Apple Faces Pressure to Combat Fake Reviews on the App Store

Apple is receiving increased scrutiny and calls for stronger action against fraudulent reviews and rating schemes. This follows a developer bringing attention to unfair competition stemming from unaddressed fraudulent activity within the App Store.

Developer Highlights App Store Issues

Kosta Eleftheriou, co-founder of the Fleksy keyboard app (acquired by Pinterest in 2016), has been leveraging his expertise in autocorrect algorithms since March 2018. His work focuses on optimizing typing on the Apple Watch, creating an experience described as “simple, enjoyable and highly effective” by Forbes.

Eleftheriou’s app, FlickType, has garnered praise from app reviewers, being labeled “astonishingly accurate”, a “fundamentally better keyboard”, and “way faster” than Apple’s native scribble method.

The app boasts numerous positive five-star ratings from users. While the current overall rating stands at 3.5 due to some lower scores, the developer actively and constructively responds to user feedback, even addressing concerns raised in negative reviews.

These responses often acknowledge platform limitations beyond his control or detail recently implemented features requested by users, such as the ability to disable Auto-Correction, or improvements to the app’s interface.

This level of engagement demonstrates a commitment to meeting customer expectations, despite a lower overall rating compared to other Watch keyboard applications.

The Problem of Copycat Apps and Fake Reviews

The core issue for Eleftheriou is that his genuine efforts are being undermined by copycat apps exploiting weak App Store enforcement to gain an unfair advantage.

The scam involves publishing apps that mimic FlickType’s features but lock users into exorbitant subscription fees for inferior imitations.

Instead of quality rising to the top, these clones are bolstered by a flood of fake reviews and ratings, suppressing genuine user assessments.

Alarm bells ring only when carefully examining the comments, as fake reviews significantly outnumber authentic ones.

For example, WatchKey, a rival app, has a higher overall rating than FlickType despite receiving a one-star review stating: “Wish I read the reviews before buying. I can’t even get it to work on my watch.”

WatchKey’s standard response to negative feedback is a generic message requesting more details via email.

Another one-star reviewer wrote: “Terrible. I bought this app to use T9 on my watch. I haven’t been able to get T9 to work… I would advise to find a different app.”

Again, WatchKey responds with a platitude, requesting the user to email support for assistance.

Even some five-star reviews reveal the scam: “You need to pay if you want to use the T9. They make you write a review to ‘unlock’ and then they ask for a payment.”

The Mechanics of Manipulation

The manipulation involves two key tactics: posting generic responses to negative reviews to fulfill minimal requirements and flooding listings with fake five-star reviews to maintain a high overall rating.

Eleftheriou’s Twitter thread exposed “hundreds” of fake five-star reviews driving users towards these malicious clones, often using wording referencing nonexistent features or unrelated devices.

A Google search for “buy ios reviews” yields over 643 million results, including advertisements for companies offering “app reviews, installs and ratings” and selling “high quality iOS app reviews” for as little as $2.50 from “100% Real Users”.

This demonstrates a thriving market for fake reviews, highlighting the lack of effective enforcement.

Further Infringement and Apple’s Policies

Adding to the issue, one competitor even copied Eleftheriou’s app promo video, showcasing FlickType’s features, and used it in ads on Facebook and Instagram.

While Facebook has policies against third-party infringement, proactive enforcement is lacking, requiring Eleftheriou to spend additional time reporting the malicious ads. He successfully had the ad removed, but anticipates continued issues.

Apple’s developer rules explicitly prohibit submitting fraudulent reviews, classifying it as a violation of the developer program license agreement.

The App Store review guidelines state that developers attempting to cheat the system may face app removal or expulsion from the developer program.

A Call for Action and Apple’s Response

Eleftheriou’s public complaint on social media followed “simply depressing results” from engaging with Apple’s official app dispute channel.

He explains that Apple facilitates communication between developers, hoping for direct resolution, but his complaints received minimal attention and no response regarding the fake ratings and reviews.

Eleftheriou observed that even in the presence of Apple’s legal team, the scammers showed no concern, suggesting a belief that Apple is unlikely to take action.

He believes Apple doesn’t allocate sufficient resources to address this issue.

Following his Twitter campaign, some of the complained-about apps were removed from the App Store, though developer accounts remain active.

Eleftheriou expressed disbelief that such blatant scams didn’t result in account revocation.

Apple provided background information on its developer policies, reiterating the prohibition of cheating the system. A response to potential policy changes is pending.

The Broader Implications

Eleftheriou emphasizes that the core problem isn’t the cloning itself, but the lack of a system to prevent fake ratings and reviews. He believes a trustworthy rating system is essential for consumer protection.

He notes the erosion of consumer trust due to the prevalence of fake reviews and the existence of established companies selling them, claiming their ratings won’t be deleted by Apple.

The issue of fake reviews extends beyond the App Store, affecting platforms like Amazon, Tripadvisor, and Google Maps.

Apple’s Brand and Regulatory Scrutiny

However, the issue is particularly damaging to Apple, as its App Store’s USP is a higher quality, more trustworthy experience than other marketplaces.

Failure to address review scams risks tarnishing Apple’s brand reputation.

Consumers expect a higher standard from Apple and are willing to pay a premium for its products. Under-resourcing App Store review and enforcement could drive quality developers away.

The issue is also attracting attention from consumer watchdogs and regulators, such as the European Union, which is implementing transparency and reporting requirements for platforms.

The EU Omnibus Directive aims to strengthen consumer rights and address fake reviews, potentially imposing significant fines for breaches of consumer protection law.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is also cracking down on fake reviews, targeting platforms like Facebook and Instagram.