Android Expert Warns Against 5 Popular Apps as Truecaller Tops 1 Billion Downloads
Updated
Updated · Android Authority · Jun 17
Android Expert Warns Against 5 Popular Apps as Truecaller Tops 1 Billion Downloads
2 articles · Updated · Android Authority · Jun 17
Summary
Five widely downloaded Android apps — Turbo VPN, LastPass, Truecaller, CCleaner and AVG AntiVirus & Security — were flagged as poor choices because of privacy risks, security concerns or redundant features.
Turbo VPN’s 500 million-plus installs do not offset concerns about free VPN business models and past reports on questionable data practices, while LastPass remains hard to recommend after its 2022 breach exposed customer data and security architecture.
Truecaller, with more than 1 billion Play Store downloads, was singled out for harvesting broad permissions and contact-list data that can pull non-users into its database.
CCleaner and AVG were criticized less for direct danger than for duplicating tools Android already includes, such as Google Files cleanup features, Play Protect and Safe Browsing.
The broader takeaway is that Play Store download counts are a weak quality signal, especially when Android’s built-in privacy, spam-blocking and security tools already cover many common use cases.