An imitation of the messaging giant has reportedly been installed more than 500,000 times after surfacing as a paid search result ahead of the genuine app, raising fresh concerns about how impostors slip onto official marketplaces.
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A counterfeit version of WhatsApp has reportedly crossed 5 lakh downloads on the Google Play Store, after appearing as a sponsored result above the genuine messaging service. The placement may have made it easier for people searching for the popular app to install the wrong one by mistake.
The listing was first flagged by a Reddit user, and the report was later taken up by Android Authority and The Verge. When The Verge published its article on October 16, the app was still available for download. Google had not immediately replied to a request for comment.
What the imitation looks like
The app carries the title “WhatsApp Messenger” but is published by a developer named “Agment Assets sallu,” which reportedly has no other apps on the platform. It borrows the real service’s icon and screenshots and uses similar descriptive text, making it hard to tell apart at a glance, particularly for people who judge an app mainly by its name and look.
The gap in credibility between the two is vast. According to The Verge, the authentic app, published by WhatsApp LLC, has been installed more than 10 billion times, carries an “Editor’s Choice” badge and has over 246 million reviews.
Android Authority further suggested that the copycat may have used Google Play’s Early Access programme to limit how many public reviews are visible. If correct, would-be users would have had fewer chances to see warnings from others before downloading.
Staying safe on Google Play
The first check is the publisher’s name. The genuine WhatsApp Messenger should be listed under WhatsApp LLC. Download counts, review history and other listing details are also worth examining, rather than relying on the icon or the app’s position in search results.
A sponsored placement, it is worth remembering, does not on its own prove that an app is the official release of a service.
Anyone who has installed a suspicious lookalike should uninstall it right away and review the permissions it was granted. If account details or verification codes were typed into the app, the person should secure their WhatsApp account and avoid sharing registration codes with anyone under any circumstances.
The episode is a reminder that an app’s presence on an official marketplace, or even at the top of its search results, is not a guarantee of authenticity. Checking who published an app before installing it remains the simplest safeguard.
