Tynan, or someone from Ludeon (No Longer Urgent)

[Murdo]

You can't pre-screen the 1.7 apps that get uploaded to the Google Play store each minute, but a small and inexpensive team of interns could pre-screen all the ones that ask for significant access to the phone. Absolute failure on Google's part before shoveling crap at the play store's customers.

[HexCube]

Hi everyone, first of all, thanks for posting this, I've emailed Tynan and filed a complaint, I'll let you guys know how it goes. Cheers

[Calahan]

It's gone by the looks of it! Not sure if it was user reports or Tynan's intervention as the IP holder, but the desired result has been achieved (not that such an obviously fake app should have been allowed on the Google Play in the first place, but that's a rant for another time).

Thanks again CutiesDeathCab for bringing it to our attention. Much appreciated.

[mattd]

Hi all,

I've had this removed.  Thanks for flagging.

<back to lurking....>

[Calahan]

@ mattd - Do you work for Google? Awesome if so as I just searched Google Play for other possible RimWorld fakes and found this app that looks just as fake and suspicious: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zdroid.guiderimWorldgame .

It seems to be passing itself off as a RimWorld guide, but the bumf says it "contains ads" so it's likely just more of the same ad malware (but I don't have a device myself that I can install it with to test it). I've contracted Tynan again to let him know but if you work for Google then it'd be great if you could check this app out and remove it if it is as dodgy as it looks.

[mattd]

The guide one is not anything malicious or attempting to trick anyone as far as I can tell.   As the reviews suggest, it is not exactly a high-quality app, but it does seem to have a guide to playing RimWorld in there.   There are ads but that is not unusual for a free app.

Just my personal view.  I work for Google, but unrelated to the app store (but can help signal-boost requests for things like that first app to help get them looked at quickly) so no promises!

[CutiesDeathCab]

Thanks again CutiesDeathCab for bringing it to our attention. Much appreciated.

That's perfectly fine, I just didn't want to see the games reputation get damaged by something we clearly see as fake, but someone who's never heard of the game before, looks at the screenshots that were there and was like, Ooh, It looks like fun! then realises it's a fake app, stole their information, they tell their friends, friends and friends.. etc..

Anyways, Good to see it's gone. and to think, All of this happened because I went to the bathroom with RimWorld on pause, and I searched "RimWorld" on the play store instead of the google search bar... Haha.

~CutiesDeathCab