A small number of iPhone users who have installed the latest iOS 18.4 update are finding apps installed on their handsets that they did not install.
New and previously deleted apps
There are at least three threads over on Reddit detailing the issue. Some users report new apps — usually games like Squid Game or Cooking Mama — and others are saying that apps that were previously deleted have reappeared.
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“Okay so after updating to iOS 18.4 successfully,” wrote Reddit user MoistCombination1991, “I went to the app store to update apps. And to my surprise this Chinese game install itself automatically.”
Reddit user scurry126 sheds a bit more light on the issue.
“This happened to me. I got Cooking Mama added to my home screen. What’s weird is that looking at the App Store, Cooking Mama shows ‘Get’ instead of the redownload button. So according to the App Store, I’ve never owned it but it appeared on my device.”
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Another user, MildAndClassic, puts it quite bluntly:
“Today I feel like I’m using some cheap Chinese mobile where after software update some random application installed in my phone for no reason.”
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There’s also a thread over on Apple’s own support forum from someone called Someandroiduser who reports that a game called Last War Survival, an app that was previously installed, has reappeared on the Home Screen.
So, what’s going on here?
The bottom line is we do not know, other than that it is clearly some sort of mistake on Apple’s end, and it is clearly rather embarrassing for a company that makes so much noise about security to start installing random apps onto people’s iPhones.
We’ll have to wait for Apple to explain what happened here.
Also: What’s new in iOS 18.4? AI priority notifications and 9 other big updates
Is this something nefarious? No. If you’ve woken up to find some random app installed on your iPhone, my advice is to delete it and get on with life.
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Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
