- A free Android VPN application with 1m+ downloads was trapped by hosting its service VPN servers of Windscribe cover
- JetVPN supposedly began using private Internet access servers (PIA) after Windscript blocked his access
- According to Windscribe, this incident is a broader symptom with Google Play
A free VPN, classified among the most downloaded free applications on Google Play Store with 1m+ downloads, was apparently trapped stealing from Windscribe.
Qualified as one of the best VPN suppliers in the market by Techradar reviewers, Windscribe realized that JetVPN, a new name in the industry, was using Windscribe owned servers to host its VPN service at the end of July.
After blocking it, JetVPN allegedly resorted to private internet access servers (PIA) to continue hosting their service.
A JetVPN spokesman told Techradar that the team was not aware of the situation until Windscribe approached. A third -party company that offers a “white label VPN” solution allegedly provided JetVPN servers Windscribe and Pia without the company knowing.
“All this is basically scammers that scam other scammers,” said the CEO of Windscribe, Yegor Sak, and added that “it is not the first time this happens,” suggests that this points to a broader problem with how Google deals with quality control in new applications.
Stolen VPN servers: How did it happen?
Windscribe and PIA are among a handful of VPN suppliers that offer unlimited device connections. This means that once one of these services is subscribed, you can use its VPN application in all its devices simultaneously.
While everyday users can take advantage of this policy to protect their families and friends by paying only for a subscription, malicious developers can also abuse it to accommodate their own virtual private network software (VPN) at no cost at no cost.
“How they do it is very simple: they buy a lot of Windscribe accounts and then share them by using their own application by distributing OpenVPN credentials,” Sak told Techradar.
However, nothing to worry about if you have a Windscribe or Pia account. As Sak explains: “This does not affect any other Windscribe users, since they are only abusing their own accounts, which they paid.”
Attend
Pia also confirmed to Techradar that the team was aware that a third party took advantage of its offer of unlimited devices.
“In line with our terms of service, we close the offensive accounts immediately,” a PIA spokesman told us.
When Techradar approached, JetVPN said the team stopped using Windscribe and PIA servers as soon as the supplier got in touch, he eliminated them from their application and moved to an infrastructure completely under the control of the company.
“We want to emphasize that JetVPN never participated in any intentional or unauthorized use of its infrastructure: the overlap came only from the same third party supplier,” said a JetVPN spokesman.
A Google Play problem?
At the time of writing, JetVPN is not available on Google Play Store. Until Friday, August 15, 2025, it was and accumulated a 5 -star rating in a couple of months. The VPN was never available for download in the Apple App Store.
When asked about this, JetVPN told Techradar that the elimination is not directly related to this matter.
“We are currently in the process of updating and improvement of our service, and we hope to make it available again in due time,” said a JetVPN spokesman, adding that it was the company’s decision to launch the application only on Android at the beginning.
That said, the JetVPN saga is only the last of such incidents, where the un verified VPN applications managed to reach the best ranges in Google Play.
Google even launched a “verified” badge last February to help users download only safe and reliable services. However, it has been found that this popular free extension of Google Chrome VPN spies to its 100k users, despite having obtained said security badge.
In general, Sak told Techradar: “Google has a serious problem in your hands with quality control, as well as the obvious use of bots to install mass and shaded mass review applications to take them to the 10 main lists. This is quite obvious, since this application [JetVPN] It has a 5.0 qualification, with 5k+ votes and zero written criticisms. “
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