12 hours ago
A fake WhatsApp clone is showing up before the real version on the Play Store
What's happening
SignalsMonitor is following this as a technology story. The Verge is the outlet attached so far. The first report grouped here was at 16 Oct 2026, 15:02 UTC. The headline in use is “A fake WhatsApp clone is showing up before the real version on the Play Store”. This note is SignalsMonitor's own briefing, not the publisher's article.
What we know
After a Chrome clone was spotted on the Play Store earlier this week, a user on Reddit says they're seeing a fake version of WhatsApp in a "sponsored" slot above the real version. As reported earlier by Android Authority, the WhatsApp dupe has racked up over 500,000 downloads and, at…
Story timeline
Reports grouped into this story, earliest first. Exact repeats from the same outlet are collapsed.
- First reported by The Verge
A fake WhatsApp clone is showing up before the real version on the Play Store
Reported by 1 outlet
- The Verge