Sora Copycats Flooded Apple’s App Store, and Some Still Remain

The launch of OpenAI's invite-only video-generating mobile app, Sora, last week sparked a wave of copycat apps flooding Apple's App Store. Many of these scammers branded their apps as "Sora" or "Sora 2", the latter referencing the new AI video model released alongside the official mobile app.

These counterfeit apps surprisingly made it through Apple's App Review process. They were publicly listed on the App Store under the Sora name, despite it being trademarked by OpenAI and already well-known in the tech community.

Flood of Impostor Apps

According to Appfigures, an app intelligence platform, over a dozen Sora-branded apps went live on the App Store following the launch of the official app. More than half of these apps used "Sora 2" in their names. One particularly egregious example, spotted by Apple blogger John Gruber, was called the "App Store scam of the week."

Many of these apps weren't new to the store either. Some had been living under different names since earlier this year or even last year. Imposter apps (also available on Google Play) accumulated around 300,000 installs in total, with over 80,000 installs after the launch of Sora. For comparison, OpenAI's official mobile app has been downloaded 1 million times since its release.

After OpenAI's official Sora app launch, many imposter apps updated their names and descriptions to capitalise on the surge in consumer demand and search volume.

How Did These Apps Pass Apple's Review?

It remains unclear how these apps were able to bypass Apple's review system. However, according to Appfigures, Apple has since removed many of the impostors from the App Store.

The largest of the imposter apps, titled "Sora 2 – AI Video Generator", garnered 50,000+ installs after the launch of the official Sora app. Despite the app's apparent attempt to exploit the "Sora" keyword in App Store searches, it had significant traction in a short period.

Remaining Copycats

While many of these apps have been taken down, some Sora-branded apps remain live on the App Store, potentially causing confusion among consumers. One app, "PetReels — Sora for Pets", has seen only a few hundred installs, while another, "Viral AI Photo Maker: Vi-sora", is trying to capitalise on the name but has not seen significant success. A better-performing copycat, "Sora 2 – Video Generator AI", has racked up over 6,000 downloads so far.

In total, the copycat apps have earned an estimated $160,000, which is substantial for apps with short lifespans.

Apple's Response

Apple was contacted for a comment regarding how these Sora-branded apps made it past its review process and whether the remaining apps will be removed. At the time of publication, Apple had not responded.