Sophie Blake
A recent Adweek investigation has led to Google pulling the controversial short-form video app XShorts from the Play Store after ads from major brands, including Verizon, Amazon, Shell, and Starbucks, were discovered appearing alongside sexually explicit and racially offensive content.
XShorts, previously the top-ranked free entertainment app on the Play Store with over a million downloads, promoted itself as a destination for “short and hot videos.” Despite its overtly adult-themed content, the app carried a “Teen” rating, implying suitability for users aged 13 and above according to Google’s policy standards.
In the course of Adweek’s review, the platform displayed TikTok-style feeds filled with sexually suggestive videos, political content, and racist memes. During a five-minute session, banner and interstitial ads from brands like Microsoft, Popeyes, Audible, and Walgreens appeared within the app. Additional screenshots from a source revealed more ads from companies such as Starbucks, Gatorade, Roblox, Square, and Wayfair, raising significant concerns about the placement of corporate advertising.
Many of these ads were distributed via leading demand-side platforms (DSPs) and ad servers, including Facebook Audience Network, Epsilon, Amazon, AppLovin, Basis, InMobi, and Moloco. Clicking the AdChoices icon within the app confirmed the role of these ad networks in placing the ads.
Following Adweek’s inquiry, Google not only barred the app from monetizing but subsequently removed it entirely from the Play Store. A Google spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Adweek that “the app has also been suspended from Google Play,” and additional policy reviews are underway.
The misclassification of XShorts as a “Teen”-rated app allowed it to escape standard brand safety filters used by DSPs. As a result, high-profile brands unknowingly had their content promoted alongside offensive material.
Meta confirmed it removed XShorts from its Audience Network for policy violations. Other ad tech firms, including InMobi and Basis, acknowledged the app’s inappropriate classification and have since blocked or reclassified the app’s inventory.
The broader incident has spotlighted long-standing concerns within the digital advertising ecosystem, where automated systems and insufficient oversight can lead to brands appearing on platforms misaligned with their values. Mark McEachran, VP of Product at Basis, emphasized the complexity of catching such violations: “XShorts is a relatively new app whose inventory was available across multiple SSPs but was not initially flagged as adult content.”
InMobi echoed concerns about the reliance on public app store ratings during pre-approval, while Moloco referred to its general brand safety policy but declined to comment directly on XShorts.
Advertisers have long struggled with the opacity of programmatic ad placement, where brand safety filters often fall short, especially as new platforms gain popularity. “It’s like the subprime mortgage crisis,” one source told Adweek. “Bad inventory gets bundled with good, and it all gets sold as premium.”
Though many brands have since taken corrective action, others have yet to comment on their ad placements. Meanwhile, the incident raises questions about the reliability of platform ratings and the ability of ad networks to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
As of now, the XShorts Play Store listing has been removed, displaying only a message that the URL no longer exists.
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