Fake Firefox Removed From the Market, Fake Chrome May Be Next [Hacked]

by Jason Norment Nov 22, 2010 9:36 AM – 6 Comments

First of all, thanks for our great community that keeps us in touch with new changes happening throughout the Android Community. I was tipped by a user this morning about a problem with the Fake Chrome app developed by Honiware & Biosoft. Apparently, the app worked fine until an update was pushed yesterday that causes your homepage to be forcefully redirected to a website designated as http://www.hphone.eu/Android/. The site seems to be connected to the developer and it expresses his disgust with Google for suspending his app “Fake Firefox” from the market.

Of course, users have been posting complaints about the update on the Market. One user stated “I spoke to the dev on the phone, apparently the homepage hijack is intentional. I will find a better alternative… This used to be a good app “. It looks like Fake Chrome may be on it’s way to being suspended to for this type of hack. A video provided by a user is posted below to see how it shows up when launching the program.

I installed the app from the market this morning and verified that this is exactly what shows up when opening the app. Developers like this give Android a bad name. I suspect Google will jump on this quick and remove it from the market soon. In the meantime, the negative reviews will keep rolling in.

Have you come across an app that a developer changed dramatically such as the one listed above? Tell us about it to help make the rest of community aware!

Tags: Android Market, App Hack, Fake Google Chrome, Suspended App

Categorised in: News

6 Comments

By mark on November 22, 2010 at 10:40 am:

i bet some android users wish they had a curated app market like Apple’s. Developers wouldnt be able to just edit an app to get get their personal feelings across.

Reply
- By Jason Norment on November 22, 2010 at 11:41 am:
  
  There’s good and bad to both approaches. I’m not a huge fan of Apple’s App Store. Owning an iPod Touch for the past few years I’ve had my gripes with it. Then again, people abuse the “open-source” mindset when they pull things like this.
  
  Reply
By ChaosKiller on November 22, 2010 at 11:56 am:

Well it’s to be expected when you use someone else’s copyrighted name…

Reply
By PDXTony on November 22, 2010 at 12:21 pm:

The idea is that users take responsibility for their own situation.
The app developer has just created a very bad name for himself.I know now that I will not download something with his name because of this childish act.

Does he honestly expect Google to contact each developer individually and explain their reasons for declining with 1,000′s of apps submitted daily?
he should have asked why and waited for a response.

Apple site feels too much like big brother watching out for me. Many people want a rosy picture of the world and have someone wrap their life in a protective bubble.

Reply
- By Jason Norment on November 22, 2010 at 2:40 pm:
  
  And unfortunately Apple has done a nice job of marketing that imaginary world as the “in” thing. Android, on the other hand, has promoted an open platform with less control which has brought them both good and bad press.
  
  Reply
- By Developer on December 2, 2010 at 5:00 pm:
  
  >> Does he honestly expect Google to contact each
  >> developer individually and explain their reasons
  >> for declining with 1,000′s of apps submitted daily?
  
  I could imagine, good and engaged developers expect exactly this
  
  Reply