Showbox back online but free movie and TV streaming app could endanger people who try to use it
Showbox, a mysterious app that allows people to watch new films and TV shows for free, is back after a strange outage.
But the circumstances around that return is largely unknown, and anyone trying to use the popular app might be endangering themselves and their computer.
Showbox is a hugely popular app that allows for a Netflix-like experience but includes apparently torrented versions of new movies and TV shows. More specifically, there appears to be a number of versions of the app, all of which present themselves as the legitimate app.
We'll tell you what's true. You can form your own view.From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
Subscribe nowThe service stopped working recently, prompting concerns that the service might have been taken down entirely – but it seems to have emerged once again.
It is not clear if any of them are legitimate, however, and even the safest version of the app can be used to break the law or attack people's devices. Searching for the name Showbox on Google shows a variety of different apps and APKs available to download, all of them promising access to the Showbox service – but there is no guarantee any of them are legitimate at all.
leftCreated with Sketch. rightCreated with Sketch. 1/26 Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox OneMicrosoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020
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6/26 5G incoming5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s
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8/26A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore
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9/26A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore
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10/26Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
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11/26Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty
12/26The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company
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13/26Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty
14/26Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi
Rex
15/26Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session
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16/26A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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17/26A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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18/26A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
Rex
19/26A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
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20/26A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
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21/26A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London
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22/26A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv
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23/26Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S
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24/26The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. This is a production preview of the Jaguar I-PACE, which will be revealed next year and on the road in 2018
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25/26Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan
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26/26Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China
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1/26 Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox OneMicrosoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020
Getty
2/26 First new iPod in four yearsApple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB
Apple
3/26 Folding phone may flopSamsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash
PA
4/26 Charging mat non-starterApple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once
AFP/Getty
5/26 "Super league" India shoots down satelliteIndia has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology
EPA
6/26 5G incoming5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s
Getty
7/26 Uber halts driverless testing after deathUber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018
Getty
8/26A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore
Getty
9/26A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore
Getty
10/26Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty
11/26Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty
12/26The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty
13/26Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty
14/26Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi
Rex
15/26Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session
Rex
16/26A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Reuters
17/26A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Reuters
18/26A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
Rex
19/26A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
Reuters
20/26A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China
Reuters
21/26A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London
Getty
22/26A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv
Getty
23/26Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S
Reuters
24/26The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. This is a production preview of the Jaguar I-PACE, which will be revealed next year and on the road in 2018
AP
25/26Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
26/26Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China
Reuters
Downloading such an app requires allowing it access to various important parts of your phone, and so doing so could be dangerous even if the tool actually works. What's more, the file can't be installed like any other Android app: users have to download an APK and then force their phone to accept it despite being from an unknown source, which means it doesn't have any of the guarantees that come with the official Google Play Store.
Watch moreEven the most prominent of the apps – the version that appears first on Google – makes clear that its legal status is questionable and that it is safer to use legitimate alternatives. A similar disclaimer is contained on many other sites.
"Show Box is NOT a legitimate software application for watching copyright protected movies," a warning on that page reads. "The movie studios will be able to see your IP address and your COMPLETE viewing history! (Do you really want the movie studios knowing the types of videos you like?)
"You will very likely be sued for copyright infringement. It is not worth the trouble! You can use Best Legal apps (alternatives) like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc."
Showbox is entirely free and seems to take its content from torrents and file-sharing links. As such, it gives access to many of the latest releases, but brings with it a whole host of dangers that could exploit users' phones.