Google has removed malware-ridden apps from the Play Store, but not before they were downloaded about 560 000 times.
The 13 Android apps included car and truck driving simulations and were all listed by a single developer, Luiz Pinto.
NDTV Gadgets reports that the apps, which appeared to be games had no discernible functionality, and crashed when launched.
The apps hid themselves on the handset after installing an additional APK, and were then able to install malware.
To make matters worse, two of the apps were trending in the Play Store.