names are no use for popularity-boosting purposes anyway, some app authors have been setting fictitious, high numbers of installs as their developer names, in an effort to look like established developers with vast userbases.

Besides using fake installation numbers to attempt to manipulate users into downloading their apps, some app authors have also been using phrases indicating legitimacy, such as “Legit Apps”, “Verified Applications”, and “Trusted Developers App”.

Some also incorporate a check mark symbol, similar to those used as “verified” badges for the accounts of well-known personalities and brands on various social media sites.

We have discovered hundreds of apps using this and similar tricks to deceive users. The apps we’ve analyzed were either misleading users about their functionality or had no functionality at all, yet most display many advertisements.