Finding an app on the Google Play Store should be straightforward, especially when Google makes it. Yet a fake version of Google Chrome showing over 100,000 downloads somehow slipped through the review process and paid its way to the top of the store as a sponsored ad before anyone caught on.

A user on the r/browsers subreddit spotted the counterfeit app sitting at the top of the search results above the real browser.

google-chrome-fake-app-play-store-listing

Looking at the screenshot, it used the official Chrome icon and copied the exact description from Google’s listing, though the developer name underneath read Hizbartech.

We have seen plenty of browser scams lately, including fake Chrome update pop-ups built to trick people on the web. Seeing a clone promoted in Google’s own store through paid ads is another level, and a second post in the r/chrome community quickly urged users to flag the adware listing.

We tried searching for the app just by typing Google Chrome in the search bar, and it did not show up as a sponsored suggestion. However, when we searched for the app by entering the developer’s name, Hizbartech, the listing showed right up.

fake-google-chrome-app-play-store-android

A few curious Redditors installed the 42 MB app to see what was inside, and the developers did not even bother building a browser.

One tester explained that “they didn’t even copy chromium and put some kind of tracking or info stealer they just put in some weird a*s contact app with a ton of AI avatars.”

Checking the Play Store page and an APKPure archive shows how the developer pulled this off. The app launched in August as a game called Ball Bounce before Hizbartech rebranded it in late September to look like Chrome, using the same bait-and-switch trick we saw when 19 browser extensions were updated to steal passwords after starting out clean.

fake-google-chrome-app-ball-bounce

 
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PiunikaWeb’s Take

It is hard to ignore the irony here, given that Google has spent months locking down Android and restricting sideloading for user safety. So when Google’s own ad system takes money to promote a fake version of its flagship browser above the real thing, it’s a bad look for the company.

Whether it is sneaky malware forcing rogue extensions onto Chrome or an existing game morphing into a counterfeit Google app overnight, automated store checks are still missing basic impersonation. Even without the sponsored ad, the fake listing is still available in the store. Check your phone’s settings and uninstall the 42 MB copycat if you or a family member downloaded it after seeing the ad—especially if you still have an old copy of Ball Bounce on your device.

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Dwayne Cubbins
3109 Posts

I cover fast-moving stories across apps, online platforms, and everyday tech — phones, wearables, consoles, and whatever else people are fighting with this week. Bugs, rollouts, scams, policy enforcement, and the occasional internet-culture rabbit hole are all fair game. My goal is simple — make confusing tech news readable. When I'm not working, I'm working out or chilling with my dog. Got a tip? You can find me on X @dcubbins.