Could 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 engaging in two vital goals: to ascertain a dependable and safe platform for customers to soundly uncover and obtain apps, and to offer builders with an thrilling alternative to showcase their concepts and develop their enterprise.
Through the years, Apple has launched numerous measures to assist 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 world distribution platform that helps greater than 195 native fee strategies and 44 currencies.
At present, Apple introduced that in 2022, the App Retailer prevented over $2 billion in probably fraudulent transactions, and rejected almost 1.7 million app submissions for failing to satisfy 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.
Through the years, Apple has improved its techniques to constantly monitor and detect account fraud shortly. In 2021, Apple terminated over 802,000 developer accounts for probably fraudulent exercise. In 2022, that quantity declined to 428,000 thanks partly to new strategies and protocols that enable the App Retailer to forestall the creation of doubtless fraudulent accounts. Moreover, almost 105 million Apple Developer Program enrollments have 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 shouldn’t have 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.Â
Within the final 30 days alone, Apple blocked shut to three.9 million makes an attempt to put in or launch apps distributed illicitly by means of the Developer Enterprise Program, which permits massive organizations to deploy inside apps to be used by workers.
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 have been blocked earlier than they might even be created.
App Assessment
The App Retailer’s entrance line of protection protected customers from lots of of hundreds of unsafe apps in 2022.
Apple performs a lot of security checks on each app earlier than it makes its means onto the App Retailer. In the course of the improvement stage, Xcode systematically inspects apps to certify they’re utilizing approved applied sciences and to verify the app meets minimal necessities for the App Retailer. After a developer uploads their app to App Retailer Join, extra checks are run to confirm it doesn’t reference personal APIs and is freed from recognized malware. As soon as in assessment, every submission is fastidiously checked out by a member of the App Assessment group to make sure it meets Apple’s requirements of high quality and security.
App Assessment has advanced its processes over time, and expanded its operations world wide to assist builders and assist get their apps onto the App Retailer shortly. On common, the group opinions over 100,000 app submissions per week, with almost 90 % of them receiving a assessment inside 24 hours. Having reviewed greater than 6.1 million app submissions in 2022, App Assessment helped greater than 185,000 builders publish their very first app on the App Retailer, and revamped 20,000 telephone calls to builders to assist them diagnose and resolve points that led to an app submission rejection.Â
In 2022, almost 1.7 million app submissions have been rejected from the App Retailer for numerous causes, together with considerations associated to fraud and privateness. In a couple of case this yr, App Assessment caught apps utilizing malicious code with the potential to steal customers’ credentials from third-party providers. In different cases, the App Assessment group recognized a number of apps that disguised themselves as innocuous monetary administration platforms however had the potential to morph into one other app. Practically 24,000 apps have been blocked or faraway from the App Retailer for bait-and-switch violations akin 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 have been discovered to be spam, copycats, or deceptive, and almost 29,000 submissions have been rejected for holding hidden or undocumented options. Typically apps attempt to get hold of customers’ private information with out their information or consent. In 2022, upward of 400,000 app submissions have been rejected for privateness violations.
App Assessment additionally investigates apps reported by means of Apple’s Report a Downside software and takes instant motion to take away apps which have been confirmed as fraudulent or malicious. Unapproved apps underneath a developer account that has been terminated for fraud and abuse are robotically eliminated and prevented from being submitted onto the App Retailer. In 2022, App Assessment took motion to forestall almost 84,000 probably fraudulent apps from reaching customers on the App Retailer.
Scores and Critiques
Apple detected and blocked greater than 147 million fraudulent rankings and opinions from the App Retailer final yr.
Scores and opinions are an vital characteristic of the App Retailer. Customers depend on them to assist resolve which app to obtain, and builders use them as important suggestions for bettering their apps. Inauthentic rankings and opinions from fraudulent or bot accounts can mislead customers into downloading an untrustworthy app that makes an attempt to recreation the system by means of misrepresentation. In 2022, with over 1 billion rankings and opinions processed, Apple blocked and eliminated greater than 147 million rankings and opinions for failing to satisfy moderation requirements.
Fee and Credit score Card Fraud
Apple blocked a report $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2022, banning 714,000 fraudulent accounts from transacting once more.
Because the digital economic system evolves, increasingly more persons are turning to on-line funds to buy items and providers. Apple has made great investments in creating safe fee applied sciences like Apple Pay and StoreKit to guard folks’s monetary info. These applied sciences are utilized by almost 943,000 apps to promote items and providers on the App Retailer.
Apple takes bank card fraud extraordinarily severely, 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 danger issue within the fee transaction course of.Â
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 complete, 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 achieved. As dangerous actors evolve their dishonest ways 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 forestall fraud from harming App Retailer customers and builders.
Press Contacts
Adam Dema
Apple
AdamDema@apple.com
Archelle Thelemaque
Apple
athelemaque2@apple.com
Apple Media Helpline
media.assist@apple.com