Apple’s App Store Hosts Multi-Million Dollar Scams, iOS Developer Says

Mobile app developer Kosta Eleftheriou has a new calling that goes beyond software development: to tackle what he sees as a creeping scam problem ruining the integrity of Apple’s App Store.

Eleftheriou, who created the bestselling FlickType keyboard app for Apple Watch, has publicly criticized Apple for two weeks for the lax enforcement of its App Store rules that allowed fraudulent apps, as well as apps that clone popular software from other developers, to run rampant. These apps enjoy some of the best billing in the iPhone market, all thanks to rave reviews and five-star ratings that are widely manufactured, he says.

“It’s surprising that more people don’t know that. The extent to which this is happening and is continuing is absolutely breathtaking, ”says Eleftheriou. The edge the scale of the fraud he says happens on the App Store every day. “Especially now with the App Store, which is my main concern, the problem has grown so much that having the rating and review system makes it worse. It gives consumers a false sense of security and a misconception that the app is great because you enter it through a glowing App Store page with rave reviews. ”

His voice complaints, which have garnered the attention and support of countless other app developers in the iOS community, underscore the growing tension between Apple and the software makers it depends on. It comes at a time when competitors are subject to unprecedented antitrust scrutiny and legal challenges over the company’s handling of the App Store, which is estimated to have grossed more than $ 64 billion. ‘last year.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

The issues Eleftheriou raises are interrelated, all stemming from what he says are inconsistently enforced App Store rules and lazy moderation. It’s not just apps trying to steal consumer money under false pretenses by using exploitative subscription services. It’s also bogus reviews and ratings that can be bought and a broken algorithmic ranking system that helps these apps float to the top and take the place of real paid apps developed by small teams or singular developers, says Eleftheriou. Letting it continue, he adds, is a platform that Apple does not actively control unless it is an issue that attracts media attention or involves one of Apple’s current rivals like Facebook or Fortnite creator Epic Games.

Eleftheriou first detailed her personal experience with App Store scams at the end of last month in a Twitter thread, where he explained how his FlickType app was maliciously copied by many developers who created non-working versions of the software and charged huge subscription fees, only getting away with good reviews from the App Store and the high five-star ratings it claims to be bogus.

Eleftheriou says its main competitor, a scam app called KeyWatch, charged users $ 8 per week and raised over $ 2 million per year, according to Appfigures analyzes, although the app is not performing well. He says KeyWatch even advertised its software using its promotional video – with its name still attached.

Eleftheriou has since embarked on an online crusade to bring more attention to the topic, fueled in part by Apple’s choice to remove some of the apps it was promoting, but leaving developers behind those apps. continue to publish on the App Store. Many other developers have also started to share their own experiences, including notable Apple critics like Basecamp co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson.

Some of these critics, including Hansson of his company’s Hey email client, have accused Apple in the past of abusing and overburdening developers by using the standard 30% cut in app downloads and purchases. integrated into the App Store. These critics see the scam situation as further evidence that Apple is taking advantage of these developers and therefore is not taking the appropriate steps to moderate the platform and enforce its rules.

Apple has yet to respond publicly to Eleftheriou’s claims, although the company has removed KeyWatch and some of the other scam apps it has drawn attention to over the past week. But the problems are systemic, says Eleftheriou, and nothing less than a redesign of how the App Store categorizes software, measures reliability, and eliminates bad actors will fix the problem. Until then, Eleftheriou says he will continue to sound the alarm.

“I’m not going to stop. Every time I see a scam, I’ll call them, ”he says. “I can’t wait for a real change from Apple to make me feel like I should be focusing on what I should be focusing on, which is app development.”

He says a competing app store on the iPhone could help fix many of these issues. This is the same argument Epic used in its lawsuit against Apple regarding the removal of Fortnite. Epic and its chief executive, Tim Sweeney, have called for alternative markets on iOS, as well as the ability for apps distributed through the App Store to use their own payment systems and not give Apple 30% of each transaction. After Epic rolled out its own integrated payment system Fortnite Apple removed the app last summer for breaking its rules. Epic is now suing Apple and Google.

“In an ideal world, competition tends to sort out a lot of things, whether it’s pricing or enforcement. Competition is like creativity; you get all these new ideas and hopefully the best come to the top, ”says Eleftheriou. “The other way would be for developers to publicly share their stories as far and wide as possible. The more people understand that this is a problem, the more pressure Apple will be under to act. ”

Eleftheriou adds that he is disappointed at Apple’s silence on the issue, even if that only motivates him to continue speaking out. “It’s not just about acting. I think Apple needs to say something, at a minimum, recognize the problem and work on it, ”he said. “Just being quiet about it only falsely reinforces this notion for consumers that App Store reviews and ratings should be trusted. They are not.”