GoKawiilDayzle developer finds most Google Ads app installs came from bots, not users
A solo developer running Google Ads for his puzzle app Dayzle discovered that of 56 billed installs over two weeks, only 13 were real users; the rest came from devices sideloading outdated app versions while falsely reporting Google Play as the installer. These fake installs showed zero engagement, spanned dozens of phone models across many states, and appeared to be generated by a bot farm gaming Google's install-based ad optimization.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This case exposes a structural weakness in performance-based ad platforms: when advertisers pay for installs, fraud networks can cheaply fabricate them, draining budgets from small developers who can least afford it. It also raises questions about how much of Google's app-install ad ecosystem is inflated by similar undetected bot activity, undermining trust in reported campaign metrics.
- 60% of paid app installs in this campaign were traced to bot-like devices, not real users.
- Fraudulent installs used sideloaded outdated app versions while spoofing Google Play as the source.
- The incident highlights broader risks of fraud in install-based ad optimization models.
Source: dayzlegame.com, 2026-09-11
Published there as: “I spent $220 on Google app ads. 60% of the installs were robots”
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