Follow up to all saying “but this is the mac app store” the mobile app store is similarly filled to the brim with garbage and scam apps too!
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PSA: Watch Out for Fake ChatGPT Apps and Other Scams in the Mac App Store
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I can hear that ShamWow ad in my head now, thanks a lot 😂😂😂
ChatGPT apps? Do people not just use the actual website, because it sure seems to work fine on mobile Safari 😅
(it's quite helpful at keeping from getting bored at work)
(it's quite helpful at keeping from getting bored at work)
This is exactly the reason why Apple cannot use the excuse that if 'sideloading' is enabled the App Store would be more vulnerable. The App Store reached the Google Play Store level of crapware with fake apps, games with 30-seconds ads every 2 minutes and malware. Phill Schiller warned the executives about the downgrade of quality (as seen in court documents) it's left for dead and rot for years due to New Gen/Financial focused employees focussing on revenue rather quality.
It's been 6 years that I last visited the App Store. It's ridiculously bad.
It's been 6 years that I last visited the App Store. It's ridiculously bad.
You telling me Apple doesn't review apps before approving them on the Mac App store?
And you telling me there are no scam and fake apps on the iOS App store?
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Nothing is going to stop all scammers. You have to still use your brain when downloading stuff.
It's a level of protection versus zero protection on with sideloading or downloading from the internet. It's like having a store and saying well people are still going to get away with shoplifting so lets not have any security. Some amount of protection is better than zero protection.
This being said, I think side loading is going to become a thing unfortunately. At that point we will all be forced to download apps from outside sources and we'll have to be more careful. The people I feel sorry for will be the non-techie people who download malware.
And Apple worries about sideloading malicious apps, Apple can't even keep them of it's own store.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
Suspended
Not nice to have so many fake/scam apps on the App store. The review process should be better.
I looked at reviews for all these chatgpt and ai art apps and it was like completely chaos with such obviously bots and fake reviews to push them up the app charts and then you see the real reviews from users saying they all being ripped off and charged for nothing.
Why is this 💩 even allowed on the App Store? Tim Cook said he doesn’t want a flea store. Phil Schiller said in email to other execs that this looks terrible.
Why is this 💩 even allowed on the App Store? Tim Cook said he doesn’t want a flea store. Phil Schiller said in email to other execs that this looks terrible.
Either:
1) Apple is incompetent at policing the App Store, or
2) Apple has a vested (30%) interest in looking the other way on many scams
I can't think of any other reason why these situations keep happening again and again.
If the reason is #2, Apple are really hurting themselves in the long run to make some more money now.
I don't know what the real reason is, but situations such as this really shine a negative spotlight on the App Store.
1) Apple is incompetent at policing the App Store, or
2) Apple has a vested (30%) interest in looking the other way on many scams
I can't think of any other reason why these situations keep happening again and again.
If the reason is #2, Apple are really hurting themselves in the long run to make some more money now.
I don't know what the real reason is, but situations such as this really shine a negative spotlight on the App Store.
I did not fall for any scam apps (because I'm cynical AF) but it's pretty easy to fall prey to this - especially as Apple keeps harping on about how curated their store is.
It's disappointing that the app review process does not flag such apps.
If Apple really were serious about this, each developer account would be tied to an actual verified government identification document such as a passport.
Then when a developer is caught scamming, gaming the reviews, or blatantly copying someone else's copyrighted app, you ban them from the Apple developer ecosystem for life.
I mean, this isn't rocket science. Where there's a will... but maybe Apple just doesn't have the will?
Then when a developer is caught scamming, gaming the reviews, or blatantly copying someone else's copyrighted app, you ban them from the Apple developer ecosystem for life.
I mean, this isn't rocket science. Where there's a will... but maybe Apple just doesn't have the will?
As I understand it, Apple already does the "banning" part you mentioned. A government-issued ID is not required for that.
The problem seems to be that Apple cannot properly review the mass of apps in its review hopper, without cutting corners. Further, scammy app developers are getting better at coding their apps in a way that will evade Apple's automated review tools and processes.
I also feel yucky about having to wade through the hundreds of sketchy-looking apps when I'm searching for something genuinely useful. Most of the time, I just give up on the Mac App Store and do a Web search for anything that might work, Apple-approved or not. The App Store is a convenience, but it's also fallible and will always be. The Microsoft Store for purchasing and managing apps is no better, and Google hasn't done a bang-up job with the Play Store either. Even Setapp has its lemons.
Caveat emptor, as they say.
Just a teaser for what it about to come when side loading is enforced by Governments.
Except we aren't talking about outside apps being installed we are taking about apps available on Apple's curated and supposedly proected app store. I would be far more inclined to trust a Chat GPT app downloaded directly from the makers website than an app store app calling itself Chat GPT. We all know at this point that scam apps are a dime a dozen on both Mac OS as well as iOS.
Do you actually believe the scam app in question was side loaded? If not then what are you even taking about? Considering this app was downloaded from Apple's own controlled app store and not an outside source proves the exact opposite of the point you were trying to make. Clearly Apple can't protect us and we'd be better off getting our apps directly from the developers and cutting out the incompetent greedy middle man.
the modesty around admitting errors extends to when when you falsely point out errors in text that actually is factually correct (or close to).
ChatGTP has strong obsequiousness and sycophant learnings.
Sure, Apple can ban the developer now.
But how easy is for the developer to simply create another account?
Tie the account to his personal ID, and that particular developer is banned for life.
It's making the creation of another account harder that my government ID suggestion is for.
And yes, no App Store is perfect - far from it. But can you honestly say Apple is properly even trying?
Asked ChatGPT to write a song to the tune of Gangster’s Paradise:
Sure! Here's my take on it:
Verse 1:
As I browse through Apple's store
I can't help but feel unsure
The scammers lurking in the night
Their schemes all ready to ignite
I try to find a decent app
But all I see is cheap and crap
They promise features, bells and whistles
But their crooked deals are just a missile
Chorus:
The Mac App Store's a scammers paradise
Where deceitful minds make their dime
It's a trap for the unwary eyes
Their illusions hiding behind a prime
Verse 2:
The reviews all seem too good to be true
But I guess that's what scammers do
They steal your money with a smile
While your trust and hopes are in denial
No refund, no recourse
Your wallet is empty, your heart's remorse
Their apps crashing, full of bugs
But their bank accounts on the rise, no tugs
Chorus:
The Mac App Store's a scammers paradise
Where deceitful minds make their dime
It's a trap for the unwary eyes
Their illusions hiding behind a prime
Verse 3:
Apple, where have you gone?
Your store's a jungle, where's the lawn?
Your users, your loyal flock
But your store's full of broken clocks
We need protection, we need trust
We need a store that's fair and just
So scammers, take your apps elsewhere
And let us breathe a scam-free air
Chorus:
The Mac App Store's a scammers paradise
Where deceitful minds make their dime
It's a trap for the unwary eyes
Their illusions hiding behind a prime.
I see your point about tying accounts to personal ID.
Actually, I just found a reference on the Apple Developer website that states that submission of a "driver’s license or government-issued photo ID" is already a requirement (https://developer.apple.com/support/app-account/#verify).
I'm not sure what else can be done at this point. Any other ideas?
Definitely AI-generated, but it certainly (and sadly) rings true in places
