Apple’s App Store blocks millions of new apps over scam, spam & fraud concerns

The data is staggering, in 2020 aloe there were 180,000 new developers who launched their first app as one of the 1.8 million in Apple’s “App Store” but the ones that don’t get approved are the ones that matter most.

Apple has a team of over 500 people reviewing apps that are submitted, and it’s not just new apps, when an app is updated it must also pass the review process.

We can speak from experience, I waited to write this until our own EFTM app had been approved, and while it’s a very simple app, the reviews team were vigorous in their testing and requested changes to ensure we met the App Store guidelines. It was a fascinating process, which, while frustrating for those of us with no patience, goes entirely to show how much work goes into maintaining the App Store.

In just one year, Apple’s technology and human processes stopped more than $1.5billion USD in potentially fraudulent transactions.

215,000 apps were rejected for privacy violations, 48,000 were rejected for containing hidden or undocumented features, 150,000 were rejected for being copycat apps, spam or misleading and another 95,000 were removed for fraudulent violations.

And it’s not just the apps, the reviews too are under scrutiny. In 2020 there were over 1 billion ratings posted, along with 100 million reviews. 250,000,000 of them were removed for not meeting moderation standards!

Apple will cut off Developer accounts, and user accounts if they see fraudulent activity, such as fake reviews – there’s a lot going into this.

So, why would a very private Apple release all this data?

Of course it goes to show how safe the App Store is for both developers and users, but it also goes to show how much effort they put in to maintaining the ecosystem they built.

Timely given their Courtroom battle with EPIC games the creators of Fortnite is hitting it’s peak – and with that case likely to go down to the wire, this kind of information helps all of us understand just how Apple justify’s taking a cut from everything that happens on the App Store.

Now, while it might seem extreme, imagine for a moment every single App developer bypassed Apple’s payment guidelines and systems the way Epic tried to. The revenue from App Store commissions would dry up, and how would Apple justify the effort it puts into the App Store overall.

At least, that’s how I read it.