Beware of Fake Sora Apps
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There’s a lot to be said about Sora ; it’s essentially OpenAI’s TikTok for artificial intelligence. But, putting aside my concerns about what appears to be a hyped deepfake-creating machine , the app is clearly popular. OpenAI reports that Sora has been downloaded a million times in less than five days , likely driven by user interest in hyper-realistic videos that go viral on social media.
But with great hype comes a great risk of fraud. Although OpenAI made Sora free to download, it was initially available by invitation only, which only fueled interest among users eager to try it. These users might open the App Store, search for Sora, and download the first app they came across, especially if they could start using it immediately. That’s exactly what happened in this case.
As TechCrunch reports , after the launch of the genuine OpenAI app, more than a dozen fake Sora apps appeared in the iOS App Store. These apps were dubbed “Sora” or “Sora 2,” the latter referring to the specific video model underlying these hyper-realistic AI models.
One might assume that developers rushed to upload these apps to the App Store, trying to attract traffic from users interested in Sora. While this is certainly true, a number of these apps were already available in the App Store long before OpenAI announced Sora, some under different names. It’s unclear how many of them changed their names in this situation, but it’s clear that many did so shortly after Sora’s launch. TechCrunch reports that some apps had been available in the App Store since early this year, while others had been available since last year.
Apple’s App Store isn’t the only app marketplace to suffer. Fraudulent Sora apps have also appeared on Google Play. Collectively, these apps have been downloaded over 300,000 times, with over 80,000 of those downloads occurring after Sora’s official launch. Perhaps the most successful fake Sora app, “Sora 2 – AI Video Generator,” has amassed over 50,000 downloads since OpenAI’s Sora was released. TechCrunch reports that these apps have collectively earned over $160,000, all thanks to apps posing as something completely different.
Most (but not all) of these apps have now been removed from app stores.
How to spot fake apps in your app store
First of all, if the app you’re trying to download is trendy and popular, like Sora, be prepared for developers to try to counterfeit it. Fraudsters want to trick users looking for a specific app into downloading them, whether by installing malware on your device, stealing your data, or monetizing you with ads. If they know the app will be downloaded by millions, hosting a fraudulent app is a lucrative business.
When browsing the app store search results page, pay close attention to the app’s name. Sure, it might say “Sora,” but are there any unnecessary words? “Sora 2 – AI Video Generator” isn’t the worst fake name I’ve ever seen, but the app is called Sora, not Sora 2. OpenAI likely wouldn’t add “AI Video Generator” to its product name; they likely know the product speaks for itself and don’t feel the need to clutter the name with unnecessary details. Instead, the real name is “Sora by OpenAI,” likely to distinguish it from legitimate apps named Sora and to indicate that it is indeed developed by OpenAI.
By the way, you should always verify that an app is distributed by the developer. If you’re trying to figure out which Sora app in your app store is legitimate, it’s the one listed as developed by OpenAI. And it’s not just the name. Click on the app and look at the developer’s name underneath. If it doesn’t match the name of the company you know is developing the app, don’t download it.
You should also examine the text and images promoting the app. Is everything written correctly and free of spelling and grammar errors? Are the images high quality and do they reflect the essence of the advertised app? Don’t download anything that looks poorly made; some scammers don’t pay enough attention to detail.
Finally, make sure the app is actually available on your platform. Sora is currently only available on iOS, so any app claiming to be OpenAI’s Sora in the Play Store is a scam. If you’re using Android, you’ll just need to wait for OpenAI to create an app for your platform.