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Google is doing nothing about these hugely popular malicious apps, so just delete them yourself

By Adrian Diaconescu

Updated: Jul 31, 2022, 1:40 PM

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Google is doing nothing about these hugely popular malicious apps, so just delete them yourself

UPDATE: Five whole days after the publishing of the original report pointing the finger at all of those app listed below for all kinds of shady practices and shenanigans, Google appears to have finally removed two of the three titles that were still live on the Play Store at our previous check.

While that's certainly a (small) step in the right direction, it also means at least one malicious app (that will continue to remain unnamed) is still available for Google Play download... after racking up over a million installs. There's really nothing more to say here than... our original article follows below.

Another day, another damning in-depth report regarding the (lack of) Google Play security uncovers a huge new list of seemingly legit Android apps that are in fact to be avoided at all costs.

Even if you're not easily intimidated by these types of threats and (increasingly) frequent warnings, it's hard to simply ignore that we're looking at a fourth (!) batch of malicious apps published in just the last three weeks, with the total number of potential July victims entering eight-digit territory.

We're talking more than 10 million (!!!) people targeted by the dozens of apps listed in Doctor Web's latest "review of virus activity on mobile devices" alone, and worst of all, that figure may well continue to rise as we speak under Google's sloppy (to say the least) supervision.

Here are all the new apps you need to avoid, delete, and never again install on your phone

Photo Editor: Beauty Filter
Photo Editor: Retouch and Cutout
Photo Editor: Art Filters
Photo Editor - Design Maker
Photo Editor & Background Eraser
Photo & Exif Editor
Photo Editor - Filters Effects
Photo Filters & Effects
Photo Editor : Blur Image
Photo Editor : Cut, Paste
Emoji Keyboard: Stickers & GIF
Neon Theme Keyboard
Neon Theme - Android Keyboard
Cashe Cleaner
Fancy Charging
FastCleaner: Cashe Cleaner
Call Skins - Caller Themes
Funny Caller
CallMe Phone Themes
InCall: Contact Background
MyCall - Call Personalization
Caller Theme (com.caller.theme.slow)
Caller Theme (com.callertheme.firstref)
Funny Wallpapers - Live Screen
4K Wallpapers Auto Changer
NewScrean: 4D Wallpapers
Stock Wallpapers & Backgrounds
Notes - reminders and lists
Poco Launcher
4K Pro Camera
YouToon - AI Cartoon Effect
Pista - Cartoon Photo Effect
Water Reminder- Tracker & Reminder
Yoga- For Beginner to Advanced
Chat Online

Just how many different photo editors you need to realize your camera is simply not that great? Aren't there enough well-established, well-reviewed, and all-around awesome keyboard tools available from respected developers and companies to discourage you from ever trying to find the "next big" alternative? Don't you have something better to do than download something called "Funny Caller" or "Funny Wallpapers" on your phone?

These are just some of the newly discovered malicious apps you need to get rid of ASAP.

These are only a few of the questions you might want to ask yourself the next time you feel bored browsing Google Play's lists of the hottest and most popular titles available for free. A little self-awareness and research could go a long way in helping you avoid the old Joker infestation, unauthorized subscriptions to bogus "premium" services, intrusions on personal information like email addresses and phone numbers, and so many other scams and tricks designed to ultimately cost you money.

Of course, no amount of research and care can prepare you for the occasional "super-virus", which somehow gets to be popular, earn solid reviews, and slip through the Play Store cracks for an inexplicably long period of time.

What is Google even doing?!

For the most part, not much, watching helplessly as malicious titles like the above enter the Play Store and rip off some users before cybersecurity experts flag these apps, at which point many of them disappear without a trace.

Unfortunately, there are those cases when Google doesn't even do this bare minimum, leaving Joker-infected, data-stealing, and money-fleecing apps to wreak havoc on more and more phones after security researchers do what they do best.

No, we're not going to show you any of the three malicious apps still available... at least until they're removed.

At least three of the apps listed above, which will remain unnamed for fairly obvious reasons, are in that situation at the time of this writing, running free in everyone's most trusted Android app store despite having been proven guilty of various egregious money and data-stealing tactics.

If history is any indication, all of these apps will eventually be terminated, but many others are likely to return, hungrier, more sophisticated, and harder to detect. Alas, these are constant threats you'll need to learn to live with and protect yourself from sans waiting for a lot of help from Google, starting of course with deleting each and every flagged title you'll find lurking on your Android device.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.