New report Tech Transparency Project (TTP) published in April 2026, it reveals a shocking truth that should alarm every parent and smartphone user. Although both Apple and Google have clear policies banning “nudify” apps – AI tools that can “remove” clothes from photos of real people in seconds – their own app stores not only host them but actively direct users to them.
These apps can generate non-consensual nude photos, put faces in pornographic videos, or create sex chatbots. The worst thing is that many of them have low age ratings, which means they can be easily downloaded by children and teenagers.
How do Apple and Google themselves direct users to dangerous apps?
TTP researchers created new accounts on the App Store and Google Play, then entered popular search phrases such as “nudify,” “undress,” “deepnude,” “deepfake,” “adult AI,” “face swap” and “AI NSFW.” The results are shocking and show that the problem is not marginal – it is a systemic mechanism that increases the visibility of dangerous tools.
In the App Store, searches yielded 46 unique applications, of which as many as 18, or 39.1 percent, were able to digitally undress women from photos or generate sexual content. In Google Play, out of 49 applications, as many as 20, or 40.8 percent, offered similar functions.
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What's even more disturbing is that the systems of both companies themselves make further dangerous suggestions. When a user starts typing a password, AutoComplete suggests terms that take them straight to those apps. Ads for these types of apps also appear at the top of search results. In the App Store, they are even marked as paid advertising and displayed as the first results, and in Google Play, sponsored applications appear above, next to or below organic results, including in the form of a “suggested for you” carousel filled with erotic content.
Among the applications in the App Store, you can easily find those that allow you to “undress” photos
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This is not a coincidence or an algorithm error. This is an active promotion based on advertising and recommendation mechanisms that both companies perfectly control. Apple makes money from these ads through a bidding system, and Google makes money from these ads through sponsored placements. At the same time, both platforms officially ban sexual and adult content in their advertising, which makes the whole situation particularly hypocritical.
Apps available for children. 31 of them have low age ratings
The most alarming aspect of the report concerns the availability of these applications to minors. Researchers have identified as many as 31 applications rated as suitable for children or young people. The examples are shocking. In Google Play the application FaceTool: Face Swap & Generate it has a rating of “for everyone” and allows you to put your faces on naked bodies – just upload a photo of a friend and after a while you will have them topless. And this is just one example.
The situation is no better in the App Store. Apps like Best Body AI – Fashion Editor after searching for “nudify” they allow you to remove clothes from the photo and show nudity from the waist up. AI Replace & Remove – Fill App after typing “undress” it searches for clothes and removes them from the photo, showing a blurred nude thumbnail, and the full effect… requires a subscription.
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These apps aren't limited to static photos either. Many of them create deepfake pornographic videos or generate video content in which characters take off their clothes. Some come from developers from China, Vietnam and Indonesia, which further complicates the issue of personal data security.
480 million downloads and $122 million. Business plan for harm
The scale of the business is huge. According to AppMagic's analytical data, identified applications that allow you to “unscramble” photos have been downloaded in total over 480 million times and generated over $122 million revenue throughout its entire existence. Apple and Google collect commissions from in-app purchases and advertising, which means that the giants earn money directly from tools used for potential harassment and sexual exploitation.
This is still not the whole story, because the TTP report is only the result of the January investigation, which revealed over a hundred similar applications. After that publication, Google and Apple removed dozens of them, but apparently did not change their search and advertising mechanisms, causing the problem to return in an even more visible form.
The giants' reaction? Apple is silent, Google is “investigating”
After sharing the findings with TTP and Bloomberg News, Apple removed 15 apps identified in the report. However, the company declines to comment on why its advertising and search system is so effective at promoting banned content.
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Google removed seven apps and issued a terse statement: “When violations of our guidelines are reported, we investigate and take appropriate action.” Google also noted that age ratings are set by an external organization, the International Age Rating Coalition, and not the platform itself. Neither company has explained why autofill and ads continue to drive users to these apps.
