The announcement is Apple’s latest counterattack in response to exclusive claims, including the lawsuit from Epic Games and the attention of lawmakers.
Photo: Sina Technology According to CNBC, Apple today released a report on its App Store-related data, mainly describing the work the App Store has done in the direction of security and fraud prevention over the past year, and published a lot of related data. This is the first time Apple publishes such data, in this report, Apple does not point out what they bring to developers and users, but what they refuse to ensure safety and experience. App Store experience. Denied 1 million applications Since its inception in 2008, the Apple App Store has become the world’s largest distribution channel and app download platform. According to official data, up to now, there are a total of 1.8 million apps distributed on the app store in 175 different countries and regions around the world. In addition to the quantity, quality and safety of the App Store are also important reasons for many to choose, and even the reason why users switch from Android to iPhone. But the average user rarely thinks behind millions of apps is Apple’s attempt to secure apps on the platform. In fact, security threats have existed since the App Store was launched in 2008, and are becoming more sophisticated as the App Store has grown. Of course, Apple is also working to raise and improve its own security standards. In order for high-quality apps to be listed on the App Store and for developers and users to have the best experience, behind that is the efforts of the Apple App Store review team, including machines (the program AI detects), but Apple believes humans are the last line of defense. On the one hand, the review team develops relevant guidelines and is constantly updating to measure if an app meets Apple’s security standards at launch. On the other hand, many developers have encountered the case of having to submit apps multiple times before they hit the shelves, behind this being the tight scrutiny of Apple’s review team. The reason may be because their application is incomplete / not good enough or not satisfied Apple with the security requirements. In 2020, Apple’s app review team supported 180,000 new developers to bring their work to the App Store for the first time; However, due to the stringent app store rating criteria, many applications were rejected. According to Apple’s disclosure, they rejected 1 million new apps and 1 million app update requests last year. Let’s take a closer look at the apps that were denied on the list, partly because of a breach; There were also 215,000 applications rejected for asking for too much user data on mobile phones; 48,000 apps were rejected because they contained hidden functions, 150,000 apps were rated as spam or otherwise copied apps. All will affect the quality of the apps in the App Store in varying degrees, thereby affecting the user experience. These numbers represent Apple’s ambition to pursue its own high-quality app store and ecosystem, and is also the reason why many Android users “admire” the iOS ecosystem as mentioned above. . “Stone” 470,000 toxic developers Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at the San Jose Convention Center in 2018. In addition to denying apps, Apple sometimes punishes developers for violating the rules. For example, some developers intentionally change application functionality after passing a review or even engaging in criminals / crimes. The most common are gambling-related apps, illegal lending, and pornography; there are even apps for drug trafficking, sex chat, and more. According to Apple data, by 2020, about 95,000 apps will be removed from the App Store due to fraud and fraud. If a developer’s violation is severe or recurring, their account will be permanently closed. In 2020, Apple terminated 470,000 developer accounts because of the risk of fraud. In the past month alone, Apple blocked more than 3.2 million app installs through the Apple Developer Enterprise Program. The original purpose of this project was to allow large organizations like companies and businesses to develop apps for internal use only, not open to the public. But some people use this approach to “bypass” the internal application review and abuse process. Of course, no matter how tight the controls are, it’s inevitable that there are up to 1.8 million apps on the App Store. Apple has also opened up a feedback mechanism, users or developers can choose to “report a problem” function in the App Store or call Apple support. Stop $ 1.5 billion in fraud suspected transactions Problem security of Android is often compared with Apple. Since the Apple ID is tied to the payment account and is the “key” of the Apple ecosystem, it is also very easy to become a target for criminals. As a result, Apple is building more secure payment technologies, such as Apple Pay and StoreKit. Currently, more than 900,000 apps in the App Store are using these technologies to sell goods and services. For example, credit card information in Apple Pay won’t be shared with the merchant (and the merchant won’t see it), which eliminates risk factors in the checkout process. However, criminals can also use the App Store to purchase goods and services for money laundering or other improper purposes. According to official data, by 2020, Apple prevented more than 3 million stolen credit cards from being used to purchase goods or services through technical means + manual review. In addition, they block more than $ 1.5 billion in “potentially fraudulent transactions”. The revelation comes amid Epic Games’ antitrust lawsuit against Apple and focuses on the App Store failures. The Fortnite maker is looking to force Apple to remove 30% of the commission on in-app purchases. Epic lawyers have argued that Apple’s App Store is too “wall-bound,” hindering app makers from competing, and that Apple’s rules are unevenly applied to different developers. . The lawsuit filed by Epic Games calls for changes to the existing app review process and the use of other in-app payment systems. Epic also says Apple’s process is unfair, sometimes approving malware in the store. Apple employees argued in court that the number of errors it made was very small given the size of the App Store. Apple also strongly denies the abuse of market power, saying that the lawsuit Epic filed with is an “attack” on a business model that benefits developers as well as consumers. Apple has protected the App Store as an essential part of its business. Last week, an Apple lawyer argued that allowing users to install software from outside the App Store, like Android, creates a security risk and that Apple doesn’t want to be Android.
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