What are the charges against Apple
Eleftheriou accuses Apple of rejecting its originals FlickType Apple Watch keyboard app from the App Store. In contrast, the tech giant has approved of other competitors keyboard app use the integrated version of the FlickType keyboard to publish to the App Store, the lawsuit claims.
Furthermore, Apple also seems to have contradicted its claim that the FlickType keyboard provides a “poor user experience,” while the company’s app review team allows “similar technology when incorporated into the keyboard.” other apps like Nano for Reddit, Chirp for Twitter, WatchChat for WhatsApp and Lenses for InstagramThe lawsuit added.
The lawsuit also mentions that when his keyboard app was finally approved for the App Store, its initial success made it a target for scammers launching less rival apps. More usage is “driven by fake ratings and reviews”. This caused FlickType’s revenue to drop from $130,000 in its first month to just $20,000 as consumers began choosing “better rated” alternatives, the developer said.
According to the report, some developers are not only frustrated about having to pay Apple commissions on their sales (something Epic game sued) but also how the App Store model allows scammers to profit on the original works of legitimate developers.
The report notes that Eleftheriou is not only an app developer, he has also reported several major scams on the App Store, including – a crypto wallet app that tricked users into taking their savings both his lifetime (~$600,000); a kids game that contained a hidden online casino and a VPN app that defrauded users of $5 million a year, among others.
How Apple is trying to prevent App Store scams
In 2021, Apple reintroduced a “Report a problem” button on the App Store, allowing users to help the company fight fraudulent apps. Furthermore, Apple also updated its App Store Guidelines last year, which aims to end fraud and scams by removing scammers directly from the Apple Developer Program.
