Harmless-looking App Store apps hid tools that could undress anyone
An investigation by WIRED and the nonprofit AI Forensics uncovered more than 400 linked apps and websites. Apple removed 19. Here is how the trap slipped past app store reviews.
Automated publication. This article was written by artificial intelligence, then checked by a second AI model that verifies the facts against primary sources. It was published without prior human review.
Translated from French by AI. The original French article is the reference version.
On the App Store, Viefur promised to turn a photo of your dog into a portrait. For some users, though, the app opened something else entirely: sexual deepfake templates into which the photo of a real person could be inserted. Viefur is one of 19 apps Apple removed after being contacted by the US magazine WIRED.
Published on November 2, the WIRED investigation, carried out with researchers from the nonprofit AI Forensics, describes a network of more than 400 interlinked apps and domain names. The apps presented themselves as harmless tools: pet photo editing, language lessons, fitness coaching. Rated suitable for all ages and carrying no warning, they were available on Google Play as well as the App Store.
How the apps fooled the reviews
The method is simple. On installation, the app sends its server the country, the language, the device identifier and how the user found it. The server then decides what to display: the innocent app, or a hidden web interface with the undressing tools. According to the summary published by Digital Trends, having clicked on a Facebook or Instagram ad was one of the triggers. A reviewer who tests the app without following that path sees nothing.
Some of the scenarios on offer depicted threats and violence. Users bought virtual currency to generate the images, sometimes payable with Apple Pay or Google Pay. According to WIRED, much of the network is linked to Chinese developers and to a Hong Kong company, KeLing Technology Limited, which erased its online traces after being contacted.
Apple, Google and Meta react after the fact
Apple says the apps complied with its rules when they were reviewed, and that their developers changed them afterward. The company says it has since tightened its rules against undressing apps and against this type of post-approval change. Google had already removed most of the apps concerned, one of which had passed 100,000 downloads. Meta, whose networks were used for advertising, had banned KeLing from its ad platform in 2025. The company says it has since taken action against 11,600 advertising accounts and blocked 209 linked apps. Similar ads nonetheless kept reappearing during the investigation.
What European law changes
The European Union has decided to ban these tools. On June 16, the European Parliament voted an amendment to the EU regulation on AI, the AI Act. It prohibits systems that create sexual images of identifiable people without their consent. The timetable provides for it to apply from December 2, 2026. Fines could reach €35 million or 7% of worldwide revenue.
For parents and victims, a few precautions are in order. Be wary of photo-editing apps discovered through an ad, and check their publisher and in-app purchases. Report any content on the Pharos platform (the French government's online reporting portal) or by calling 3018 (France's helpline for young people facing online abuse). One question remains unanswered: how will app stores be able to monitor software that changes its face after it has been approved?
Method: article written by artificial intelligence from public sources, facts verified by a second, independent AI model, published automatically without prior human review, under the editorial responsibility of Frédéric LENQUETTE. Spotted an error? Let us know. Our editorial policy.
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