Apple App Store hosts AI nudify apps despite ban, report finds

A study released by the Tech Transparency Project shows that it is not difficult to find software on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store that can be used on real images to “make them look naked, put them into pornographic videos, or turn them into sexually explicit chatbots.” These apps exist on Apple’s App Store despite rules against them.

TTP’s research involved using search terms such as “nudify,” “undress,” “AI NSFW,” and “deepnude,” and found that about 40 percent of the apps found were able to “render women nude or scantily clad.” TTP also found that the App Store made autocomplete suggestions that led to recommendations for new terms for finding such apps.

Apple did not comment on TTP’s study, but TTP reported that Apple removed 15 apps after TTP shared their findings. As of this writing, the search terms “nudify” and “undress” resulted in no results, but “deepnude” was successful and included several apps that offered outfit or body transformations. Macworld did not check these apps to see if they could take real images and create AI nude versions.

One of the apps recommended by the “deepnude” search was Grok, the AI chatbot created by X. Earlier this week, a report stated that Apple privately threatened to remove Grok from the App Store because of the app’s ability to generate deepfake nude images. It’s not clear if the apps that TTP reported as removed by Apple were given the same courtesy of a warning as X. Grok remains in the App Store.

In addition to successful searches, TTP found that the App Store responded to search queries with ads for nudify apps. Even though Apple’s App Store ad policies state that “Ad content that promotes adult-oriented themes or graphic content” is prohibited content, TTP found that the App Store failed to enforce the policy.

TTP’s report comes after reports earlier this week that two apps in the App Store, Ledger Live and Freecash, were not legitimate services but scams. Ledger Live stole bitcoin accounts, while Freecash harvested user data secretly.