April 21, 2026, 5:39 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Clear rules apply in the app stores of Apple and Google. A new report now suggests that problematic AI apps remain visible there nonetheless.
Fake nude images and manipulated porn videos have been a major issue on the internet for years. Since the rise of modern AI tools, the situation has significantly worsened. Relevant apps make it increasingly easy to create and distribute convincingly realistic content.
What Nudify Apps Can Do
So-called nudify apps can insert the faces of any individuals into sexual depictions. This allows for the creation and distribution of convincingly realistic nude images and porn videos from ordinary photos. The consequences for those affected can be severe. Criticism has also been directed at Elon Musk in this context. He used the creation of fake porn images as advertising for his AI assistant Grok. Apple and Google officially ban such applications in their app stores. This makes the new allegations particularly serious.
Report Indicates Many Hits in the Stores
The website “Tech Transparency Project” makes serious allegations against the two U.S. companies. According to their own research, the operators found numerous such applications in the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Search terms like “Nudify,” “Undress,” or “Deepnude” were reportedly enough to make many of these apps visible. Additionally, ad banners and automatic recommendations drew users’ attention to more offerings of this kind. This not only puts the apps themselves in focus but also the mechanisms of the stores.
Another particularly sensitive point is that the search fields in the app stores reportedly automatically completed and supplemented sensitive terms. This apparently allowed even more relevant applications to be found. This contradicts the official rules of both companies. If prohibited apps not only appear but are also easier to find through search aids and recommendations, it raises questions about the enforcement of their own guidelines.
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483 Million Downloads and High Revenues
The discovered applications are said to have reached around 483 million downloads in total. They are also reported to have generated about 122 million U.S. dollars, which currently (as of April 21, 2026) is approximately 104 million euros. The case becomes even more sensitive due to the age ratings. Thirty-one of the found apps were reportedly approved for minors. This means even children could have had access to such applications. Apple declined to comment. Google stated it is investigating the allegations and has already removed several disputed apps.
Also of interest: How to check if your photo is being used for deepfakes
How Apple and Google Are Responding
It remains unclear how these applications could even make it into the Play Store. Google did not provide an answer to this. In a statement to “Android Authority,” the company said that many of the criticized apps have already been removed from the Google Play Store. Additionally, they are continuing to work on resolving the issue. Google emphasizes that applications with sexual content have no place in the store and that violations are consistently punished.
After the news agency Bloomberg reported on the case, Apple also removed programs from its offerings. Fifteen apps disappeared there. In total, the “Tech Transparency Project” reported 18 programs to Apple, while 20 apps were identified in the Google Play Store. The criticism of both companies thus remains. The accusation is not only about the mere presence of such apps but also about their additional visibility through search, advertising, and recommendations.