Phil Schiller on App Store Knockoffs in 2012: ‘Is No One Reviewing These Apps?’

Phil Schiller in 2012, after a rip-off app struck # 1: “What the hell is this?????
… Is no one reviewing these Apps? Is no one minding the store?” pic.twitter.com/pNaozl6hv1
— Patrick McGee (@PatrickMcGee_) May 3, 2021
Because that 2012 rant, App Store reviewers have continued to have problem with knockoff apps that simulate real apps. A 2nd file highlighted Minecraft knockoffs that had actually made it into the App Store not as soon as, however two times, and was eating up Minecraft sales, and in a third 2015 document, Schiller comments that he “cant think” that Apple does not have automated tools to discover and kick out scam apps.

Knockoff apps have actually long been a problem in the App Store, with fraud apps slipping previous customers to contend with authentic apps and take sales, and back in 2012, Apples Phil Schiller was definitely furious when a phony app made it to the top of the App Store rankings, according to documents shared in the Epic v. Apple trial.
At the time, Temple Run was a super popular iOS unique title, and in February 2012, a fake version of Temple Run struck the App Store charts. Schiller sent out an e-mail to Eddy Cue, Greg Joswiak, Ron Okamoto, Phillip Shoemaker, Matt Fischer, Kevin Saul, and others on the App Store group.
” Is nobody examining these apps? Is no one minding the shop?” he ranted on, prior to asking whether people kept in mind a speak about becoming the “Nordstrom” of App Stores in quality of service.

At the time, Temple Run was a super popular iOS unique title, and in February 2012, a fake version of Temple Run struck the App Store charts. Schiller sent out an e-mail to Eddy Cue, Greg Joswiak, Ron Okamoto, Phillip Shoemaker, Matt Fischer, Kevin Saul, and others on the App Store team. “How does an apparent rip off of the very popular Temple Run, with no screenshots, garbage marketing text, and practically all 1-star scores end up being the # 1 free app on the store?”
Phil Schiller in 2012, after a rip-off app struck # 1: “What the hell is this?????
… Is no one reviewing these Apps?

…” and PLEASE develop a system to instantly discover low rated apps and purge them !!” pic.twitter.com/fhFvja7vXs
— Jacob Terry (@jerkob) May 5, 2021
Fraud iOS apps that defraud users and mimic real apps continue to be a problem to this day. In current months, developer Kosta Eleftheriou has actually taken to speaking up versus scam apps and highlighting significant scams in the App Store, bringing additional attention to the problem.