The issue of scams for iOS apps has persisted for years in the Apple App Store, but for the past two weeks the developer Kosta Eleftheriou has gone on Twitter to point out that the problem remains as big as ever in at least some categories of apps, and has also offered iOS users a way to spot them.
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Taking blatant pitfalls from its own popular Apple Watch FlickType keyboard app as an example of how scammers take advantage of and exploit the work of true app developers, Eleftheriou outlined some of the ways these scams work.
Just a few months ago, I was well ahead of my competition. By the time they found out how difficult autocorrection algorithms were, I was already deploying the slider version of my keyboard, quickly approaching the typing speed of the iPhone. So how did they beat me?
First, they created an app that seemed to fulfill the promise of a clock keyboard, but virtually unusable. Then they started advertising heavily on FB and Instagram, using my own promotional video, from my own app, with my real name.
According to Eleftheriou, there are several clones of its FlickType app, but one of the clearest non-functional scams was “KeyWatch”, which was launched with a blank interface and a “Unlock Now” button. By tapping the button, users confirmed a € 8 / week subscription for an app that does nothing.
According to Eleftheriou, the scam gained prominence in the App Store by playing Apple’s algorithmic rating system by purchasing fake ratings and five-star reviews, which placed it at the top of its category. applications. He even announced his software through his own promotional video, which includes his real name.
So far I’ve been in the “Apple * wants * to do the right thing” field. My point of view is starting to change. How to detect a $ 5 million / year scam in the @Application Store, in 5 minutes flat: 👇 – Kosta Eleftheriou (@keleftheriou) February 6, 2021
Since then, Apple has removed the fake app from the App Store, even though the developer account is responsible for several scam apps. remain active. Eleftheriou says that before removing KeyWatch, the developers had long benefited from what had become a $ 2 million scam a year that went unnoticed by Apple moderators until it exposed it. personally.
Since then, Eleftheriou has been on a Twitter crusade to expose more scam apps to the App Store, such as the so-called “Star Gazer +” star-watching app that uses basically the same time-tested strategy of dressing up. as a genuine app that barely works and turns users into an exorbitant weekly subscription fee to the app.
At the time of writing, the “Star Gazer +” scam app still appears in the App Store with an average rating of 4.5 stars and more than 80,000 reviews.
Eleftheriou’s exposure to the rampant layout of the App Store has led to many more developers and critics to share your own experiences and hopefully put pressure on Apple to step up application moderation and consider reviewing your billing interface and options, including the suggestion of remove the full weekly subscription option.
Apple has not yet commented on Eleftheriou’s findings, but we’ll be sure to update this article if we hear anything.