OpenAI’s official Sora app is now available across the US and Canada, global App Store users who are browsing the app are encountering multiple copycat apps hoping to profit from its hype.
Notably, the recently introduced app made headlines shortly after launch and soared to No. 1 app on the US App Store.
As highlighted by Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, one such app, Sora 2: AI Video Generator, has already reached 9th place in the App Store’s “Top Photo & Video Apps” chart. But it’s far from alone.
Once you browse “Sora 2” on the App Store, dozens of apps appear, each adopting the “Sora” name to mimic OpenAI’s product.
Some also go further by showing OpenAI’s logo on their icons, while others add keywords such as Google’s Veo 3 model to their subtitles.
Nearly all fosters in-app purchases, often with costly weekly subscriptions, simplifying it for unsuspecting users to confuse them for the actual app.
This trend is not surprising either, as similar copycat hikes have followed the releases of other high-profile apps.
The confusion is still aggravated by the fact that the ChatGPT manufacturer’s genuine Sora app has a limited release.
Many global users outside North America may assume the similar or clone apps are legitimate, unknowingly installing and even subscribing to the illegitimate apps.
The situation highlights the continuous problems of misleading copycat apps, especially when demand for a product is significantly higher and yet to be rolled out broadly.
