Remember when Apple and Google got caught hosting "nudify" apps that clearly violated their own content policies? Well, they're not just still available—they're being actively promoted in search results, according to a new investigation.
The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) found that searching for terms like "nudify" or "undress" on the iOS App Store and Google Play surfaces apps that can generate nude images of real people or insert them into pornographic videos. Many are rated "E" for Everyone, meaning children can download them without restriction.
"The platforms are key participants in the spread of AI tools that can turn real people into sexualized images," TTP wrote in its report. Both stores even ran ads for similar apps directly in search results.
The scale of the problem
The group identified 18 nudify apps in Apple's App Store and 20 on Google Play. Some were marketed with overtly sexual imagery, while others appeared more benign but could still be used to create deepfakes. Collectively, these apps have reportedly generated about $122 million in revenue and been downloaded 483 million times.
"It’s not just that the companies are failing to actually appropriately review these apps and continue to approve them and profit from them," TTP director Katie Paul told Bloomberg. "They are actually directing users to the apps themselves."
Policy vs. practice
Both Apple and Google have explicit policies banning sexual or pornographic material, with Google specifically prohibiting nudifying apps. Apple told Bloomberg it removed 15 apps identified by TTP, while Google said it suspended "a number" of them.
One app highlighted in the report, Video Face Swap AI: DeepFace, shows an actress's face swapped onto another actress's body in its promotional material and allows users to place real people's faces on partially undressed women. It carried an "E" rating.
Regulatory pressure mounts
The proliferation of these tools has sparked legislative action. The UK's Children's Commissioner recently called for a ban on AI deepfake apps that create nude or sexual images of children. The US and other countries have proposed or enacted laws targeting explicit deepfakes, and California's Attorney General recently sent X (formerly Twitter) a cease-and-desist order over explicit deepfakes generated by its Grok AI.