A knowledge harvesting app known as Freecash seems to have tricked customers because it shortly rose to the top charts on the App Store and Google Play, the place it sat for months till a latest ban.
If you’ve been on TikTok this 12 months, you’ve greater than probably encountered advertisements for Freecash. The app has been marketed as a way to make cash simply by scrolling TikTok — and jumped to the top of the app stores in latest months, peaking at the No. 2 place in the U.S. App Store.
In fact, Freecash pays customers to play cellular video games — all the whereas gathering a heaping quantity of delicate knowledge, in accordance to cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes.
A Malwarebytes report notes that the app might gather details about customers’ race, faith, intercourse life, sexual orientation, well being, and different biometrics, including that the app is basically an information dealer wanting to match recreation builders with customers who’re keen to set up and spend cash on cellular video games. Games promoted on Freecash embody Monopoly Go and Disney Solitaire, amongst others.
In response to a January report from Wired that discovered Freecash used misleading advertising and marketing strategies and nudged customers to spend cash in video games, TikTok pulled some of Freecash’s advertisements, saying the firm broke its guidelines round monetary misrepresentation. At the time, Freecash denied involvement, saying the advertisements had been generated by third-party associates, not itself.
On Monday, after being contacted by TechCrunch for remark, Apple pulled Freecash from its App Store. As of Monday afternoon, the app was nonetheless listed in the Google Play retailer.
When reached for remark, Almedia, the Germany-based firm that owns Freecash, denied allegations of driving synthetic site visitors to its platform or utilizing misleading advertising and marketing strategies.
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“Our apps are fully compliant with the Apple App Store and Google Play Store policies, as demonstrated by the fact that they are live and regularly pass platform reviews,” an e mail from Almedia PR supervisor James Law, signed “Almedia Press Office,” famous. “We do not comment on internal product strategy regarding specific app listings.”
The query stays how an app like Freecash was in a position to recreation social media advertisements and different partnerships to rise to the top of the app retailer. The app’s downloads shot up in January 2026 to attain 5.5 million throughout international app stores, up from 876,000 in October 2025, in accordance to knowledge from market intelligence agency Appfigures.
The development despatched the app into the No. 2 place on the U.S. App Store. Thanks to natural discovery and different advertising and marketing efforts, it continued to maintain a top 5 spot almost every single day since January 8. On Google Play, it reached No. 7 total, Appfigures mentioned.
Appfigures informed TechCrunch that Freecash’s downloads peaked in February, reaching almost 6 million, however have since been declining. Current estimates had put the app on observe for round 3 million installs in April.
However, Freecash’s recreation extends past deceptive TikToks, attainable faux scores, suspiciously favorable Google backlinks, and the obvious use of bots to drive site visitors to the app.
A attainable bait-and-switch
Before Freecash rocketed to the top of the Apple and Google app stores, it was created beneath two completely different developer accounts.
Third-party knowledge from market intelligence supplier Appfigures exhibits that Almedia GmbH, the German firm behind the Freecash app, first submitted Freecash to the Apple App Store on March 24, 2024, nevertheless it was eliminated after round two months on June 13, 2024. (Appmagic sees its elimination on June 12 — see beneath.)
This model of the app was downloaded an estimated 69.5K occasions earlier than elimination, Appfigures mentioned.
Months later, a second app that already existed on the retailer, developed by the Cyprus-based firm 256 Rewards Ltd, was rebranded as “Freecash,” and an replace was submitted beneath that app’s ID, in accordance to the third-party knowledge.
It’s unclear if Almedia acquired the Cyprus-based developer, which was initially known as Rewards, or if it merely acquired the developer account. Rewards now not seems to have a functioning web site or social media presence, and the group behind the firm has since moved on to a brand new firm, Pushed. (Rewards’ co-founders didn’t reply to a request for remark about their prior firm despatched by way of their new firm’s e mail.)
Almedia’s re-entry into the App Store by one other developer account might have been a way of circumventing a ban on the preliminary Freecash app. Using one other developer to re-enter the App Store after a ban is a standard, although rule-breaking, tactic. (Almedia’s spokesperson declined to remark about its earlier app takedown.)
A Washington Post report about the rip-off app ecosystem famous this development, highlighting a number of fraudulent apps that may disappear from the App Store after which reappear beneath a unique developer account. Other impartial investigations have documented this tactic as effectively, and infrequently, rip-off apps’ house owners function a portfolio of accounts, it’s been reported.
It’s unclear if Almedia employed related practices in approving its Freecash app, however what is evident is that the Rewards app was renamed to Freecash solely 5 months in the past earlier than shortly rocketing to the top of the Apple and Google stores. The firm’s spokesperson didn’t say whether or not its unique apps had been banned for coverage violations.
Apple’s App Store pointers prohibit apps that strive to trick its App Review system by doing issues like circumventing bans.
After TechCrunch reached out to Apple for remark, the firm eliminated Freecash from the App Store for violations of its guidelines on Monday, citing the deceptive advertising and marketing. Apple pointed TechCrunch to two App Store Review Guidelines, 3.1.2(a) and a couple of.3.1, which forbid scamming customers, participating in bait-and-switch ways, and advertising and marketing apps in a deceptive way.
In addition, Apple’s Developer Program License Agreement additionally says builders can’t have interaction in illegal, unfair, deceptive, fraudulent, improper, or dishonest acts or enterprise practices relating to their app. This contains participating in bait-and-switch pricing, client misrepresentation, misleading enterprise practices, or unfair competitors towards different builders, Apple famous.
Almedia might have carried out one thing related on the Google Play Store. The firm’s unique app (developer ID com.freecash.twa — see above) was eliminated in January 2024, per Appfigures. The present Freecash app is listed beneath a unique developer ID (com.freecash.app2). Google tells us it’s wanting into the matter.
As of Friday, April 10, Freecash was No. 7 on the U.S. App Store and No. 13 on Google Play.
Despite the reviews of its misleading advertising and marketing ways, Freecash had a really excessive evaluation rating of 4.7 stars. It’s not unusual or notably tough for manufacturers to falsify critiques on-line, nevertheless it’s attainable the excessive ranking meant it wasn’t flagged by Apple for elimination.
In its assertion, Apple informed TechCrunch that customers ought to report apps they imagine are participating in scams or fraud by way of the reportaproblem.apple.com web site.