AppLovin shuts down Array software amid allegations of unauthorised app installs

• Array allowed Samsung and T-Mobile deliver app recommendations and direct downloads to users.
• Researcher Ben Edelman claimed AppLovin’s code enabled automatic app installs through ads.
• AppLovin denied the accusations, insisting all downloads require user consent via app stores.
• Over 200 users reported apps appearing on their phones without permission, Edelman said.

Adtech firm AppLovin has shut down a mobile software tool amid allegations it could install apps on users’ devices without their consent.

As reported by Bloomberg, an AppLovin spokesperson said the company discontinued its Array product last quarter, citing a lack of economic viability.

Array had allowed device makers and carriers, such as Samsung and T-Mobile to deliver on-device app recommendations and direct downloads.

The shutdown follows research by ad fraud expert Ben Edelman, who claimed AppLovin’s source code included instructions enabling automatic app downloads when users interacted with its ads, along with a timer feature seemingly designed to trigger such installs.

AppLovin denied Edelman’s claims, stating it has never installed apps without user consent and that all downloads occur through app stores where users choose to proceed.

No firsthand proof found

Edelman gathered over 200 complaints from users saying apps appeared on their phones without installation. Some said the downloads happened after clicking or closing ads, or even without touching their screens. 

The ad fraud expert went on to add that despite testing on multiple devices, he never personally saw an AppLovin ad automatically install an app.

“I never managed to get it to happen to me,” he said. “That’s okay. I’ve never seen a meteor, but I know that meteors exist through the scientific process. And so, too, here I have a scientific process that is sufficient to reach conclusions, even if I’d rather see the meteor with my own eyes.”

A T-Mobile spokesperson also added that the company does not install apps without user consent and confirmed a now-ended pilot program with AppLovin that let users voluntarily download apps from ads. 

Earlier this month, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched an investigation into AppLovin over alleged data collection violations and contract breaches tied to its advertising business.