The iOS app scam problem has been haunting the Apple App Store for a few years, but for the past two weeks the developer Kosta Eleftheriou he used Twitter to point out that the problem remains as big as ever in at least some categories of apps – and it also offered iOS users a way to identify them.
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Taking as an example how scammers attack and exploit the work of genuine app developers, Eleftheriou exposed some of the ways these scams work, using blatant fakes from his own popular keyboard app FlickType Apple Watch.
Just a few months ago, I was way ahead of my competitors. By the time they found out how difficult the auto-correction algorithms were, I was already launching the sliding version of my keyboard, quickly approaching the typing speeds of the iPhone. So, how did they beat me?
First, they made an app that seemed to fulfill the promise of a watch keyboard – but it was virtually unusable. So, they started advertising heavily on FB and Instagram, using my own promotional video, from my own app, with my real name on it.
According to Eleftheriou, there are several clones of his FlickType application, but one of the clearest non-functional thefts was “KeyWatch”, which was launched with a blank interface and a “Unlock now” button. Tapping the button asked users to confirm a $ 8 / week subscription for an app that does nothing.
According to Eleftheriou, the scam reached prominence on the App Store by tricking Apple’s algorithmic rating system by purchasing fake ratings and brilliant five-star reviews, which placed it at the top of its app category. He even announced his software using his own promotional video, which includes his real name.
So far, I’ve been in the field “Apple * wants * to do the right thing”. My point of view is starting to change. How to detect a $ 5 million / year scam in @Application store, in 5 minutes: 👇 – Kosta Eleftheriou (@keleftheriou) February 6, 2021
Since then, Apple has removed the fake app from the App Store, although the developer account is responsible for several fraudulent apps remains active. Eleftheriou says that before KeyWatch was taken down, developers benefited from what became a $ 2 million scam a year that went unnoticed by Apple moderators until he personally exposed it.
Since then, Eleftheriou has been on a Twitter crusade to expose more fraudulent apps on the App Store, such as the so-called star-watching app that goes by the name “Star Gazer +” and basically uses the same proven masking strategy as a genuine app which barely works and deceives users with an exorbitant weekly subscription fee in the app.
At the time of writing, the fraudulent “Star Gazer +” app is still listed on the App Store with an average rating of 4.5 stars and over 80,000 reviews.
Eleftheriou’s exposure to the rampant App Store scam has led many more developers and criticism to share their own experiences and, hopefully, put pressure on Apple to restrict their application moderation and consider revising their interface and billing options, including suggesting removing the option of weekly subscription completely.
Apple has yet to comment on Eleftheriou’s findings, but we will definitely update this article if we hear anything.