Apple App Store Stopped Around $1.5 Billion In Fraudulent Transactions

Apple is arguably the biggest tech company in the world currently. It manufactures high-quality products that are not just visually appealing but are extremely efficient.

Apple is most well-known for its security, and rightfully so, as the company safeguarded users from billions in fraudulent transactions in 2020. The number has just gone up since then.

Besides saving $1.5 billion in deceitful transactions on the App Store, it also managed to keep almost 1.6 million suspicious applications off it. It prevented the theft of users’ personal information and their precious time.

Apple’s rigid “App Store Review” process

With constant monitoring and putting user security on top of the priority list, Apple has made App Store a safe and secure place to download applications from. Its App Review team disallowed 30,000 apps for hidden features, 157,000 for spam, and an additional 343,000 for requesting unnecessary user data.

In 2021, Apple rejected 118 million attempts to create accounts on suspicion of them being illegitimate. The company’s process of reviewing legitimate applications can be lengthy and repetitive, as some could contain bugs that hinder their functionality.

However, if a developer thinks that their application has been wrongfully ‘flagged for fraud,’ they can also file for a decision review. To dodge the strict app review process, developers try to alter the application’s functionality after approval.

But, as soon as Apple spots such inconsistencies, it eliminates the apps from the App Store immediately, sending developers a notice for a 14-day appeal process before termination. Apple removed 155,000 apps due to these violations last year.

Misleading reviews and ratings

The tech giant also keeps a strict eye on ratings and reviews, which can greatly impact the applications that users download. In its analysis, Apple revealed that it had blocked 94 million reviews and more than 170 million ratings from publications for not meeting its standards.

Similarly, it removed 610,000 reviews for customer concern submissions. Apple also observed that users download applications from other app stores, which offer dubious software and unofficial versions of other famous apps.

It blocked more than 60,000 illegal applications on unofficial storefronts to safeguard users. The company doesn’t just closely monitor developers and applications but also customer accounts, as it removed 170 million accounts associated with immoral activities.