7 million iPhone users urged to remove these 84 scammy apps charging them quietly

Apple has a tight grip over which apps iPhone owners can use. iOS users can only download apps from the App Store. The company also charges a 30 percent commission on apps and in-app purchases from developers. Despite these measures – which many believe are unfair – that have seemingly been designed to keep users safe, many fraudulent apps are still there on Apple’s official applications store. 

Apple refuses to do anything about a good number of fraudulent apps

According to VPN reviews site Vpncheck, Apple has done nothing about the majority of 133 fraudulent apps that Avast found in March 2021. As of that time, they had been downloaded 500 million times and brought in revenue of $365 million.

15 months later, 84 of those apps are still present on the App Store. These apps are called fleeceware and have been designed to dupe you out of money. So while there is nothing malicious in their code and they don’t steal your data, they are still quite dangerous because they come with hidden excessive fees and charges.

According to Vpncheck’s estimate, they scam users out of $100 million annually. The apps have been downloaded 7.2 million times and generate revenue of $8.6 million every month.

It’s not that hard to identify apps like these. Most of them are entertainment apps such as virtual musical tools or utilities like flashlights and calculators. They can also be lurking beneath fortune-telling, photo or video filters or editors, volume boosters, quiz-based games, or wallpapers. Another tell-tale sign is a flood of paid 5-star reviews posted with bogus reviewer names to hide genuine lower-rated reviews.

These apps lure users with a free trial period even though it’s normally easy to find a free alternative. They come with hidden costs and may charge you multiple times or charge a higher amount at checkout. On top of that, they have been designed such that it’s very hard to unsubscribe from their services, so they may continue billing you even after you uninstall them. Also, be wary of false advertisements that claim the app has been recommended by Apple. 

If you have downloaded any of the 84 apps and are unable to unsubscribe, it’s best to ask your bank to stop processing any payment requests made by them.

Here are there names:

1. Frames – Picture Collage Maker 
2. Facelab – Face Editor & Beauty 
3. TeasEar: ASMR Slime Antistress
4. Nebula: Horoscope & Astrology 
5. Astroline: The Daily Horoscope
6. FLMX – Video Editor 
7. Stickerfy: Sticker Maker 
8. Pixomatic – Background eraser 
9. SpeedPro Slow speed video edit 
10. Music Zen – Relaxing Sounds 
11. Sticker Maker – BeSticky 
12. Photo To Sketch – Drawing book 
13. Mood Balance: Self Care Tracker
14. Presets for Lightroom – Vidl 
15. Jigsaw Puzzle – Brain Games 
16. Lift: Story Maker 
17. Dazzle – Insta stories editor 
18. Baby Sticker- Track Milestones 
19. Life Palmistry – AI Palm & Tag 
20. Photoly Remove Object & Editor 
21. Facetory: Face Yoga & Exercise 
22. VOCHI Video Effects Editor
23. Lucky Life – Future Seer 
24. Dazz Cam- D3D Photo Effect 
25. Beat.ly Music Video Maker
26. UltraFX – Effect Video Maker 
27. Girl Games: Unicorn Slime 
28. Impresso – Insta Story Editor 
29. PDF Scanner: Document Scan 
30. Dizzi – Photo & Video Effects
31. Hyper Cleaner: Clean Phone 
32. Highlight Story Cover Maker!
33. Cartoons Me – Photo Art Editor
34. Sweet Pics – Baby Photo Edito 
35. Slimy: Anxiety Relief Slime 3D 
36. Frame – Slideshow Video Maker 
37. Auto Sticker Maker Studio 
38. iCons – Icon Changer App + 
39. ToonApp Cartoon Photo Editor 
40. MagicFX – Magic Video Effects 
41. Horoscope 2019 and Palm Reader 
42. Handset – Second Phone Number 
43. SlidePic – Slideshow Maker 
44. Astro+ Horoscope & Astrology 
45. FaceMe－Fun Personality Tests
46. Widget PLUS+ – Photo & Weather 
47. aipic – Magic Photo Editor
48. Path – Horoscope & Astrology 
49. Photo Collage – Collageable 
50. Hub – Story Templates Maker 
51. iWidget Pro : Custom widgets
52. Video Puzzles – Magic Puzzle
53. Menu Maker! 
54. edjing Mix – dj
55. Guitar – Chords, Tabs & Games 
56. Piano – Lessons & Tiles Games 
57. WeDrum: Drums, Real Drum Games 
58. Metronome – Tap Tempo & Rhythm 
59. Guitar Tuner – Ukulele & Bass 
60. Guitar – real games & lessons 
61. Drums: Play Beats & Drum Games 
62. Beat maker pro – DJ Drum Pad 
63. Karaoke Songs – Voice Singing 
64. Piano Crush – Keyboard Games
65. edjing Pro – music remix maker
66. DJ it! – Music Mixer Pad 
67. Jambl: DJ Band & Beat Maker 
68. Guitar Play – Games & Songs
69. Memoristo: Brain Test, IQ Game
70. Loop Maker Pro – Music Maker 
71. Metronome Pro – Beat & Tempo 
72. Equalizer+ HD music player 
73. Bass Booster Volume Power Amp 
74. Equalizer Fx: Bass Booster App 
75. ScanGuru: PDF Document Scanner 
76. Drink Water ∙ Daily Reminder
77. Password Manager – Lock Apps 
78. Live Wallpaper Maker: 4K Theme 
79. RECOLLECT: Color by Number 
80. Avatar Maker Character Creator 
81. Translator Guru: Voice & Text 
82. Ringtones HD ∙ Ringtone Maker 
83. Scanner App ∙ Scan & Sign PDF 
84. Translate Camera – Speak On 

So, why is not Apple removing these apps from the App Store? 

Given how easy it is to spot these apps, it appears that Apple cares more about its 30 percent cut, search ads business, and App Store profitability than protecting users from scammy apps, or so thinks Vpncheck.

Source: phonearena.com