Google has learned to filter fake installations on Android

The Google Play Store app store, familiar to users of the Android mobile operating system, is now able to recognize and filter installations of fraudulent applications. Enhanced functionality was reported by Google’s Kazusi Nagayama, a search-quality analyst and Andrew An, product manager. The improvement was presented on the last day of October.

Google fights dishonest programmers

In August of this year, it became apparent that the situation with unfair competition between developers on the Google Play platform urgently requires control measures. The new feature is designed to protect the integrity of the Google Store. Users of Android smartphones do not have to worry if they can find a quality application and install it on their device, without thinking about whether it is correct or “pirated”. Such a decision came to Google developers from the actions of third-party authors of some applications for Android smartphones. After the creators of the most mobile operating system from time to time had to observe unpleasant situations with artificial manipulation of audience loyalty with the help of fake reviews and "phony" installations, as well as artificially increased ratings.

The state of things on the platform of the Google Play Store

Google Play is literally littered with the same type of applications, which sometimes even have logos similar. Selecting by rating and reviews has become more difficult. How do I know if a positive review was written by a sincere user or added by order of the application developers in order to attract more installations? Statistics show that more often these reviews on the Internet leave dissatisfied users. A disappointed buyer has a higher motivation to communicate their emotions to others than a person who expected a good purchase and received it. Positive reviews are rarely long - they are either short or not at all.

How it works

Recognition and filtering systems deal with fraud attempts as follows. If the installation process behaves differently from the usual way and tries to change the rating of the application on Google Play, the systems will “notice” it and filter it out. In addition to this measure, app authors who will continue the dirty game are more likely to see that their work has been removed from the Store. The company’s policy does not apply to cases when authors-developers ask for help in promoting their work with the voices of their friends or a third party - a marketing agency. The main thing is that the methods are legitimate.

Very loyal. As, however, and in Apple. Custom reviews and fake apps appeared relatively long ago. Back in 2014, Apple struggled with fraudulent reviews quite ingenuously - they were removed from the Apple Store by moderators. Manually. And the application received a real rating. And it remained in the Store. If you think about it, then to offer on behalf of the company an abandoned application with a low rating and negative reviews - to worsen the image of the author. So removal is an even softer measure. Since September 2016, fraudulent applications are removed from the Apple Store.

What do tricky developers do

The impression of the application at the time of selection is based on the number of downloads, reviews and the average mark (rating). Fraudsters can use trojans that get to a tablet or smartphone and capture system functions, as well as account information on Google Play. Then they in the background, invisible to the owner of the device, are engaged in the fact that they give ratings to applications and send reviews previously written by someone for money. Such Trojans most often penetrate smartphones not through Google Play. A dishonest rating can be both free programs and paid ones. Trojans can use access to bank cards tied to the Google store. It also happens that competitors use illegal methods to lower the rating of similar applications.



Cheating the image of the application will not only not work, but will also make the situation worse. Developers who do not comply with Google Play Policy rules block the possibility of being open or receiving recommendations for themselves. As a result, end users suffer, installing not the best application, spending time on its use, awareness of low quality, removal and subsequent search for the best version. Not to mention that in the case of a paid application, money is also being spent.

The difficulty of choosing a quality app in the store is also confirmed by Derek Walter , the author of the guide on how to create your own Android application “Learning MIT App Inventor” . He writes that this is a difficult task even for Google.

Identical problems

The problems with Google Play are the same as with the Appstore. The difference is that Android users first go to a page with personalized recommendations based on settings, and the Top Chart in the Apple application is on a separate tab.

The Google team is working hard to ensure that their platform is the best in the field of applications. So that you can trust her without checking. But in any case, it is worth knowing a few rules in order to protect yourself additionally.

Practical tips for self-checking the quality of the application

• Pay attention to the language of the review. Fake ones are often shipped with a lot of grammatical and stylistic errors.
• Fakes also contain cliches and common phrases that can be written by anyone who is not even familiar with the application. You know, like in horoscopes.
• Authors of dishonest reviews forget to add a fly in the ointment and write only laudatory words. Obviously, this is very rare. An objective user will always have a reason for discontent. Well, or restrained joy.
• The nickname of the user who left the review. It should be minimally sane. Various "vyvpm", "shf666" and other analogues should cause suspicion. This is understandable.
• The date the review was written. If you see a lot of texts sent in one day, then most likely it is the result of mass downloads for a quick upgrade to the TOP.
• Too short monosyllabic reviews like "wow!", "Normal."