As Tim Cook said previously, we need to control the distribution of apps on iPhones or else the App Store will turn into a flea market and this is what happens, despite the strict rules and what Apple does to protect its users, but that App Store It still includes some fraudulent applications that have so far deceived users and cost them a lot of money.
scam apps تطبيقات
There are 1.8 million apps on the App Store, and among them, fraudulent apps hide in plain sight, which is why many VPN app users complained in in-store reviews that those apps told users that their devices had been infected with a virus to trick them into downloading software they didn't need and pay against her.
Some complained that there are applications that work as a QR reader in the store, and they pay $ 5 in them, and discover that they do nothing but the same as the iPhone camera does. In addition, some applications fraudulently present themselves as belonging to major brands such as Samsung and Amazon and users fall victim to this trap.
According to an analysis by The Washington Post, among the top 1000 apps by revenue on the Apple Store, nearly 2% are fraudulent, and according to market research firm Appfigures, these apps successfully tricked users and stole $48 million when they were available on the app. App Store.
The extent of the problem has not been previously reported. Moreover, Apple takes advantage of these apps because they take their commission of up to 30% of any purchase that occurs within their store.
The newspaper said that the most common malicious apps on the Apple Store were fleeceware, which are more dangerous than fraudulent apps and use fake reviews and ratings to move up the App Store ratings. Less and sometimes it comes with a free trial period and after its passage and without canceling the subscription by the user, you charge high fees.
Apple Store
Apple, the company with the most market value in US history, is facing unprecedented scrutiny over how it uses its power and monopoly on the App Store unlike other app stores, because its store does not face any competition and is the only gateway for iPhone users to download software on their devices after passing through Apple's restrictions, and the company maintains a tight grip on software distribution and payments on the iPhone's operating system.
Apple has always maintained that its exclusive control over App Store Necessary to protect users, and only allow the best apps on its system, but Apple's monopoly on how users access apps on iPhones actually creates an environment that gives these users a false sense of security, experts say, given that Apple faces no significant competition and many Users are restricted to using the App Store on iPhone devices, so there is little incentive for Apple to spend money on improving the store.
“If users can access alternative app stores or other ways to distribute software, Apple is more likely to take the problem of fraudulent apps more seriously,” said Stan Miles, professor of economics at Thomson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada.
Apple responded
"We hold developers to a high standard of keeping the App Store a safe and trusted place for users to download software, and we will always take action against apps that cause harm to our users," Apple spokesman Fred Sainz said in a statement to The Washington Post.
"Apple leads the industry with practices that put the safety of our customers first, and we will continue to learn and develop our practices and invest the necessary resources to make sure users get the best experience," the spokesperson added.
Apple has also said before that it is constantly improving its methods for detecting scams and usually detects them within a month of accessing the App Store. The company has also used new tools to validate user reviews and last year removed 470 app developer accounts from its App Store. So, developers can create new accounts and keep uploading new apps without any problem.
Disadvantages of the App Store
Unlike the algorithms that the company relies on, Apple employs an app review team of 500 people but according to Philip Shoemaker, the former head of the app review team, employees in his department generally did not have a technical background in computer coding. It can breathe (live) and it can disintegrate.” This means that there is no knowledge of how to use a Mac and iPhone and most of them have usually worked in the company's retail stores.
Eric Friedman, head of Apple's Fraud and Risk Engineering Algorithms unit, said the app review process is like you're using a butter knife in a gunfight and, to be fair, Friedman also noted that the detection of fraudulent apps has changed in the past five years as it's become more efficient.
In addition, there is no way for users to report the presence of malicious apps other than by contacting the company's customer service and in the past until 2016 there was a button under the Ratings and Reviews section of the App Store, to report inappropriate applications directly but it has been removed and there is now only contact with a service customers through other channels.
Point of view
Apple is not the only company that suffers from this problem, it is also present on the Google Play Store for Android phones, but unlike Apple, Google does not claim that its app store is organized and Android users can download applications from different stores with ease and this creates competition between application stores for the system However, Apple does a lot to provide a safe store for its users, and the numbers confirm this, as it indicated that it stopped more than 1.5 billion dollars of fraudulent transactions last year only, along with removing 470 fraudulent accounts and preventing 205 thousand attempts to create new fraudulent accounts, but because it is the best , ask her to make more.
As we explained earlier, Apple's propaganda with the power of insurance causes it to be easy to deceive the customer; Where he automatically trusts any app he sees because it will say “Apple team review it” unlike other stores whose customers know that there is no censorship and therefore he has to think carefully before he buys an app.
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Wonderful article ..
The screen is black and the font is white
Apple is the least exposed company to such fraudulent applications, and in light of the presence of nearly one billion nine hundred thousand applications, the presence of a small percentage of fraudulent applications is likely to happen, and it must happen because people make mistakes by nature.
We must add here that users who are not experts have the upper hand in the spread of such applications, and users should make a little effort to learn how to protect themselves, and not to be blindly trusting any technology company, no matter how much protection it provides.
Apple has also provided those who are exposed to this type of fraud a way out, which is to inform Apple and your money will be returned to you within a certain period.
So the ignorance of some users and their failure to claim their rights encourages these applications to increase their spread, in addition to the large number of applications in the store accompanied by human errors from the application review team.
In general, the Apple Store is the least store that contains such applications, which provides better protection for the user, and this does not negate our duty to learn and follow a little technology in order not to fall victim to scammers.
good morning
Brother Walid, the total number of applications in the store is one million and eight hundred thousand applications, according to the information of iPhone Islam 😷
This requires you to check and scrutinize the weekly choices after receiving this report from Apple
No matter how strong the protection is, there must be breakthroughs and these things are known in the world of technology.
O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad
Thanks for this informative article.