Apple Issues Reminder to Devs: App Store Rankings Fraud Will Not Be Tolerated

[Phillip Swanson]

The fraudulent ad agency claimed the apps circled above are all clients of theirs. We've sent out emails request more information from the developers in question to substantiate the claims.


Apple sent out a reminder to developers today that Cupertino will not tolerate the manipulation of application rankings in the App Store.

"When you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership." —Apple

This post in Touch Arcade may have prompted to issue the reminder to iOS developers. In the post an iOS developer recounted his experience with an ad agency claiming to have eight apps in the Top 25 free apps category, including two of their own. The network even guaranteed the developer his app would be in the Top 25 for the relatively small fee (especially compared to admob and others) of $5,000.

Obviously it seemed to good to be true, and it for the most part it was. Digging deeper the developer asked how the ad agency was able to accomplish such amazing results. The answer? Bots. Lots of them. The guy running the ad agency hired someone to build a bot farm that automatically downloads his clients' applications driving up their rankings. He then conceded that Apple already knew about the scam and banned a developer called Dream Cortex for botting. The fraudster then mentioned the $5,000 price was much lower than normal because he was trying to get as many clients as he could before Apple shut down their operation.

Hopefully Apple's reminder and the threat of being banned will help diminish the amount of fraudulent rankings in the App Store. It would be interesting to find out if the ad agency did in fact reveal to all of exactly how they achieved their results or if they tried to play off their services as legit.

Source: TUAW

[hitman10]

I think we all know thats its pretty obvious the top charts are picked and chosen. At least I try to figure out how a POS game made it near the top.

[ZXMustang]

I think we all know thats its pretty obvious the top charts are picked and chosen. At least I try to figure out how a POS game made it near the top.

**** games and apps make it to the top because people are like sheep. They go with the crowds, and they DL it because they see the number of DLs are up. baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[jOnGarrett]

I don't understand, why is it always the people with the most talent (hackers, devs, hedge fund managers etc etc) are also the ones with the least morals and the most greedy.

Is it not enough that God has given you talent, fame and in some cases wealth? things that most of us can only dream of having.

[ankit_jedi]

With great powers, comes great responsibility, which they don't understand

[plok]

I don't understand, why is it always the people with the most talent (hackers, devs, hedge fund managers etc etc) are also the ones with the least morals and the most greedy.

Is it not enough that God has given you talent, fame and in some cases wealth? things that most of us can only dream of having.

Then by your rationale, surely it's "God" who has made them without morals and greedy as well? What a terrible, vindictive "God" that must be.

More evidence to support the existence of Santa, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny i think...

[Christophxr]

Then by your rationale, surely it's "God" who has made them without morals and greedy as well? What a terrible, vindictive "God" that must be.

More evidence to support the existence of Santa, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny i think...

*Facepalm*

Look, I'm an atheist too but you're just acting like a d-bag here. This is why atheists get a bad rap. He was making a point that didn't imply the existence of God---it's called a turn of phrase. He could very well be an atheist too.