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ShortMax - Short Dramas & TV
SHORTTV LIMITED · Lifestyle

What’s the catch? Multiple ad networks bundled — measured, backed by SDKs in the app package.

Analyzed automatically from 6 independent signals that had to agree — not a hands-on test, and not human-reviewed.

4 on the catch list · analyzedConfidence: Medium6 signal sources3,939 reviews scannedNot human-reviewedas of 2026-10-06
 Which version this describes

App Store

This analysis describes version 2.27.0 of the app, analyzed 2026-10-06 . The app may have changed since.

The store currently lists version 2.27.0, updated 2026-09-21.

Google Play

This analysis describes version 2.27.0 of the app (the version number recorded inside the package we inspected), analyzed 2026-10-05 . The app may have changed since.

The store currently lists version 2.27.0, updated 2026-09-28.

What the analysis found

Each finding shows what agreed and how strongly. Automated analysis

The catch list 4

Charges we publish at a strength we stand behind: measured from an artefact, agreed by independent sources, or reported by enough users to clear that charge's own published bar.

Multiple ad networks bundled
Measuredfrom SDKs in the app packageartefact 1b41ce5c32d8…
The package embeds several distinct advertising or mediation SDKs — a stack built for ad volume, not for a single house ad.
What we saw: Bundles 16 distinct ad networks / mediation SDKs: Amazon Publisher Services, AppLovin MAX, BidMachine, Chartboost and 12 more
Aggressive ad load
2 independent sources agreefrom user reviews and the app's own on-screen textartefact 1b41ce5c32d8…
Advertising volume or placement that interrupts normal use: ads between every action, unskippable or forced full-screen ads.
What we saw: Progress is gated behind watching an ad: "Watch ad to unlock the next episode for free"
Reported by users: Hard to cancel
Reported by 126 usersReported by users, not measured — nothing we can inspect could show this either wayview evidence
Cancelling the subscription is blocked, hidden, multi-step, or simply does not take effect.
What we saw: Raised by 126 distinct reviewers — 6.3% of the 2,005 reviews scanned on this store leg (App Store).
Reported by users: Reports of unexpected charges
Reported by 153 usersReported by users, not measured — nothing we can inspect could show this either wayview evidence
A large number of reviewers report being charged when they did not expect it — including being charged after cancelling during a free trial, or when a trial turned into a paid plan without warning. We cannot see anyone's billing, so this is published as an attributed user report: what reviewers say, and how many of them said it.
What we saw: Raised by 153 distinct reviewers — 7.6% of the 2,005 reviews scanned on this store leg (App Store).

Positive evidence 1

Things this app does right, published at the same strengths as the catch list.

Developer says data deletion can be requested
Measuredfrom the store listingview evidence
The developer's data-safety disclosure on the store states that users can request deletion of their data, or the app's own text offers a way to delete the account. This restates what the developer declares; it is not a test of whether deletion works. Apple publishes no equivalent disclosure, so on an Apple-only listing only the app's own text can support it.
What we saw: The developer's store data-safety disclosure states that data deletion can be requested; we have not seen a deletion control in the app's own text

One source only — shown, not confirmed 3

A single kind of evidence. We publish these because withholding them would be the bigger distortion, and we do not treat any of them as a finding we stand behind.

Reported by users: Reports that the ads misrepresent the app
One source onlyShown, not confirmed — the only source is user reviews.view evidence
Reviewers repeatedly report that the app is not what its advertising showed. We never see the ad creative itself, so nothing we collect can corroborate or refute this — it is published as an attributed user report: what reviewers say, and how many of them said it.
What we saw: Misleading advertising: raised by 17 distinct reviewers (0.8% of 2005 reviews scanned)
Reported by users: Paywall blocks the basics
One source onlyShown, not confirmed — the only source is user reviews.view evidence
The core of the app — not extras — sits behind payment, or previously-free function moved behind a paywall.
What we saw: Paywall blocks the basics: raised by 5 distinct reviewers (0.2% of 2005 reviews scanned)
In the app's own text: Countdown-timer purchase pressure
One source onlyShown, not confirmed — the only source is the app's own on-screen text.artefact 1b41ce5c32d8…
The app's own purchase copy attaches a deadline to buying — a countdown, 'offer ends in', 'limited time' — or ships a countdown view on a purchase-screen layout.
What we saw: Deadline pressure in the app's own copy: "Limited Time Offer"

What reviewers said

Verbatim excerpts from public store reviews, shown as corroborating user reports. They are not Appworthy audit evidence, and a quotation is not proof of the finding it sits under.

Aggressive ad load

Too many ads.

3★ · Google Play · 2026-10-05

worst. Too many Ads. lus they are dragging the story from 1 episode to 10 episode. It is irritating.

1★ · Google Play · 2026-10-05

excessive adds, minimal viewing and overpriced membership!!!!

1★ · Google Play · 2026-10-05

Hard to cancel

still unable to unsubscribe. half of the videos on tiktok not available on the app. subscription doesn't work on website or tiktok, even though I paid through tiktok.

1★ · Google Play · 2026-10-03

Scam-Subscriptions — The app charged me 3 times in one week. When I tried to cancel the subscription, it’s telling me to cancel under my subscription in my Apple account. Well, It’s not under my subscription in my Apple account! There is…

1★ · App Store · 2026-10-01

Can’t unsubscribe — I followed the instructions 3x, but money is still being taken out of my account. Stories are great, but what good is it if I can’t take a break

3★ · App Store · 2026-09-30

Reports of unexpected charges

This is my 2nd complaint ever since I canceled my subscription since August 29 2026 you still charged me until now the latest was October 5 2026. they sent me email requesting UID # and also screen shot of transaction so I sent to them…

1★ · Google Play · 2026-10-04

SCAMMERS SCAMMERS SCAMMERS..HORRIBLE..WILL STEAL YOUR MONEY EVEN AFTER CANCELLING.. THEY INFORMED ME TO CANCEL VIA GOOGLE PLAY BUT THE SUBSCRIPTION DONT EXIST.. SCAMMERS

1★ · Google Play · 2026-10-03

Dont download these app. Stay completely away from it. Once you cancel they will continue to charge your bank they are a complete rip-off

1★ · Google Play · 2026-10-03

Reports that the ads misrepresent the app

they say watch all episodes free no ads its a lie

2★ · Google Play · 2026-10-03

What this app sells

Every purchase the store discloses. Store listing
 What this app sells

From the store listing. Billing terms are read from each purchase’s name — the stores don’t publish them — so treat them as a strong hint, not a disclosure.

Subscriptions2
Weekly Pass ProWeekly$19.99
Weekly Pass ProWeekly$9.99
Buy once6
One-time PurchaseLifetime$9.99
One-time PurchaseLifetime$3.49
One-time PurchaseLifetime$14.99
One-time PurchaseLifetime$4.99
One-time PurchaseLifetime$19.99
One-time PurchaseLifetime$24.99
This list is cut off. Apple shows at most 10 in-app purchases, and this app is at the limit — so it very likely sells more than we can see.
Google Play doesn’t publish per-purchase prices, so this list covers the other store only.

How the automated analysis works

Automated, corroborated, and never human-reviewed without a person.

This assessment is produced automatically. Six independent signals are read — user reviews, SDKs in the app package, the app's own on-screen text, the app manifest, the store listing and the store privacy disclosure — and each candidate finding is filed under the sources that support it.

No charge stands on one kind of evidence — with one published exception. A finding is either a measured fact that anyone can reproduce (an ad SDK is in the package; every subscription bills weekly; the privacy label omits a tracker we can see), or it is an interpretation — and an interpretation needs independent sources to agree before it reaches the catch list. The exception is a harm only users can see: a charge may publish from reviews alone, as “Reported by N users”, once enough reviewers raise it to clear that charge’s own published bar. That agreement rule is what replaced the human reviewer, not a model’s confidence.

There is no overall score, on purpose. A 0–99 number was published here until 2026-09-15. It was withdrawn because it discriminated too weakly to be the instrument — 44.7% of every pair of apps tied — and because a single number is a verdict where a count is an observation. What publishes instead is a row of measurements, each of which says what was counted and, where we could not look, says that instead.

Findings under One source only are real reports we do not stand behind as findings. They are shown because withholding them entirely would hide a genuine complaint, and labelled because publishing them as charges would be an accusation off a single source.

 Not yet human-reviewed

Several measurements above say “Not assessed” because no artefact we hold can answer them. A human review is what resolves those — and it can remove a favourable band as easily as add one.

Hands-on inspections are not yet open.

 How this page was produced
Analyzed 2026-10-06 Version analyzed: 2.27.0 (App Store), 2.27.0 (Google Play)6 independent signals3,939 reviews scannedConfidence: MediumNot human-reviewedVocabulary v1.13Methodology v1.3
Signals run: user reviews, SDKs in the app package, the app's own on-screen text, the app manifest, the store listing and the store privacy disclosure.