San Francisco orders Apple and Google to purge AI nudify apps from their app stores

3:49 PM · July 18, 2026

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu sent cease and desist letters to Apple and Google demanding the removal of 13 apps that reportedly generate nonconsensual nude images, according to TechCrunch and Wired, which both reviewed the letters. The letters target eight apps on Apple's App Store and five on Google's Play Store, all marketed publicly as face swap tools but used in practice to digitally undress photos of real people without their consent. Chiu's office argues that Apple and Google have likely made millions of dollars in fees from apps offering this kind of nudification, and that by continuing to host and take a cut of payments from these apps, both companies are effectively aiding and abetting the creation and distribution of deepfake pornography, which California law prohibits supporting. The letters give both companies 28 days to respond and warn that continued noncompliance could expose them to civil penalties under state law. Both Apple and Google have since issued statements saying they are removing or suspending the identified apps. The action adds to a growing wave of state and local enforcement aimed at app store operators rather than only the app developers themselves, on the theory that platform owners bear some responsibility for what they choose to host and profit from.