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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple today announced on its Developer Portal that screenshots added to app descriptions will be locked in place once an app has been approved.
Beginning January 9, app screenshots will be locked in iTunes Connect once your app has been approved. New screenshots may be uploaded when you submit a binary for an update to an existing app or a new app.
This small but important update shuts down a widely used scam tactic, where developers would upload game screenshots to get an app approved by Apple and then switch them out with screenshots from another popular app.

The scam tricked people into buying fake apps with screenshots ripped from another, more popular game, or a game that has not been ported to iOS at all.

For example, in one instance, an unofficial Pokemon Yellow app was uploaded to the App Store. The app snuck by Apple using an unobtrusive set of screenshots, and then switched them out with photos from the Nintendo game, which thousands of people then purchased.

pokemon.jpg
Several apps have slipped past Apple using this method, including several Minecraft clones that simply use Minecraft screenshots to promote an entirely different game. For example in this video from Panic Blog, a Minecraft clone named "Mooncraft" is demonstrated. The app, presumably, used different screenshots to get past Apple reviewers, and then later changed the game information.

While Apple pulls these apps from the App Store quickly, it is rarely able to do so before hundreds of people lose money. Apple has refunded the purchase price of scam apps in the past, however.

Article Link: Apple Now Locking Screenshots for Submitted Apps, Shutting Down Popular Scam Tactic
 

Kaibelf

Suspended
Apr 29, 2009
2,445
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Silicon Valley, CA
And now people can cry about a "walled garden" with no regard for the people who were being ripped off. As for me, I think this is a perfect move.
 

Sixtafoua

macrumors 6502
May 29, 2009
374
1
Boston, MA
This actually makes a lot of sense. Good job, apple. I'm also really liking the new icons on the iTunes connect home screen. Any other devs notice that?
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
Walled garden or not, this is a great move by Apple. Devs who do this are absolutely ridiculous.
 

cclloyd

macrumors 68000
Oct 26, 2011
1,760
147
Alpha Centauri A
Does somebody at apple try every app to make sure it works, along with looking where it accesses, etc. or just quickly review what the app looks like?
 

akadmon

Suspended
Aug 30, 2006
2,006
2
New England
this actually makes a lot of sense. Good job, apple.

Not really -- it's merely a reaction to a problem caused by an inadequate app review process. Apps like this would have never been allowed into the App store if Apple reviewers actually bothered to test them.
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,043
7,288
While this is a good move, I don't think Apple is going far enough.

At the very least, buyers should be able to report (as well as request for refund) directly from the iOS device (App Store) under following category: (1) app constantly crashes, (2) app does something completely different, (3) app does not work properly on my iOS device, and (4) accidental purchase. And # of times the app has been reported for these issues should be included in the product description.

And if the app has been reviewed by Apple as a scam, every single apps from that company should be pulled out.

And finally, downloading free apps should not prompt for password. And dialog box for entering password should indicate final price of the app.
 

NasserAE

macrumors member
Jan 29, 2009
41
12
One more thing Apple.. Please reject apps that use posters instead of actual screenshots.
 

needfx

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Aug 10, 2010
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macrumors apparently
While this is a good move, I don't think Apple is going far enough.

At the very least, buyers should be able to report (as well as request for refund) directly from the iOS device (App Store) under following category: (1) app constantly crashes, (2) app does something completely different, (3) app does not work properly on my iOS device, and (4) accidental purchase. And # of times the app has been reported for these issues should be included in the product description.

And if the app has been reviewed by Apple as a scam, every single apps from that company should be pulled out.

And finally, downloading free apps should not prompt for password. And dialog box for entering password should indicate final price of the app.

tim@apple.com

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Does somebody at apple try every app to make sure it works, along with looking where it accesses, etc. or just quickly review what the app looks like?

they only screen for porn
 

Limboistik

macrumors regular
Aug 11, 2011
193
5
Not really -- it's merely a reaction to a problem caused by an inadequate app review process. Apps like this would have never been allowed into the App store if Apple reviewers actually bothered to test them.

No...that's not the issue here.
The problem here is scammers upload a basic legitimate app, with matching screenshots, and gets approved. So testing it or not has nothing to do with it getting approved.
The scammers then switches the original screenshots with something more popular and would entice people to buy their app, thus making a quick buck.
 

Ichabod.

macrumors regular
Oct 1, 2012
122
1
While this is a good move, I don't think Apple is going far enough.
...
And finally, downloading free apps should not prompt for password. And dialog box for entering password should indicate final price of the app.

This at least has the benefit of someone not downloading a ton of useless apps if they borrow your phone without your knowledge.

Good change from Apple, very customer-centric.
 

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
Not really -- it's merely a reaction to a problem caused by an inadequate app review process. Apps like this would have never been allowed into the App store if Apple reviewers actually bothered to test them.

You don't make any sense. Someone creates a game that isn't very good and probably won't sell too many - but it is tested, and there is no reason to reject it. _After_ the app is accepted, the developer swaps images.


I always liked how "ponzi scheme" sounded, even though it is completely unrelated.

You'll love to know that it is named after Carlo Pietro Giovanni Guglielmo Tebaldo Ponzi, known as Charles Ponzi. Completely unrelated as well.

While Apple pulls these apps from the App Store quickly, it is rarely able to do so before hundreds of people lose money. Apple has refunded the purchase price of scam apps in the past, however.

The app store contract also says that while Apple pays 70% of the retail price to developers, Apple has the right to get 100% of the price back in case they have to give refunds in that kind of situation. I don't know how hard it is for Apple to get their money back.
 
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Earendil

macrumors 68000
Oct 27, 2003
1,567
24
Washington
Does somebody at apple try every app to make sure it works, along with looking where it accesses, etc. or just quickly review what the app looks like?

Not really -- it's merely a reaction to a problem caused by an inadequate app review process. Apps like this would have never been allowed into the App store if Apple reviewers actually bothered to test them.

Reading comprehension fail.

From the article:
"This small but important update shuts down a widely used scam tactic, where developers would upload game screenshots to get an app approved by Apple and then switch them out with screenshots from another popular app."

See that order of operation? Developers were previously allowed to switch the screen shots AFTER it was approved, thus tricking people. Now they can not switch it after the fact. Under the new rules, the approvers will have a chance to recognized illegitimate "screen shots" that don't belong to the app being reviewed. I readily approve of this move.
 

ATC

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2008
1,185
432
Canada
While this is a good move, I don't think Apple is going far enough.

At the very least, buyers should be able to report (as well as request for refund) directly from the iOS device (App Store) under following category: (1) app constantly crashes, (2) app does something completely different, (3) app does not work properly on my iOS device, and (4) accidental purchase. And # of times the app has been reported for these issues should be included in the product description.

And if the app has been reviewed by Apple as a scam, every single apps from that company should be pulled out.

And finally, downloading free apps should not prompt for password. And dialog box for entering password should indicate final price of the app.

I fully agree with what you said. The only exception is the bolded part. For me, sometimes I hand my iPhone to my 6 yr old to play with and he knows how to roam the app store very well. If free apps didn't require at least an initial password-authoriztion, I'd get my phone back with pages and pages of newly installed apps. :cool:
 

Kaibelf

Suspended
Apr 29, 2009
2,445
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Silicon Valley, CA
Not really -- it's merely a reaction to a problem caused by an inadequate app review process. Apps like this would have never been allowed into the App store if Apple reviewers actually bothered to test them.

Feel free to review every single app, beginning to end, and verify total accuracy, including every game (some of which take days or weeks to complete). You should be done in about 700,000 years.
 

needfx

Suspended
Aug 10, 2010
3,931
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Feel free to review every single app, beginning to end, and verify total accuracy, including every game (some of which take days or weeks to complete). You should be done in about 700,000 years.

its the most valuable & potentially rich company in the world in a country with soaring unemployment.

they can hire some more people to screen
 

Sixtafoua

macrumors 6502
May 29, 2009
374
1
Boston, MA
Not really -- it's merely a reaction to a problem caused by an inadequate app review process. Apps like this would have never been allowed into the App store if Apple reviewers actually bothered to test them.

I see your point, but being an apple developer, I can say first hand that apple takes the review process very seriously for proper review. Even small updates usually take two hours for apple to review. One update of mine took almost six hours for apple to review, and it wasn't even a particularly big update. I think that this policy has more to do with developers being dishonest in their marketing rather than inadequate quality of content.
 

somethingelsefl

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2008
461
204
Tampa, FL
Great move for consumers and devs. Now, let's add the ability to submit videos of apps in action or app trailers (with the same review process).

Boost and promote good devs, the rest will follow.
 
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