Might 16, 2023
UPDATE
App Retailer stopped greater than $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2022
The App Retailer launched in 2008 with the mission of conducting two essential aims: to determine a dependable and safe platform for customers to soundly uncover and obtain apps, and to supply builders with an thrilling alternative to showcase their concepts and develop their enterprise.
Over time, Apple has launched varied measures to help an ecosystem that advantages each customers and builders. Consequently, the App Retailer has grow to be a vibrant and modern platform that pulls over 650 million common weekly guests worldwide, whereas offering greater than 36 million registered Apple builders with a worldwide distribution platform that helps greater than 195 native fee strategies and 44 currencies.
At this time, Apple introduced that in 2022, the App Retailer prevented over $2 billion in doubtlessly fraudulent transactions, and rejected almost 1.7 million app submissions for failing to fulfill the App Retailer’s excessive requirements for privateness, safety, and content material.
Account Fraud
Apple rooted out 428,000 developer accounts and 282 million buyer accounts for fraud and abuse final yr.
Over time, Apple has improved its programs to repeatedly monitor and detect account fraud shortly. In 2021, Apple terminated over 802,000 developer accounts for doubtlessly fraudulent exercise. In 2022, that quantity declined to 428,000 thanks partly to new strategies and protocols that enable the App Retailer to stop the creation of doubtless fraudulent accounts. Moreover, almost 105 million Apple Developer Program enrollments had been rejected for suspected fraudulent actions, stopping these dangerous actors from submitting apps to the App Retailer.
In 2022, Apple protected customers from almost 57,000 untrustworthy apps from illegitimate storefronts, which do not need the identical built-in privateness and safety protections because the App Retailer. These unauthorized marketplaces distribute dangerous software program that may imitate common apps or alter them with out the consent of their builders.
Within the final 30 days alone, Apple blocked shut to three.9 million makes an attempt to put in or launch apps distributed illicitly via the Developer Enterprise Program, which permits massive organizations to deploy inner apps to be used by staff.
Apple additionally takes motion in opposition to fraudulent buyer accounts, and in 2022, disabled over 282 million buyer accounts related to fraudulent and abusive exercise. And 198 million tried fraudulent new accounts had been blocked earlier than they might even be created.
App Evaluate
The App Retailer’s entrance line of protection protected customers from a whole bunch of 1000’s of unsafe apps in 2022.
Apple performs various security checks on each app earlier than it makes its method onto the App Retailer. Throughout the improvement stage, Xcode systematically inspects apps to certify they’re utilizing licensed applied sciences and to verify the app meets minimal necessities for the App Retailer. After a developer uploads their app to App Retailer Join, further checks are run to confirm it doesn’t reference non-public APIs and is freed from recognized malware. As soon as in overview, every submission is fastidiously checked out by a member of the App Evaluate workforce to make sure it meets Apple’s requirements of high quality and security.
App Evaluate has developed its processes over time, and expanded its operations world wide to help builders and assist get their apps onto the App Retailer shortly. On common, the workforce evaluations over 100,000 app submissions per week, with almost 90 % of them receiving a overview inside 24 hours. Having reviewed greater than 6.1 million app submissions in 2022, App Evaluate helped greater than 185,000 builders publish their very first app on the App Retailer, and remodeled 20,000 cellphone calls to builders to assist them diagnose and resolve points that led to an app submission rejection.
In 2022, almost 1.7 million app submissions had been rejected from the App Retailer for varied causes, together with issues associated to fraud and privateness. In multiple case this yr, App Evaluate caught apps utilizing malicious code with the potential to steal customers’ credentials from third-party companies. In different cases, the App Evaluate workforce recognized a number of apps that disguised themselves as innocuous monetary administration platforms however had the aptitude to morph into one other app. Practically 24,000 apps had been blocked or faraway from the App Retailer for bait-and-switch violations equivalent to these in 2022.
There are different causes an app may be rejected for fraud. For instance, over 153,000 app submissions rejected from the App Retailer final yr had been discovered to be spam, copycats, or deceptive, and almost 29,000 submissions had been rejected for holding hidden or undocumented options. Typically apps attempt to receive customers’ private knowledge with out their data or consent. In 2022, upward of 400,000 app submissions had been rejected for privateness violations.
App Evaluate additionally investigates apps reported via Apple’s Report a Downside instrument and takes rapid motion to take away apps which have been confirmed as fraudulent or malicious. Unapproved apps below a developer account that has been terminated for fraud and abuse are mechanically eliminated and prevented from being submitted onto the App Retailer. In 2022, App Evaluate took motion to stop almost 84,000 doubtlessly fraudulent apps from reaching customers on the App Retailer.
Scores and Opinions
Apple detected and blocked greater than 147 million fraudulent rankings and evaluations from the App Retailer final yr.
Scores and evaluations are an essential function of the App Retailer. Customers depend on them to assist determine which app to obtain, and builders use them as very important suggestions for enhancing their apps. Inauthentic rankings and evaluations from fraudulent or bot accounts can mislead customers into downloading an untrustworthy app that makes an attempt to recreation the system via misrepresentation. In 2022, with over 1 billion rankings and evaluations processed, Apple blocked and eliminated greater than 147 million rankings and evaluations for failing to fulfill moderation requirements.
Fee and Credit score Card Fraud
Apple blocked a document $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2022, banning 714,000 fraudulent accounts from transacting once more.
Because the digital financial system evolves, an increasing number of persons are turning to on-line funds to buy items and companies. Apple has made large investments in creating safe fee applied sciences like Apple Pay and StoreKit to guard individuals’s monetary info. These applied sciences are utilized by almost 943,000 apps to promote items and companies on the App Retailer.
Apple takes bank card fraud extraordinarily critically, and stays dedicated to defending the App Retailer and its customers from this type of stress. For instance, with Apple Pay, bank card numbers are by no means shared with retailers, thus eliminating a threat issue within the fee transaction course of.
Final yr, Apple blocked almost 3.9 million stolen bank cards from getting used to make fraudulent purchases, and banned 714,000 accounts from transacting once more. In whole, Apple blocked $2.09 billion in fraudulent transactions on the App Retailer in 2022.
Apple’s work to maintain the App Retailer a protected and trusted place for customers and builders is rarely finished. As dangerous actors evolve their dishonest techniques and strategies of deception, Apple dietary supplements its antifraud initiatives with suggestions gleaned from a myriad of channels — from information tales to social media to AppleCare calls — and can proceed to develop new approaches and instruments designed to stop fraud from harming App Retailer customers and builders.
Press Contacts
Adam Dema
Apple
Archelle Thelemaque
Apple
Apple Media Helpline