Apple says its App Store prevented over 1.6 million risky and untrustworthy apps and app updates from defrauding users during 2021. The Cupertino firm says that the App Store stopped “nearly $1.5 billion in fraudulent transactions” during that same time period.
The company rejected 34,000+ apps for “hidden features” and more than 157,000 that were spam or copycat apps. 343,000 apps were rejected for various privacy violations. It also terminated over 800,000 fraudulent developer accounts.
Apple’s efforts to prevent and reduce fraud on the App Store require continuous monitoring and vigilance across multiple teams. From App Review to Discovery Fraud, Apple’s ongoing commitment to protect users from fraudulent app activity demonstrates once again why independent, respected security experts have said the App Store is the safest place to find and download apps.
Apple also said that over 170 million fraudulent customer accounts were shut down, and 118 million attempted fraudulent account creations were rejected. Meanwhile, 155,000 apps that attempted to get around the App Review process by altering an app’s functionality after approval were rejected or removed from the App Store.
63,500 illegitimate apps on pirate storefronts were blocked by Apple, and more than 3.3 million apps distributed illicitly through the Enterprise Developer Program were blocked.
In 2021, App Review helped over 107,000 new developers get their apps onto the store. In 2021, over 835,000 problematic new apps, and an additional 805,000 app updates, were rejected or removed for a range of reasons.
Apple also detected and blocked over 94 million reviews and more than 170 million ratings for failing to meet moderation standards. 610,000 additional reviews were removed after publication due to customer concerns and human evaluation.
Over 3.3 million stolen credit and debit cards were prevented from being used to make potentially fraudulent purchases, and 600,000 accounts were banned from further App Store transactions.
Apple says that its efforts “keep the App Store a safe and trusted place for users to find and download apps, and for developers to do what they do best: create.” Apple says it will continue working to detect fraudulent activity and accounts and prevent financial crimes.”
