Handle Copycats (License fraud)

Follow these instructions if you want to report an app on the Google Play Store!

Hey guys, I happen to notice some new copycats which seemingly violate our License.

Once again, it's OK to copy NewPipe as long as you do not violate our GPLv3 License. Please inform yourself about GPLv3 before forking!!!

I already mailed some of the copy kiddies, but they seem to not react on it (like always), so my question is how should we handle these copycats in the future?

List of known and active copies/forks

In the Google Play Store

In the Huawei AppGallery

(to be added)

In the Samsung Galaxy Store

(to be added)

Other copies/forks

MyDownloader
Ucmate (website version)
Modified versions provided on 4pda.to (no source code with the changes, removal of the licenses of the app and the libraries it uses)

Thats embarasing. How come they even stay on playstore.

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/takedown

I've tried that, but google does not seem to respond? Maybe I'm doing something wrong here. Howerver, I know that it works sice there was already a fork that got kicket out.

don't worry, you don't need to to do anything. it is impossible(99.99%) a single app stays alive until 500 downloads. Play store takes care of it extremely very well as YT is his own too. they can earn 1-2$ but loose 25$ (account registration fee). So, it is not worth that much effort to do something. they punish themselves.

A few examples can be found but they won't live longer and the ads will be eventually ceased.

Sure? audiorocket sem tho have more than 400k downloads.

Unfortunately while copycats will always be there (I have some on my hands too) it's just easier for you to send a take-down notice to Google and let them deal with it.

That being said, Google hates your app so they might just not be taking it down in spite. Who cares, the average 99% of people in the world likes it anyway ;)

This list has been mined out of 600 MiB of parsed email data. If you can spot some of them, please get in touch with us.

Edit: These are package names I parsed from the ones in the field that was added a few weeks after the introduction of the bug reporting. For this and other reasons, this list is not complete, there might be more.

co.at.newpipe
com
com.akkayaxm.mscPlayer
com.cubic3.MyDownloader
com.dl.video
com.facecampt.free.music.player
com.FloTemp
com.gawo.rohgf
com.green.music
com.halara.trap
com.hvlapps.freemusicplayer
com.mp3musicdownloader.mp3.music.downloader
com.mp3musicdownload.music
com.mp3musicdownload.musicmp3
com.mp3music.newlife
com.mpool.mytube
com.musicmp3downloader.ilovemp3
com.musicmp3.newmusic
com.musicmp3.new\nmusic
com.music.paradise
com.mwiz.pingmusic
com.tenlishir
com.youtube.audiorocket
com.youtubed.ydownloader
com.youtubelistening.youtubebackground
com.youtubelite.floattube
com.zbm.probasse
idev4mobile.karaoke
idev4mobile.videotube
inc.players.youlayer
musicstream.videostream.newpipe
org.bardo.newpipe
org.le.keep_video
org.schabi.newpipe
org.schabi.vbl2013
org.schabi.videodownloader
org.schabi.youdownload
org.schabi.youdownloader
org.testng01.tubeb44

@Poussinou

I've created a small script to check if they are on google play: https://gist.github.com/coffeemakr/8862e7903c4bea21b99c6a457268af71

The following packages are on google play:

~~co.at.newpipe~~ (MOD edit: removed)
~~com.gawo.rohgf~~ (MOD edit: removed)
~~com.mpool.mytube~~ (MOD edit: removed)
~~com.mwiz.pingmusic~~ (MOD edit: removed)
~~com.tenlishir~~ (MOD edit: removed)
~~com.zbm.probasse~~ (MOD edit: removed)
~~idev4mobile.karaoke~~ (MOD edit: removed)
~~com.video.tubeplayerorg~~ (MOD edit: removed) (not on the list)
~~idev4mobile.videotube~~ (MOD edit: removed) (mentioned by @Poussinou)

A copyright violation can be submitted with this form:
https://support.google.com/legal/contact/lr_dmca?&product=googleplay
The description on how to fill out the form can be found here: https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905#ts=1115643%2C1115789%2C1117010%2C1697925

@theScrabi

Beware that this is not even the whole list, only the ones we captured on a side-channel. But yes, it's quite an amount. Time to take half a day and send some DMCA takedown notices, @theScrabi.

How about adding some code that checks the display/package name of NewPipe and if it has been changed, let the user know (and possibly refuse to work)?

Then you'd also notify the copycat and tell them "oh, I need to remove that piece of code". They're not that stupid, because they must obviously know how how to develop for Android to create realistic apps. This measure is rather pointless IMO.

The only thing we could do is making it harder for copycats to change the email address where the but reports are send to.

Some user reported over email an app with 10M+ downloads using our logo: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hifun.drama.video

Some user reported over email an app with 10M+ downloads using our logo: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hifun.drama.video

I went through the pain to check this app out. At last from the UI it does not seem to use our code, but they definitely stole our logo.

Fond a copycat on the Huaway AppGalery: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C111746031
This one is also not officially distributed by us: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C110013841

Some user reported over email an app with 10M+ downloads using our logo: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hifun.drama.video

They changed icon.

Fond a copycat on the Huaway AppGalery: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C111746031 This one is also not officially distributed by us: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C110013841

Second link no longer works.

RuStore copycats:

https://www.rustore.ru/catalog/app/org.schabi.newpipe (just a reupload)
https://www.rustore.ru/catalog/app/com.handytoolsapps.freeMp3VideoDownloader (actual copycat)

Fond a copycat on the Huaway AppGalery: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C111746031 This one is also not officially distributed by us: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C110013841

Weird. Second link is now completly differrent app.

Fake domain, https://NewPipe.co is for sale. Buy it before scammers do it.

Pure Tuber no longer seems to use any of NewPipe's code. It's currently justa very bad web browser (without ad blocker as YouTube still has ads) and local video player.

https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/play.tube.skysposboruff

NewPipe Player in the App Store seems to be a contender.

🤬!!! We had this situation before. Part of the reason to register NewPipe as trademark was to take down a similar App on the Apple App Store.

Thank you for noticing.

Navigation Menu

Repository navigation

Handle Copycats (License fraud) #539

List of known and active copies/forks

In the Google Play Store

In the Huawei AppGallery

In the Samsung Galaxy Store

Other copies/forks

238 remaining items

Metadata

Assignees

Labels

Type

Projects

Milestone

Relationships

Development

Handle Copycats (License fraud) #539

Description

List of known and active copies/forks

In the Google Play Store

In the Huawei AppGallery

In the Samsung Galaxy Store

Other copies/forks

Activity

ksh-b commented on May 8, 2017

theScrabi commented on May 8, 2017

yasinalm commented on May 23, 2017

theScrabi commented on May 23, 2017

ericswpark commented on Jul 21, 2017

TheAssassin commented on Aug 1, 2017

coffeemakr commented on Aug 2, 2017

theScrabi commented on Aug 2, 2017

TheAssassin commented on Aug 2, 2017

Zero3K commented on Aug 22, 2017

TheAssassin commented on Aug 22, 2017

theScrabi commented on Aug 22, 2017

238 remaining items

Stypox commented on Oct 14, 2025

theScrabi commented on Nov 12, 2025

theScrabi commented on Dec 6, 2025

Julmik647 commented on Feb 27, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Mar 21, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Mar 27, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Mar 27, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Mar 28, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Apr 2, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Sep 18, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Sep 18, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Sep 19, 2026

Julmik647 commented on Oct 13, 2026

Hywan commented on Oct 26, 2026

theScrabi commented on Oct 27, 2026

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

Labels

Type

Projects

Milestone

Relationships

Development

Issue actions