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Google Play promoted a fake Chrome app—check your phone now

A counterfeit Chrome listing was reportedly promoted in Google Play search. Here is how to verify the real publisher, find the copycat and scan your Android phone.

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A counterfeit Chrome listing was reportedly promoted in Google Play search on October 14, 2026. It used Chrome’s icon and description but named Hizbartech as publisher. Check your installed apps and run Play Protect before assuming the app is genuine.

What was reported in Google Play

PiunikaWeb reported on October 14, 2026, that a sponsored result appearing above the genuine browser led to a counterfeit Chrome listing. The listing reportedly displayed the official Chrome icon, copied Google’s app description, showed more than 100,000 downloads, and identified Hizbartech as its developer.

MobileTelco independently repeated the listing’s reported details: a displayed size of 42 MB, a 100K+ download count, and the Hizbartech publisher name. According to tester observations cited by MobileTelco, the app opened as a contact-style application with AI avatars rather than as a web browser. The listing had reportedly been published earlier under the game name Ball Bounce before being rebranded.

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The listing’s current status is uncertain

PiunikaWeb later searched Google Play for “Google Chrome” and no longer saw the entry as a sponsored suggestion, but a search for “Hizbartech” still surfaced it. That does not establish whether Google removed the listing, changed its visibility, or left other versions available. Check the Play Store directly rather than relying on screenshots or an old search result.

How to check whether it is installed

  1. Open your installed-app list. In Android Settings, open Apps (or Apps & notifications, depending on your device), then choose the option to see all installed apps. Search for Chrome and inspect every similarly named or recently added entry.
  2. Look for the identity mismatch. The reported copycat was associated with Hizbartech and had previously used the Ball Bounce identity. A Chrome-branded app from that publisher deserves immediate scrutiny.
  3. Open the app’s store page. From the app information screen, use its Play Store link when available. Compare the publisher, description, reviews, download display, update history, and permissions instead of trusting the icon or title alone.
  4. Check recent installations. Review the installation dates for unfamiliar apps, especially anything added around the time you remember installing or updating Chrome.

How to identify the genuine Chrome app

The legitimate Android browser is published by Google LLC. The publisher name is the most important first check: a Chrome-looking listing from Hizbartech, another unfamiliar developer, or a name that only resembles Google is not the official app.

Google’s Android guidance recommends considering the publisher together with reviews, downloads, and the rest of the listing details. A sponsored placement, familiar icon, copied description, or large download count can be misleading on its own. Open the publisher profile and inspect the complete listing before installing an app that imitates a well-known brand.

Run Google Play Protect

  1. Open the Google Play Store.
  2. Tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner.
  3. Select Play Protect.
  4. Review the most recent scan result and tap Scan if that control is available.

Google says Play Protect checks apps installed from Google Play and from other sources. It can warn about a potentially harmful application and may disable or remove one. Google’s Play Protect page also says the service scans “200 billion Android apps daily”; Google presents that as an undated company figure, not as a dated independent measurement.

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Google classifies potentially harmful applications broadly. Its categories include trojans, phishing, spyware, and riskware. Riskware can disguise itself as a legitimate app or use cloaking and dynamic loading. Those categories explain what Play Protect is designed to detect; they do not prove that the reported Hizbartech listing belonged to any one category.

If the suspicious app is on your phone

  1. Uninstall it. From Settings > Apps, open the suspicious entry and choose Uninstall. If Android blocks removal, use the app’s information page to revoke device-administrator or accessibility access first, then try again.
  2. Scan again. Return to Play Store > profile picture > Play Protect and run another scan after uninstalling.
  3. Review permissions. Check recently installed apps for access to contacts, phone, SMS, files, microphone, camera, accessibility, or notification data. Remove permissions that an app does not need and uninstall other unfamiliar software.
  4. Check for changes. Look for unexpected browser defaults, new home-screen shortcuts, unfamiliar accounts, or unusual notifications. These checks help identify other unwanted apps without assuming that this particular listing stole data.

What is confirmed—and what is not

The reports document a suspicious impersonating listing, its Hizbartech publisher identity, the earlier Ball Bounce name, the 42 MB size and 100K+ display, and tester observations that it was not functioning as a browser. They do not establish that this specific app was confirmed malware or that it stole information. Online claims about data theft should not be treated as fact without a verified security finding.

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Finding no Hizbartech or Ball Bounce entry in your installed apps means there is no indication that this reported app is currently installed. It does not, by itself, prove that every Chrome listing you may encounter is genuine; verify the publisher each time you install or update a familiar app.

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Why this check matters beyond Chrome

Brand impersonation works because people recognize an icon and install quickly. The safer habit is to treat the publisher, listing details, permissions, and Play Protect result as a combined identity check. If any one of those signals conflicts—particularly a publisher that is not Google LLC—stop before opening the app or granting access.

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