An investigation has revealed that there are more than 60 fake apps on Apple's App Store that transform into gambling apps when accessed from a Brazilian IP address.
An investigation by Apple-related media outlet 9to5Mac has revealed that dozens of disguised gambling apps are being distributed unregulated on Brazil's App Store.
Investigation reveals dozens of disguised gambling apps on the App Store in Brazil - 9to5Mac
Brazilian iPhone users have noticed that when browsing the App Store rankings in categories such as 'Navigation,' 'Travel,' and 'Weather,' many low-quality game apps are appearing at the top. Many of these apps use AI-generated animal illustrations as their icons, and most have no age restrictions, making them accessible to users of all ages, including children. These are what are known as 'jacket apps,' which are not actual games but rather gambling apps disguised as games.
Following reports from users, 9to5Mac conducted its own investigation. They discovered that while the 'game app' launched as shown in the screenshot attached to the App Store distribution page regardless of the user's location (excluding Brazil), an online gambling platform was displayed only when accessed from a Brazilian IP address.
One example of a 'fake gambling app' is a game app called 'PotatoPlot Puzzle.' A screenshot from the App Store is shown below. The app icon is indeed an illustration of an animal that looks like it was created using a generative AI.
However, the online gambling site will only open if you access the app from a Brazilian IP address.
Most fake apps designed to access online gambling sites only display a single screenshot on the App Store, and the developer accounts reportedly use names commonly found in countries like Vietnam, rather than Brazil.
Most of these fake apps use similar or identical privacy policies, have little to no update history, and have a file size of only about 15MB.
Furthermore, 9to5Mac also reported that they 'discovered a public GitHub repository containing instructions for
According to this GitHub repository, each app is required to include 3 to 5 displayable interfaces, use a marketable name and animal-themed icons (such as dragons, cows, rabbits, mice, and tigers), and support remote control routing to local apps, in-app web pages, and external websites.
Furthermore, this repository also contains clear instructions on how to prevent apps from being flagged as 'suspicious apps' during Apple's review process. These instructions reportedly include things like 'assigning unique launch codes and remote configuration codes to each app makes it more difficult for reviewers to identify them as belonging to the same group.'
Apple removed the fake apps identified by 9to5Mac from the App Store, but 9to5Mac reports that new fake apps subsequently appeared in the top 200 of the free app rankings. 9to5Mac also reports that they expanded their investigation to all categories in the App Store and successfully identified 62 more fake apps.
In response to the report, Apple reiterated its commitment to maintaining the security of the App Store, stating that it 'will not tolerate any attempts to conceal the true functionality of an app, which is not permitted under the App Store review guidelines.' Apple also explained that prior to the 9to5Mac investigation report, it had identified and removed 25 similar deceptive apps and suspended the developer accounts that registered those apps on the App Store.
In addition, Apple cited a report released in May 2026 stating that in 2025, they prevented more than $2.2 billion (approximately 360 billion yen) in potential fraudulent transactions, blocked more than 370,000 fraudulent apps, and rejected more than 2 million apps that did not meet App Store standards.
App Store to Prevent Over $2.2 Billion in Fraudulent Transactions by 2025 - Apple (Japan)
https://www.apple.com/jp/newsroom/2026/05/the-app-store-stopped-over-2-point-2-billion-usd-in-fraudulent-transactions-in-2025/
In Brazil, the ' ECA Digital ' law, aimed at protecting children and adolescents online, was enacted in September 2025 and came into effect in March 2026.
In violation of ECA Digital, Brazil's regulatory authorities, SEDIGI (National Digital Rights Office) and SENACON (National Consumer Affairs Agency), warned Apple and Google, which operate official smartphone app stores, that apps allowing minors to access gambling platforms, or apps that facilitate such access, were being distributed through their app stores.
Furthermore, in July 2026, the Brazilian Ministry of Justice had just asked Apple and Google to explain how they would detect apps that conceal or alter gambling features, how they would verify that operators are licensed by the government, and how they would prevent minors from accessing gambling services.
Google e Apple têm cinco dias para esclarecer políticas sobre aplicativos de apostas — Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública
https://www.gov.br/mj/pt-br/assuntos/noticias-1/google-e-apple-tem-cinco-dias-para-esclarecer-politicas-sobre-aplicativos-de-apostas
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in Software, Smartphone, Posted by logu_ii