--- title: Android Mobile Ad Fraud Rates Up to 200% Higher Than iOS description: Programmatic mobile ad fraud rates varied between Android and Apple phones and tablets during Q1 2017. image: https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20covers/shutterstock_424829353.jpg --- [![pixalate-full-logo](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixalate_Logos/pixalate-full-logo.jpg?width=150&height=60&name=pixalate-full-logo.jpg "pixalate-full-logo")](https://www.pixalate.com) Search **Menu** ** ** ![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20covers/shutterstock_424829353.jpg) [Mobile](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/mobile) | [Research Reports](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/research-reports) | 2 min read # Android Mobile Ad Fraud Rates Up to 200% Higher Than iOS Written by [Tyler Loechner](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/author/tyler-loechner) May 9, 2017 9:00:00 AM Our Q1 2017 ad fraud benchmark insights [yesterday](https://blog.pixalate.com/q1-2017-programmatic-mobile-ad-fraud-rates) revealed that ad fraud rates can vary greatly between tablets and smartphones, both in-app and on the web. Today’s insight uncovers that this is true across all major operating system, including Android, iOS, and Windows. Additionally, we’ll share which operating systems are more susceptible to ad fraud. ### **Android inventory is up to 3x more likely to be fraudulent compared to Apple’s iOS inventory** ![q1-2017-mobile-fraud-by-os-android-vs-apple.jpg](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/q1-2017-mobile-fraud-by-os-android-vs-apple.jpg?width=640&name=q1-2017-mobile-fraud-by-os-android-vs-apple.jpg) Our study also reveals that discrepancies between ad fraud rates across the various mobile operating systems. - Android’s smartphone ad fraud rate of 38% is 1.8x higher than Apple’s rate of 21% - Android’s tablet ad fraud rate of 19% is over 3x higher than Apple’s rate of 6% Android mobile advertising inventory is typically more susceptible to ad fraud when compared to Apple’s iOS because Android is an open source platform, whereas Apple is a closed system. In many ways, Android is the Wild Wild West, while Apple has stronger evaluation and monitoring criteria. - Most non-U.S. Android users are accustomed to downloading Android apps from third-party app stores, which have little to no quality checks - Once an app grows in popularity, the app is quickly reskinned and uploaded to same app store or other third-party app stores for maximum coverage - Bad apps usually have a short lifespan and try to gain access to maximum permissions on the users' device for rogue purposes - Smartphone devices in developing countries sometimes come with malware pre-installed that are from info-stealers and rough ad networks or mobile ransomware rings ### **Smartphone ad inventory is at least 2x more likely to be fraudulent across all major operating systems** **![q1-2017-mobile-ad-fraud-by-operating-system-and-device.jpg](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/q1-2017-mobile-ad-fraud-by-operating-system-and-device.jpg?width=640&name=q1-2017-mobile-ad-fraud-by-operating-system-and-device.jpg)** Across all operating systems — Android, iOS, and Windows — smartphone ad inventory (across web and apps) was at least 2x more likely to be fraudulent compared to tablet inventory.** ** - Android: Smartphone ad inventory is 2x more likely to be fraudulent than tablet inventory - iOS: Smartphone ad inventory is 3.7x more likely to be fraudulent than tablets - Windows: Smartphone ad inventory is 10x more likely to be fraudulent than tablets Download the list of mobile platforms with the best inventory quality in March. [![download GSTI button.png](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/GSTI/download%20GSTI%20button.png?width=320&name=download%20GSTI%20button.png)](https://www.pixalate.com/sellertrustindex/global/#!global) *This post is part of an ongoing series highlighting Pixalate's Quarterly Global Ad Fraud Benchmarks for Q1 2017. Sign up for our blog to learn more.* ### Search Blog Search ### Follow Pixalate ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Previous Story [← Mobile App Ad Fraud Rates up to 36% in Q1 2017](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2017-programmatic-mobile-ad-fraud-rates) [** ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog) Next Story [Mobile Ad Fraud: Fraudsters Mimic the 320x50 Unit Most Often →](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2017-programmatic-mobile-ad-fraud-rates-by-ad-unit-size) ## You May Also Like These Stories on Mobile [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog%20Media/2026%20Covers%20and%20Images/OpenEPG%20landing%20page%20hero%20image.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/pixalate-launches-openepg-1.0-analytics-to-bring-linear-tv-grade-measurement-verification-to-open-programmatic-ctv) [Mobile](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/mobile) ### [Pixalate Launches OpenEPG™ 1.0 Analytics to Bring Linear TV-Grade Measurement & Verification to Open Programmatic CTV; OpenEPG DB™ Unlocks 12,875 Shows From 318 Channels Using Bidstream Bundle ID](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/pixalate-launches-openepg-1.0-analytics-to-bring-linear-tv-grade-measurement-verification-to-open-programmatic-ctv) Jun 16, 2026 8:33:30 AM | 5 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog%20Media/2026%20Covers%20and%20Images/United%20States%20%26%20GLOBAL%20-%20IVT%20Benchmarks%20-%20Q1%202026.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2026-ad-fraud-benchmarks-report-for-north-america) [Mobile](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/mobile) ### [Pixalate Releases Q1 2026 North America Invalid Traffic (IVT) & Ad Fraud Benchmarks: United States Mobile Apps See 32% Invalid Traffic (IVT) Rate](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2026-ad-fraud-benchmarks-report-for-north-america) Apr 29, 2026 8:00:01 AM | 2 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog%20Media/2026%20Covers%20and%20Images/UNITED%20KINGDOM%20%26%20GERMANY%20%26%20GLOBAL%20-%20IVT%20Benchmarks%20-%20Q1%202026.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2026-ad-fraud-benchmarks-report-for-emea) [Mobile](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/mobile) ### [Pixalate Releases Q1 2026 EMEA Invalid Traffic (IVT) & Ad Fraud Benchmarks: United Kingdom Connected TV (CTV) Most at Risk with 46% IVT Rate](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2026-ad-fraud-benchmarks-report-for-emea) Apr 29, 2026 8:00:00 AM | 2 min read ** ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) ![pixalate-logo-red-small](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2018NewTemplate/pixalate-logo-red-small.png?width=208&name=pixalate-logo-red-small.png "pixalate-logo-red-small") ** By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Products [Analytics](https://www.pixalate.com/products/analytics) [Blocking](https://www.pixalate.com/products/blocking) [Media Rating Terminal](https://www.pixalate.com/products/mrt) [Publisher Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [Seller Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [IoT Device Rankings](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=iotDeviceReach) Resources [Blog](https://blog.pixalate.com/) [Press](https://www.pixalate.com/press) [Careers](https://www.pixalate.com/jobs) [Team](https://info.pixalate.com/pixalate-leadership-team) Contact Email [** sales@pixalate.com ](mailto:sales@pixalate.com) [** privacy@pixalate.com ](mailto:privacy@pixalate.com) US: [** +1 888 749 2528 ](tel:+1%20888%20749%202528) EU: [** +44 (0)800 011 2050 ](tel:+44%20(0)800%20011%202050) Slack: [Join ATSAPI Slack Channel ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) Offices Global Offices US 1775 Greensboro Station Place, Suite 425, McLean, VA 22102 UK 20 North Audley Street London, W1K 6WE, United Kingdom EU 10 Earlsfort Terrace Dublin 2, D02 T380, Ireland Singapore 10 Anson Road, #22-02 International Plaza, Singapore 079903 [![facebook](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/facebook.png) ](https://www.facebook.com/pixalate) [![x](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/twitter-x.png) ](https://twitter.com/pixalateinc) [![linkedin](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/linkedin.png) ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pixalate) ![wechat](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/wechat.png) [![slack](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/slack.png) ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) [GDPR Compliance](https://www.pixalate.com/gdpr) Disclaimer Copyright © 2025 Pixalate [Back to top **](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2017-programmatic-mobile-ad-fraud-rates-by-operating-system-android-ios-apple-windows#) # Disclaimer Disclaimer: The content of this page reflects Pixalate’s opinions with respect to the factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. Any proprietary data shared is grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that - opinion, not facts or guarantees. Per the MRC, “'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Also per the MRC, “‘Invalid Traffic’ is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic may be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic.” ** ** *By clicking Download and entering your email address, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and have read and acknowledge our [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/2024-08-20_Pixalate_Privacy_Policy.pdf). *Copyright © 2025 Pixalate** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * × ## Subscribe to the Pixalate Blog The first step in ad fraud prevention. Loading... By entering your email address and clicking Submit, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy). ![pixalate-logo-white](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_V2_08_26_2016/logo/Pixalate_Logo_WHITE.png) ##### Contact Us12 Loading... ![pixalate-logo-white](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_V2_08_26_2016/logo/Pixalate_Logo_WHITE.png) ##### Download GSTI Loading... Schedule your demo today Please complete all fields Loading... By entering your email address and clicking Submit, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy). * * * * *