Apple and Google are reportedly pointing users to 'nudify' apps

Source: Engadget

Background

Earlier this year it was revealed that Apple and Google were offering “nudify” apps on their stores despite having clear policies barring such content. Nearly three months later, those apps are still available and are being actively promoted on the iOS App Store and Google Play, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP). Many of the apps were labeled “E” for Everyone, meaning they can be downloaded by children.

Findings

• Searching for terms such as “nudify,” “undress,” and related keywords in the app stores returns apps that can make real people nude or insert them into pornographic videos.
• The report alleges that “the platforms are key participants in the spread of AI tools that can turn real people into sexualized images.”
• The app stores even ran ads for similar nudifying apps in the search results. (Engadget has reached out to Apple and Google for comment.)

The group identified:

Some apps were marketed with sexual images, while others were not advertised as such but could still be used for deepfakes. Collectively, these apps have generated around $122 million in revenue and have been downloaded 483 million times, according to the report.

“It’s not just that the companies are failing to actually appropriately review these apps and continue to approve them and profit from them,” TTP director Katie Paul told Bloomberg. “They are actually directing users to the apps themselves.”

Company Responses

• Apple: Stated that it removed 15 apps identified by the group.
• Google: Said it suspended a number of the apps.

One app highlighted in the report, Video Face Swap AI: DeepFace, advertises itself by showing an actress’s face swapped onto another actress’s body and allows users to place a real person’s face on the bodies of partially undressed women. The app was rated “E” for Everyone.

Google’s Comment (as of April 16, 2026)

“Google Play does not allow apps that contain sexual content.
When violations of our policies are reported to us, we investigate and take appropriate action.
Many of the apps referenced in this report have been suspended from Google Play for violations of our policies.
Our investigation and enforcement process is ongoing.”

Legal and Policy Context

• The proliferation of nudify and deepfake apps has prompted some governments to propose legislation against them.
• The UK’s Children’s Commissioner recently called for a ban on AI deepfake apps that create nude or sexual images of children.
• The US and other countries have proposed or enacted laws banning explicit deepfakes.
• The California Attorney General recently sent Elon Musk’s X a cease‑and‑desist order over Grok’s explicit deepfakes.

Source

This article originally appeared on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-and-google-are-reportedly-pointing-users-to-nudify-apps-065144277.html?src=rss