Fake Downloads Attempting to Take Down my App

Technically it is Apple's job to throttle and regulate download patterns like this via the store instead of punishing the developer, but I'm not a lawyer.

This happened to me the other day. Report it to Apple as fraud. It's a way to destroy your app by killing engagement etc. Here you can see the effect it had on my app.

I don’t work for App Store so I can’t offer specific advice here. However, they do have a fraud reporting mechanism. Start at the generic Apple > Developer > Contact Us page and follow Report a Concern > Report a fraud concern.

Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

This has been happening to most of my apps for a while but I never picked up on it. My Brain School app has had tonnes of zombie downloads too. Revenue overall has dropped 90%. I've been told Apple won't do anything and to go to the press but I just want to create apps and have a level playing field. For a couple of $1000 you can destroy each of your rivals. Meanwhile search ads is affected too and you will just get "you need to spend more money" responses from Apple Search Ads :( I've wasted a small fortune on them but my app is stuck at 24 below a 3 star app with a handful of ratings when it used to be #1. Apple actually benefit from the scam because you end up throwing a tonne of $$$ at search ads which will never work.

I just checked and this has happened at least 7 times to Chess in just 2 years.

I guess this can only happen to free apps, right?

They could target paid apps I guess, but it would be expensive.

Has anyone heard anything back from Apple? This is a $1,000,000,000 scam at the very least as developer's are throwing $$$ at Search Ads that will never work, not to mention lost ranking and revenue loss from that.

My app is called 'Chess.' and this is the response I got about the Search Ads not working:

"We recommend that you gradually adjust your max CPT bids and keywords, as these are the levers that can best help you to reach your performance goals. Assuming your app is relevant for the keyword, it’s possible that there are instances where you're being outbid by other advertisers interested in showing their ad for that same keyword. "

My keyword is 'chess' which I would say is a 99% match to an app name of 'Chess.', but I am buried presumably because of these attacks, and not because I don't spend enough on Search Ads.

it’s possible that there are instances where you're being outbid by other advertisers interested in showing their ad for that same keyword.

Yes, this.

I am buried presumably because of these attacks, and not because I don't spend enough on Search Ads.

You might be right, but don't rule out the possibility that other developers are just spending more than you.

In my experience for my apps, the recommended max bids for app store ads are always way above the profit that I could ever make from the sales. I attribute this to my competitors bidding more than they should for ads. I have maybe a dozen direct competitors (*) and there always seems to be one whose business model is to pay whatever it takes to get users even at a loss, with the idea that as a result their app will "go viral" and they will start to make a profit in the future. What actually happens is that they burn through their capital and go out of business. I guess you have a lot more competitors than I do; if there are 1000 people bidding for "chess", it only takes a couple to offer ridiculous bids and everyone else will be lost.

I don't know the solution to this; my advice to anyone with a new app idea would be that they need to have a well-researched and realistic marketing plan before they waste time creating an app that won't sell. (Maybe some developers have a "well-researched and realistic marketing plan" which involves fraudulently boosting their app's ratings and damaging their competitors' stats....)

(*) I say "competitors", but actually I think a lot of users end up buying several of the available apps. I don't think of these other apps as competitors in the traditional sense.

Just some points as I feel they make it clearer for everybody.

1. Please see the app above mine. It has 18 ratings. 3 stars overall. My search ads are showing. They will not work because my retention tells the algorithm that my game is not relevant to the keyword "chess" overall.

2. I spent a lot but am 24th for keyword "chess".

3. I have proof of attacks to kill the rank of my app.

4. My app is an exact match more or less for the keyword "Chess".

5. Even if I am outbid which I will be at times, the other app was abandoned 7 years ago.

6. My app made over $1M in the app store (not a huge amount but not tiny). It now makes next to nothing.

There is no way that the 3 star app with 18 ratings has spent over $10,000 and got 18 ratings.

It's broken 100%. Totally rigged. Total scam to tell me to spend more money to get above the 3 star app :)

If you have a new app idea it will either be copied within weeks (there are over 50 versions of my 'My Last Cigarette' app), it's ideas will be stolen to enhance another app, or it will be killed by a zombie app attack etc etc. Until the store is fixed it is insane to release a good new app idea.

Apple just reported back and said they are inestigating but that I won't hear anything further about it. What about my ruined app stats, my inability to effectively use search ads, and my app ranking? Unreal. Who would you contact in the press? I have all the screenshots and analytics of the damage :(

I just got targetted yet again. This time in South Africa.