22 Android apps that can drain phone battery & produce massive phone bills; see list

Poor battery life is one of the most common problems faced by Android users. Security researchers from the Sophos firm have recently identified 22 applications that appear to be like normal applications, however, these applications can drain the battery of your devices and also fraudulently increase your phone bill. These applications are referred to as 'Clickfraud' apps.

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The developers of these applications trick people into downloading malware as well as pop-up ads. The applications are available on Google Play Store. The 22 'Clickfraud' applications have reportedly been downloaded 2 million times.

According to the Sophos researchers, the Clickfraud apps have been unnoticed for a long period of time. Several of these applications had received negative reviews. While 3 Clickfraud apps almost existed for a year, the Sparkle FlashLight application has reportedly received over a million downloads.

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Here is a list of the 22 fake apps that you must uninstall immediately:

1. Sparkle FlashLight – com.sparkle.flashlight 
2. Snake Attack – com.mobilebt.snakefight 
3. Math Solver – com.mobilebt.mathsolver 
4. ShapeSorter – com.mobilebt.shapesorter 
5. Tak A Trip – com.takatrip.android 
6. Magnifeye – com.magnifeye.android 
7. Join Up – com.pesrepi.joinup 
8. Zombie Killer – com.pesrepi.zombiekiller 
9. Space Rocket – com.pesrepi.spacerocket 
10. Neon Pong – com.pesrepi.neonpong 
11. Just Flashlight – app.mobile.justflashlight 
12. Table Soccer – com.mobile.tablesoccer 
13. Cliff Diver – com.mobile.cliffdiver 
14. Box Stack – com.mobile.boxstack 
15. Jelly Slice – net.kanmobi.jellyslice 
16. AK Blackjack – com.maragona.akblackjack 
17. Color Tiles – com.maragona.colortiles 
18. Animal Match – com.beacon.animalmatch 
19. Roulette Mania – com.beacon.roulettemania 
20. HexaFall – com.atry.hexafall 
21. HexaBlocks – com.atry.hexablocks 
22. PairZap – com.atry.pairzap 

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Spotting the fake apps:

It is very difficult for a layman to spot the Clickfraud apps. Some of these applications also lack negative reviews. Hence, this leads to increased downloads. One can identify these applications if they are quite heavy and also drain one’s mobile battery at a fast pace. However, it is still difficult to identify fake apps since several other genuine applications occupy quite a lot of phone space. Although these applications have been deleted from the Google Play Store, they can still operate if they have been installed on your device. It is hence recommended to uninstall the 'Clickfraud' apps.

How do the Clickfraud applications operate?

The Clickfraud applications show invisible ads. They may also trick you to click on ads by luring you with monetary prizes. Some advertisements pretend that you are operating an Apple device, thereby luring you into making more money. These advertisements are majorly found in a hidden browser window. The malware then persuades users to interact with the ads. Further, interactions with the advertisements seem quite legitimate to a layman.

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