A new App Store scam has been highlighted by developer Kosta Eleftheriou. The new scam was spotted on the UPNP Xtreme app which required at least a 3-star rating to function.
UPNP Xtreme ‘was’ an app that allowed people to stream content on their TV from their iPhone and iPad. The app would prompt an App Store rating as soon as it was launched and did not work until you left a review. And that too, a good one with at least a 3-star rating. The app has since been removed from the App Store.
Asking for app review on launch and not allowing users to dismiss the pop-up is a violation of the App Store Guidelines. Kosta has also shared a video on his Twitter account showcasing how the app would not function if you did not give it a good rating.
The review: “This app forced me to give it a good rating before I could use it.”
You: “Pfff, no one’s FORCING you!”
The app: 🤯 pic.twitter.com/R6ytFAguhU
— Kosta Eleftheriou (@keleftheriou) May 25, 2021
Kosta says that the app had over 15 million downloads before it was removed from the App Store and had made “millions.”
FlickType keyboard developer Kosta Eleftheriou has now been in a battle with Apple for quite some time. The issue started when a clone of the FlickType keyboard took over the original app due to a number of fake reviews and ratings. Eleftheriou has since sued Apple for the malpractices taking place on the App Store and allegedly buying his app for cheap. He continues to report many App Store scams on his Twitter.
Previously, he reported a VPN scam app that snubbed off $5 million per year from Apple users. He’s also highlighted an app scam turned into an ‘online casino’ as soon as you connected it to the Turkey server.
Have you noticed any scam app on iOS App Store? If yes, have you reported that app to Apple? Let us know in the comments section below!
