Android Question Protecting an app from cloning

[Sasuke Sama]

I recently got my hand on someone on the playstore who copied and modified one of my apps including the name, icon, colores and even put his on firebase ads insted of mine then re-uploaded on the playstore in his account
I tried to reach for google several times but they dont seem to care
My app is not the only app all his published apps are a modified apps.
So is there anyway i can protect my apps from cloning?

 

[Jmu5667]

I recently got my hand on someone on the playstore who copied and modified one of my apps including the name, icon, colores and even put his on firebase ads insted of mine then re-uploaded on the playstore in his account
I tried to reach for google several times but they dont seem to care
My app is not the only app all his published apps are a modified apps.
So is there anyway i can protect my apps from cloning?

what is your app, and the closed app, post the playstore links here

 

[Peter Simpson]

Here you go @Sasuke Sama

https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...ion-with-the-licensing-library.11429/#content

and

https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...yourapp-protect-your-apk-rel-2.58046/#content

and

https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/probundle-chargeable.58754/#content

 

[Sasuke Sama]

what is your app, and the closed app, post the playstore links here

 

[sorex]

if they ask him about it he can just say it's reversed enginered and there's not much they can do about it I guess.

 

[Sasuke Sama]

Here you go @Sasuke Sama

https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...ion-with-the-licensing-library.11429/#content

and

https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...yourapp-protect-your-apk-rel-2.58046/#content

and

https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/probundle-chargeable.58754/#content

Thanx alot will try them out

 

[sorex]

They don't look 100% identical to me?

 

[Jmu5667]

How do you know it was cloned ? Have you de-compiled the suspected cloned APK ?

 

[MarkusR]

the screenshots in app store looks different. i guess someone just copy the idea and made own app.

 

[sorex]

in that case everyone can start complaining as 100% unique apps are like non existing (after a few months).

 

[Star-Dust]

What does cloning mean to you?

1. Recover the source code illegally to reuse it
2. Create a similar app that has the same goal as yours

 

[Sasuke Sama]

They don't look 100% identical to me?

Screenshot are not what the app really is

 

[Sasuke Sama]

How do you know it was cloned ? Have you de-compiled the suspected cloned APK ?

Screenshot are not what the app really is ... When i send a notification to my app the clone received it as well
The clone also uses my firebase database ... My servers and my users accounts

 

[Sasuke Sama]

the screenshots in app store looks different. i guess someone just copy the idea and made own app.

Screenshot are not from the app they're fake

 

[Sasuke Sama]

What does cloning mean to you?

1. Recover the source code illegally to reuse it
2. Create a similar app that has the same goal as yours

My app is closed source
Screenshot are not what the app really is ... When i send a notification to my app the clone received it as well
The clone also uses my firebase database ... My servers and my users accounts

 

[Star-Dust]

My app is closed source
Screenshot are not what the app really is ... When i send a notification to my app the clone received it as well
The clone also uses my firebase database ... My servers and my users accounts

It could be a clone as you suppose, but the developer could have created an alternative client. Sniffing the network, some developers have reproduced alternative clients to aim, icq, messenger and even WhatsApp in the past.
Recreating that menu is not difficult.

Of course, if they manage to access your firebase there was certainly a reverse engegneer or someone had access to your PC.
Is it a successful app that would justify such an action?

Peter's suggestions are excellent.

PS the size of the APKs is different, they are not identical

 

[sorex]

just update the app every week and change the firebase database/pushmessage passwords aswell. (if there are any)

he'll give up after a while.

 

[Sasuke Sama]

It could be a clone as you suppose, but the developer could have created an alternative client. Sniffing the network, some developers have reproduced alternative clients to aim, icq, messenger and even WhatsApp in the past.
Recreating that menu is not difficult.

Of course, if they manage to access your firebase there was certainly a reverse engegneer or someone had access to your PC.
Is it a successful app that would justify such an action?

Peter's suggestions are excellent.

PS the size of the APKs is different, they are not identical

I managed to contact him and he confirmed that he is using my app and modified it
He also refusing to remove it from the store
Guess ill have to do it the hard way

 

[Sasuke Sama]

just update the app every week and change the firebase database/pushmessage passwords aswell. (if there are any)

he'll give up after a while.

I thought about that as well i will do that alongside the suggestions above
Thanx everyone best community ever : D

 

[techknight]

The only way to fix this and prevent it for awhile is to design a kill switch inside the app that is part of an algorithm that is required to generate mathematically, numbers used to run the app, that is so intertwined that its not easily patched out.

To start off with, UI code. all the font sizes and alignment codes could be generated by this algorithm. All your For loops and compare if statements could be obfuscated numbers that get corrected by yet another algorithm that has to execute to change the state of the variable to the correct value.

When you throw the kill switch, the whole app is basically junk unless its "recreated" by putting in so many patches.

The trick is, make it elaborate like I have explained, but also make it very subtle so it goes unnoticed. the seeds/keys to the algorithm can be embedded in an image, it could be sent from the server with account info, make it so it goes unnoticed.

Then, when the killswitch gets thrown, the reference data is no longer there to "replay attack" the system anymore.