Sora Imitators Flooded Apple’s App Store, and Many Remain Active

The rapid rise of Sora attracted numerous scammers on the App Store looking to exploit the trend. Following the launch of OpenAI’s exclusive video-generating mobile app last week, a surge of fake apps claiming to be “Sora” or “Sora 2” appeared, the latter referring to the new AI video model released with the app.

These counterfeit applications somehow circumvented Apple’s App Review process. They were listed on the App Store despite utilizing a trademarked name owned by OpenAI, which was already well-established in the tech community prior to the app’s introduction.

Research shared with TechCrunch upon request by the app intelligence platform Appfigures indicated that over a dozen “Sora”-themed apps emerged on the App Store after the official app’s launch. More than half of these specifically featured “Sora 2” in their names. (One such app was pointed out by Apple blogger and commentator John Gruber, who labeled it the “App Store scam of the week.”)

Many of these applications weren’t new; some had been on the App Store—often under different names—for months or even longer. The imposters, which can also be found on Google Play, collectively amassed approximately 300,000 total installs, with over 80,000 occurring after Sora’s official release. (In contrast, OpenAI has announced that Sora’s official mobile app achieved 1 million downloads.)

Nearly all of the counterfeit apps received updates shortly after OpenAI’s Sora app launched, likely to capitalize on consumer curiosity and search patterns, often by changing their names.

It remains unclear how these applications managed to evade Apple’s scrutiny; however, Appfigures notes that Apple has subsequently removed many of them from its App Store.

Among the fraudulent apps, the most notable was named “Sora 2 – AI Video Generator”—a blatant attempt to manipulate App Store searches using the keyword “sora.” This app racked up over 50,000 installs after the official launch.

As of now, a few Sora-branded apps remain operational, despite the potential confusion for consumers. One, “PetReels — Sora for Pets,” has only garnered a few hundred installs. Another, “Viral AI Photo Maker: Vi-sora,” is trying to incorporate Sora into its title but has also struggled to gain traction.

Doing somewhat better is the app branded as “Sora 2” (Sora 2 – Video Generator Ai), which has exceeded 6,000 downloads and continues to rise.

In total, these apps have generated over $160,000—a significant amount given their short lifespan.

Apple was contacted for a comment regarding how Sora-branded apps were permitted on the platform and whether the remaining Sora-branded apps would be removed. No reply was received before publication.