It's not mentioned, and to save people time, how do you report these scam ads?
Yes, I'm sure this was intentional. After all, it's giving them such good press.Another fine example of how Tim wants "to serve humanity"....by hosting dishonest apps on his "closed ecosystem"?
I can't remember the last time I even downloaded an app from the App Store never mind paying for any in app purchases.
Hope people wise up to this.
I agree. I've often wondered if the 'reviews' are written by teenage or 20 something interns who love sitting trying out all the new games and chat apps.I find the "Editor's Choice" app selections a bit odd, so far I have not found any I agree with. What is the basis for selection that the Editor uses???
An interesting thought for those that don't understand how people get scammed by this - what is the "get out of this screen button" in iOS? The home button. Now, what is the "I want to purchase this" gesture? There you go, trying to not purchase a thing and you accidentally purchase it (And maybe don't even know because they left the app)
That combined with in-app subscriptions being buried in the users iTunes settings means a lot of people not knowing how to cancel.
Yes, why would one want to actually pay and support those who are providing goods and services to you. The nerve that they would even expect as much!I agree. Unless it is totally free, I don't even bother with an app. Of course Apple allowed this in app purchase model. It was only a matter of time before ppl would find ways to exploit it. Perhaps they should go back to a straight forward pay up front model?
The article has been updated. Here's the link: report scam appsIt's not mentioned, and to save people time, how do you report these scam ads?
Yes, why would one want to actually pay and support those who are providing goods and services to you. The nerve that they would even expect as much!
SMH
If that is indeed the case, then my apologies to @lsutigerfan1976 . I probably got riled up at his user name.You misunderstood him. He wants to go back to the pre-freemium app era, which I agree. Either release for free w/ ads or charge for the app...none of this freemium BS.
You misunderstood him. He wants to go back to the pre-freemium app era, which I agree. Either release for free w/ ads or charge for the app...none of this freemium BS.
It's a probability game. Dumb people make more dumb mistakes, but even smart people make the occasional dumb mistake.200 :really Dumb people.
However, being on staff at MR(F), you should know better than most how quickly an easily nefarious ad providers can make their way into the pool.
Great investigative piece by Johnny Lin looking into a top-10 highest grossing app named “Mobile protection :Clean & Security VPN” (punctuation and grammatical errors sic), from a developer named Ngan Vo Thi Thuy:
“Full Virus, Malware scanner”: What? I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for any app to scan my iPhone for viruses or malware, since third party apps are sandboxed to their own data, but let’s keep reading…
“You will pay $99.99 for a 7-day subscription”
Uhh… come again?
There should be no “virus and malware” scanners in the App Store. None. iOS does not need anti-virus software. The App Store sandboxing rules mean that anti-virus software couldn’t really do anything useful anyway. And by allowing them to be listed on the store, it creates the false impression that Apple thinks you might need anti-virus software.
But do-nothing anti-virus utilities that are scamming people into $100/week subscriptions? That’s downright criminal.
Lin shows that “Mobile protection :Clean & Security VPN” is not alone. The productivity top-grossing list is riddled with similar scam apps.
Given how many legitimate developers are still having problems getting their apps approved due to seemingly capricious App Store reviewer decisions, it’s doubly outrageous that these apps have made their way onto the store in the first place. These are the exact sort of apps that the App Store review process should be primarily looking to block.
And there is no excuse for Apple not having flagged them after the fact, once they started generating significant revenue. It’s downright mind boggling that this horrendous “Mobile protection :Clean & Security VPN” app made it all the way into the top 10 without getting flagged.
Based on Lin’s research, the pattern is simple:
Apple needs to remove these apps from the App Store, and prevent such apps from getting into the store in the first place. They should reconsider the effects of allowing developers to buy their way to the top spot in search results. And they should police the top-grossing lists for apps that are pulling scams — the most important scams to catch are the successful ones.
- Create a scammy utility app and get it into the store. Make it a free download with an expensive in-app subscription.
- Bid on common keywords like “virus”, “VPN”, and “wi-fi”.
- Get tens of thousands of downloads thanks to the top-of-results placement from the ad.
- Spring the in-app subscription prompt on your users and make money with a response rate of even just a fraction of 1 percent.
Lastly, every single dollar these apps have generated should be refunded to the victims of these scams. ★
Perhaps for legit apps deemed "excessive" with regards to high-cost IAPs, Apple could send a follow-up "are you sure you want to purchase this" type of notification/warning that can be toggled in settings? Or, lengthen the amount of time you need to place your finger on the fingerprint reader for payments? At the end of the day, people need to take responsibility for their actions, but a little backup support might not be a bad idea.Maybe Apple should do a strong (manual) investigation into an app that offers recurring IAPs that exceed a certain level of spending that is out of the norm.
Same for one-time purchases too maybe.
Glassed Silver:mac
That's true.I don't think it's really comparable - Apple explicitly approved these apps and then allowed them to advertise so they should certainly shoulder the blame.
Permanent Banned should be imposed.
My point being that Cook should spend more time keeping his product trustworthy and less time at commencement ceremonies......Yes, I'm sure this was intentional. After all, it's giving them such good press.![]()
...so you think that one impedes the other?My point being that Cook should spend more time keeping his product trustworthy and less time at commencement ceremonies......
And your snide remark in no way changes the fact that Apple customers are being scammed.........doesn't matter, as some here think, that those scammed are gullible or naive. Those are the very sections of society that deserve a degree of protection. Someone like you who clearly thinks themselves superior I'm sure has never made a mistake they regret.It's humorous that you think one impedes the other.
And"The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity."
and those who like running their mouth...."The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity."
And your snide remark in no way changes the fact that Apple customers are being scammed.........doesn't matter, as some here think, that those scammed are gullible or naive. Those are the very sections of society that deserve a degree of protection. Someone like you who clearly thinks themselves superior I'm sure has never made a mistake they regret.
and those who like running their mouth....
In a walled garden, where every app in individually approved, why is Apple approving anti-virus apps in the first place? That defeats the purpose of having that process in the first place.