“We want ratings and reviews to be authentic and a true reflection of comments from the users.” Some of these paid app review services also guarantee they will replace any reviews that are deleted. You can now dictate the wording of reviews, decide on post frequency, and stir in some four-star reviews alongside the five-star reviews to make it look more natural. While developers used to buy reviews in big chunks and post suspiciously similar write ups, things have gotten more sophisticated.
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Many of these services employ real users who download and install the apps and then post glowing reviews. The problem is that determining what constitutes a fake review is easier said than done. “Both Apple and Google have demonstrated they take the issue extremely seriously, and they continuously monitor reviews left on their respective stores,” Barnes said. It can result in the removal of suspect reviews, the removal of the app, or even the expulsion of the developer from the program. There’s no gray area here – this practice violates the Google Play Developer Program Policies and Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines.
While a small number of app reviews might cost $2 to $3 each, developers buying in bulk can secure discounts, with reviews costing below a mere 50 cents. A brief web search for “paid app reviews” or similar terms reveals several services selling app reviews and installations to artificially boost the standing of apps in the main app stores. The fact that many developers game the system has been an open secret in the industry for years. “While we haven’t performed any specific analysis to quantify the scale of the problem, fake reviews do exist and have been shown to materially affect app review scores,” Paul Barnes, regional director at App Annie, told Digital Trends. The fact that many developers game the system has been an open secret in the industry for years. Little wonder then, that some developers are willing to bend, or even break, app store rules to get closer to five stars. They boost your chances of appearing on curated lists and recommendations, and the bottom line is they can persuade people to install your app. Good review scores are vital if you want a coveted place in the app store charts. But what about multiple five-star ratings with repetitive, unnatural-sounding reviews? Gaming the system One star, one-line reviews complaining that an app didn’t work on this or that device, or that there was some billing issue, aren’t always a good indication of whether the app will meet your needs. In practice, a lot of reviews are less than useful for prospective installers and there’s a thriving trade in fake reviews. The higher the score an app gets, the more people liked it, at least in theory. Review scores are aggregated and used to determine an overall score for the app. After you download and install an app, you can rate it out of five stars and write up a review detailing your thoughts. With such a feast of choice, people need a little help separating the wheat from the chaff.Īpp stores offer a review rating system for precisely this purpose.
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There are currently more than 3.5 million Android apps and games in Google’s Play Store, and more than 2 million apps and games in Apple’s App Store, according to App Annie. Fitbit Versa 3Īs smartphones have soared in popularity, app development has exploded. Customer service will be able to pull up your account and make sure that you aren’t making any unexpected payments. If you’re concerned about an email or a message and can’t decide if it’s real, just contact Apple. You can also review your App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, or Apple Music purchase history.Įmails about your App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, or Apple Music purchases will never ask you to provide this information over email: Genuine purchase receipts-from purchases in the App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, or Apple Music-include your current billing address, which scammers are unlikely to have. If you receive an email about an App Store or iTunes Store purchase, and you’re not sure whether it is real, you can look for a couple of things that can help confirm that the message is from Apple.
Here’s what you need to look out for when you see an email from Apple:
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In response to this phishing attempt, Apple has published a page on its site explaining how to identify a legitimate App Store or iTunes Store email from a fake.