How to spot Fake BBM for Android Apps (Or any other apps)

There are countless numbers of fake BBM for Android apps and other apps currently listed on the Google Play Store following the recent announcement by Blackberry Inc. to make blackberry messenger BBM available for Android users. The excitement over the weekend about the release of the BBM for Android app was cut short when Blackberry decided to suspend the release of the BBM for Android app on the Google Play Store.

Here is what Blackberry had to say….

Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM for Android app was posted online. The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours without even launching the official Android app – is incredible. Consequently, this unreleased version caused issues, which we have attempted to address throughout the day.

Our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM. We are pausing the global roll-out of BBM for Android and iPhone. Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visit www.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.

As soon as we are able, we will begin a staggered country roll-out of BBM for Android and continue the roll-out of BBM for iPhone. Please follow @BBM on Twitter for the latest updates and go to www.BBM.com to sign-up for updates about BBM for Android and iPhone. These issues have not impacted BBM service for BlackBerry.

What worries me is how can Google allow such number of Fake apps to be listed on their play Store? Or are they more interested in the $25 listing price for the apps more than the authenticity of the apps and the experience the users like you and I will have? This has really gone further to expose the poor vetting process of Google before listing apps on their play store.

How to spot fake BBM for Android apps:

To spot the fake BBM for Android or any other fake apps on the Google Play Store, take following tips into consideration;

Logo:  Take a close look at the logo you will obviously notice a couple of mistakes in the fake logos or edited ones, there could be a little variation from the original company’s logo and the fake one. Even if the logo looks the same, you can still spot fake BBM for Android apps or any other fake apps listed on the Google Play Store. Read on for more tips on how to spot fake BBM for Android app or any other fake app on the Google Play Store.

Publisher’s Name:  The second thing you should look at in an attempt to spot the fake BBM for Android app or any other fake apps listed on the Google Play Store is to look at the publisher’s name right below the app name. The publishers name can help you find out if an app is fake or not. Look at the image above, you will notice that some of the fake BBM for Android apps there were listed under names not related to Blackberry. But that’s no guarantee to ultimately spotting a fake app because a smart person could simply use Blackberry to host the BBM for Android app and this still doesn’t make it genuine.

Read the App’s Description & Reviews:  Always ensure to read every app’s description and reviews. The reviews were written by people who have already tried the apps, so before you install any app from the Google Play Store, try and read the app’s reviews.

Forget about the App’s Ranking: Forget about the ranking as some apps will force you to give them a 5-star ranking on the Google Play Store even before you install it before you can find out if it’s original or fake.

Look at Contact Developer’s email: I was personally able to eliminate most fake BBM for Android apps with these tips. Most of them were listed with fake email addresses such as davidhathawayho@hotmail.com , carolabshire@gmail.com etc. An official Blackberry app should be able to have @blackberry.com email address and same applies to any other official apps out there. If the developer’s email address does not tally with @the-company-domain-name.com then watch it closely, it just might be another fake app.

In the wake of the numerous fake BBM for Android app, Google has started their “BOUNCER” service to help clean up the Play Store. This hopes to cut down the number of fake apps on the Google Play Store, this doesn’t mean that they could clamp down on all the fake apps on the Google Play Store, so I suggest you take all the tips I shared above into serious consideration before choosing or installing any apps from the Google Play Store.

Following the guide shared in this post will definitely help you avoid fake BBM for Android apps or any other fake apps listed on the Google Play Store. If you have any contributions to make, please use the comment form below.