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Developer account removed by Apple

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Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#251

Post by 8ytecoder »

Manuel_D wrote: post #8

If the fake reviews are indeed the reason why the apps were taken off the store, that does strike me as an inappropriate action. Take down the reviews, yes. But closing the developer account creates a big opportunity to eliminate competition by buying fake reviews for your competitors. There's also nothing developers can do to prevent this since they can't curate or reject reviews from what I know. That said, other c…

AFAIK, you can’t be very specific when it’s money laundering or something similar. Apple would have reported it and give a vague non-specific reason.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#252

Post by kudokatz »

usrbinbash wrote: post #197
echelon wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I guess the App Store fraud prevention team hasn’t necessarily found a good solution yet. The most essential device of the century is owned by two companies. The ability for them to completely control software and business activities on top of something that is almost as essential as public transportation is appalling. The DOJ needs to remove the "app store" racket for essential computing devices. Software needs to…

> The most essential device of the century is owned by two companies. As long as people play along, yes it is indeed. If more people were installing a free mobile OS, and thus take back ownership of their hardware and digital lives, the story would be much different. It's the same story with PCs. If you actually want to control the hardware you own, install Linux. It's not as if the alternatives to corporate control…

> If you actually want to control the hardware you own, install Linux. It's not as if the alternatives to corporate control didn't exist.

They exist, but break my touchpad upgrading to kernel 5.19 from 5.15. I'd rather pay for something locked down than something that breaks.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/2002356

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#253

Post by Terretta »

RagnarD wrote: post #122

I developed several iPhone apps. While I didn't run into something as serious as this, I have a hard time seeing how any company could invest serious money into developing an app that Apple - in its sole judgement - can capriciously reject. I am greatly in favor of competing app stores and the unequivocal ability to "sideload" any apps (at the user's risk of course.) I suspect Apple themselves don't realize that thei…

> I developed several iPhone apps. ... capriciously reject

Did you do these user hostile things?

"Within 10 days, we updated each of the six applications: removed all rating requests, revised all payment screens in line with Apple's recommendations, added Intercom for swift user assistance, established a help center with articles on canceling trials, requesting refunds, and implemented subscription management directly within the applications."

You say "inhibited development of apps ... at the high end". On the contrary, these are all features of the lowest of the low end. Users want those inhibited.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#254

Post by spondylosaurus »

moralestapia wrote: post #193
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Money laundering is not "making money through illicit means" This is correct. > Money laundering is the act of concealing that money, so that it becomes clean money in the face of any curious observer This is the middle step, layering. Before that is placement, introducing the funds into the financial system; after, integration, withdrawing clean money. Here, stealing the credit cards is the original crime. That pe…

>it almost always involves putting cash into a bank account Yeah, I edited my comment shortly after but you were already writing this probably. Only an observation, it almost always starts as money flowing into a bank account, though. >If the developer's dirty sources need to layer their funds, they can subscribe to the app and have it laundered for a meagre 30% haircut. No, because you cannot pay for apps with cash.…

A (stolen) credit card isn't cash. The whole operation here is to turn someone else's credit line into usable funds.

But also, why would sending funds to Apple make them dirty? That doesn't make sense—as GP pointed out, sending funds to Apple so that Apple sends those funds back to you is what makes the money clean. It's the difference between depositing $50k in your bank account from a drug deal and getting a $50k direct deposit from Apple's developer program. The latter won't raise a single eyebrow.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#255

Post by jacquesm »

All of this is a direct consequence of allowing a gatekeeper in the first place. Every app developer is fractionally guilty of enabling Apple to position themselves as such. I've built a neat little bit of software and I'm sure I could monetize it by wrapping it up as an app. But there is no way that I'm going to give either Apple or Google more power than they already have so the development of the app is a bit slower than it otherwise would have been. But that's fine, releases still happen regularly and I'm having fun building it. If I needed the money to be able to work on it I would have possibly been forced out of this luxury position and I'd absolutely hate it.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#256

Post by quitit »

Grayskull wrote: post #225
quitit wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds like a fair point until remembering that things like Boss-ware exist. An insurer/ health insurer, employer, government, etc will require it, and just like that the "just don't use them" crowd will hold up their hands and pretend that no one could have imagined this disaster. If the problem is truly Apple exhibiting favouritism or limiting competition through their app approval process: then the EU should…

> An insurer/ health insurer, employer, government, etc will require it, and just like that the "just don't use them" crowd will hold up their hands and pretend that no one could have imagined this disaster. On Android where alternate storefronts are a possibility, I have yet to be made aware of a single instance of this happening. Not even Epic in their crusade against established mobile stores made its' own platfor…

That's a naive point to take for two reasons:

1. You're not looking very hard, surveillance ware exists for employment, examinations and so on. It's not available on iOS, but is available on Android via side loading. Both Facebook and Google used iOS certificates to side load tracking apps onto iOS for regular consumers. Even rental cars brands have utilised surveillance software to track speed and apply fines. The more you dig here the more you find: it's not some outlandish concept.

2. The inability to run such types of software on iOS prevents these approaches from moving forward across the industry. Much the same way that QR codes weren't widely utilised until both Android and iOS supported it.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#257

Post by Terretta »

mortallywounded wrote: post #4

Something feels off... those apps don't seem like 33K/MRR worthy. I suspect some kind of manipulation was being done to... help?

> some kind of manipulation

They tell you what kind of manipulation, in what they hastily tried to unwind when caught... a whole TODO list for scammy apps:

"Within 10 days, we updated each of the six applications: removed all rating requests, revised all payment screens in line with Apple's recommendations, added Intercom for swift user assistance, established a help center with articles on canceling trials, requesting refunds, and implemented subscription management directly within the applications."

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#259

Post by darrenf »

oleg_antonyan wrote: post #105
slezyr wrote: post #43

Russian guy saying that he is in Chile in the first sentence? Absolutely nothing suspicious. https://companies.rbc.ru/id/1215600010141-obschestvo-s-ogran... It is even a Russian company. It was registered a bit before the war started and liquidated not so long ago.

Registered 14.10.2021 Liquidated 28.04.2023 So the guy opened a company, 5 months later it got destroyed by crazy dictator and santions. He moves to a new country, starts a new life, and opens a new company there. Now tell me he is sponsoring the war or something like that based on these facts

April 2023 is 18 months after October 2021, and over a year after the invasion.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#260

Post by callalex »

practice9 wrote: post #204
mm263 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company is liquidated, which means he doesn't do business in Russia. Also, I love living in the world where doing business is suspicious because of my nationality.

Choose a better government, then. Preferably, a one without Soviet/death cult/imperialistic tendencies. The nation will be judged by its government's actions, because the gov is supposed to be kept in check by the people.

Isn’t moving to Chile choosing a better government? It seems like this developer did exactly what you are asking for, but racism is clouding your judgment.
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