The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office has ordered Apple and Google to remove AI-powered apps capable of creating non-consensual intimate images from their app stores. City Attorney David Chiu said the companies could face legal action for continuing to distribute and process payments for tools that digitally alter photographs to make people appear nude.
The cease-and-desist letters identify 13 face-swapping apps, including eight available through Apple’s App Store and five distributed through Google Play. The companies have been given 28 days to respond to the city.
Chiu said the apps are overwhelmingly used to target women and girls and accused Apple and Google of profiting from technology that facilitates sexual abuse. The city estimates the companies may have earned millions of dollars through commissions on subscriptions and in-app purchases.
California Law Targets Deepfake Facilitators
California law prohibits knowingly facilitating or recklessly aiding the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes. A law passed in 2025 also allows victims to seek damages from third parties that assist in producing or distributing the material.
Under Assembly Bill 621, companies that continue supporting these services after receiving notice may face civil action. The law allows victims to seek damages, legal costs and other relief from platforms or services that knowingly facilitate the creation of unauthorized intimate content.
The city argues that Apple and Google were repeatedly warned about the apps but continued hosting them and processing payments. Chiu’s letters call on both companies to remove the identified apps, end relationships with their developers and strengthen screening systems to prevent similar tools from returning.
The action follows an earlier lawsuit filed by Chiu’s office against 16 websites accused of creating non-consensual intimate deepfakes.
Reports Found Dozens of Apps Still Available
The Tech Transparency Project alerted Apple and Google to nudify apps in January and again in April. Its research found dozens of apps that allowed users to create sexualized images of real people in exchange for payments processed through the two stores.
The group alleged that search and recommendation systems sometimes directed users toward the apps, despite both companies having policies that prohibit sexual exploitation and abusive content.
Apple’s App Review Guidelines prohibit overtly sexual or pornographic material, including apps that facilitate exploitation. Google’s Play Store policies similarly prohibit apps containing sexual content or services intended to sexually exploit people.
Apple said nudify apps are not permitted on its store. The company removed three of the apps named by San Francisco and began terminating their developer accounts, while four other developers were told to address policy violations or face removal.
Google said all five Play Store apps referenced in the letter had been suspended. The company added that it had removed hundreds of violating apps and restricted search terms such as “nudify.”
Apps Create Risks Beyond Celebrities
Non-consensual deepfake pornography has often targeted celebrities, but nudify apps allow anyone with a publicly available photograph to become a victim. The tools can be used to harass classmates, colleagues, former partners and other private individuals.
Researchers have found that many face-swapping apps lack safeguards preventing users from placing a person’s face onto an explicit image. Some tools are marketed as general photo editors while offering sexualized functions after installation.
San Francisco’s action puts greater responsibility on app store operators rather than relying only on victims to pursue individual developers. Chiu said Apple and Google must proactively prevent applications that enable sexual abuse from reaching users instead of responding only after complaints are filed.
Featured image credits: Global Panorama via Flickr
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