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| Apple lets you report scams in the App Store |
Apple now lets you report fraudulent apps directly from the App Store menu and use the improved Report a Problem button.
The button reappeared in a single app menu for the first time in years, and now includes a special "Report Fraud" option in the drop-down menu.
Before iOS 15 hit the market, the only way to find this button was to scroll to the bottom of the App Store under the Apps or Games tab and go to the website you're browsing.
Then you can select Report suspicious activity, Report a quality issue, Request a refund, or Find my content.
None of the options provide a clear way to report fraud. The "Report suspicious activity" option will direct you to Apple Support. If you have already paid (and thus been scammed), the company only allows you to report a "quality problem".
But now every free app with in-app purchases has a "report a problem" option. However, the process will still take you to the website where you need to log in. But overall it seems like a step forward.
The news came after a survey published in early 2021 found that 18 of the highest-grossing Apple apps on the Apple App Store targeted fraudulent iOS users.
Apple brings back the Report a Problem button
The bigger question is whether the company can act on these reports. Apple has 500 human app references, Facebook has 15,000 content references, Google has 20,000, and Twitter has 2,200.
There may be changes in this area, too, as the company began hiring ASI investigators on September 8. These are the people responsible for investigating fraudulent apps and trends and their developers.
Apple is of course listening to the latest wave of anger around the App Store. With the exception of some small mandatory exceptions after judicial and regulatory review. The company initially allows users to view the apps that come with every iPhone.
Until now, it has not been possible in the App Store to rate or comment on Apple's built-in iPhone and iPad apps. Such as mail, music, news, stocks and calculators. However, since the release of iOS 15 earlier this month, the company has lifted this restriction.