Instagram said that they are working on an Android App. So when I saw the Instagram for Android App on the Android Marketplace on 4 February 2012, I immediately download it to try it out.

But it’s a fake.

Firstly, the interface looks ugly. I would expect Instagram to do a better job. And there isn’t a sign up or login screen. Just a Popular and Share button. And after taking a photo, a popup says that I must give the App a 5 Star rating to get the filters. That’s when my alarm start ringing. Why would Instagram do such an unethical thing to get 5 star review? And that is most likely against Google’s Terms and Conditions. The App even tried to post on my Facebook wall to tell my Facebook friends about the App. This can’t be the real Instagram App.

I’m embarrassed to say that the App managed to fool me for a while. It looks quite real to me. If it has a login screen, I’ll most likely login with my Instagram userid/password. I can’t believe I fell for it. Icon and everything looks real. Developer website is correct on Android Marketplace. Everything looks proper except the screenshots are clearly from iPhone. (Damn! I should have spotted that, but I didn’t) But luckily for us, the app didn’t seem to be doing anything malicious. If you have installed the application, do delete it ASAP. Let’s hope Google remove it from Android Marketplace soon. I wonder how many people downloaded it.

If a tech savvy person like me will fall for this fake app, I wonder what will happen to those who are not tech savvy.

Seriously Google, unmoderated Android Marketplace is not a good idea.

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