A Google Play listing titled WhatsApp Messenger, from a developer named Agment Assets sallu, shows a 500K+ Downloads badge. It is not the real WhatsApp. The store page was still live when we checked it at about 00:55 IST on October 17, 2026.
The genuine WhatsApp listing is published by WhatsApp LLC and carries a 10B+ Downloads badge. Android Authority, which first reported the copycat, puts the real app at more than 10 billion downloads.
How to tell the real WhatsApp from the copycat on Google Play
The quickest check is the developer name shown under the app title on the listing. Before you install anything called WhatsApp, make sure that line reads WhatsApp LLC.
- Real app: developer WhatsApp LLC, 10B+ downloads
- Copycat: titled WhatsApp Messenger, developer Agment Assets sallu, 500K+ downloads, rated Everyone, updated September 18, 2026
If you see the Agment Assets sallu listing, do not install it. Android Authority says it copies screenshots and description text from the official listing, so the page can look convincing at a glance. We have no source on what the app does after it is installed.
How long the copycat has been on the Play Store
Android Authority says the listing has been on Google Play since September. It is also the only app on its developer account, according to the outlet. The listing’s own update date reads September 18, 2026. Android Authority wrote that “it’s baffling this one has eluded Google Play’s security for more than a month.”
The outlet also suggests the listing may be using Google Play’s Early Access program. Citing Bitdefender, it says Early Access switches off public user reviews. That is Android Authority’s reading, and we have not verified it.
Is it showing up as a sponsored result?
A Reddit user reported seeing a lookalike WhatsApp listing as a sponsored search result, according to Android Authority and The Verge. Android Authority says this is not happening for everyone. In its own searches for WhatsApp on mobile and the web, the official app came up first. We have not reproduced the sponsored placement.
This follows a fake Google Chrome app that Android Authority reported earlier the same week. The outlet says that listing passed 100,000 downloads before it was delisted.
What Google has said
The Verge says Google did not immediately respond to its request for comment. We cannot say whether the copycat listing has come down since our check.
For now, the developer name is the check that matters. WhatsApp has also been testing a scam alert toggle with Android beta testers. For wider Android security reading, see our report on Midnight Mimosa, malware found in cheap Android phones.
Sources: Android Authority, The Verge
