It is undeniable that Apple’s App Store policy is very strict, however there are certain gaps in it. Scammers regularly publish fraudulent apps and extort money from users by taking advantage of these legal gaps and working around the restrictions. You have no choice but to let go of those questionable apps up until this point and wait for Apple to take them out of the App Store. But with the addition of a new Report a Problem button in the App Store in iOS 15, that has been improved. You may use your iPhone or iPad to directly report fraudulent programmes and scams in the Apple App Store. I’ll demonstrate how to flag questionable apps on your iOS device.
How to Report Scam Apps in App Store on iPhone and iPad (2021)
Let’s find out what distinguishes the new Report a Problem button from the previous reporting function before going through the step-by-step procedure. We’ll also go through when this feature will be available and how to make sure your iPhone has it turned on. So with that said, let’s get started.
What s the New Report a Problem Button in the App Store?
It’s important to note that the Report a Problem button in the App Store’s Games/Apps tab was previously hidden. When you tapped the button, the App Store website would open and provide you four choices.
- Request a refund
- Report suspicious activity
- Find My Content
- Report a quality issue
Since they didn’t provide a clear means to report a scam or bad software, I’ll be honest and say that these alternatives were only included to appease consumers and boost statistics. Even more frustrating, the Report Suspicious Activity option would send customers to Apple Support, which is a mild understatement.
Every free software with in-app purchases can now be reported directly through the Apple App Store. Notably, you also have distinct methods to report inappropriate, unlawful, and abusive content in addition to scams. It is a much better implementation from the user’s standpoint. I now ponder why Apple waited so long to implement such a clever change.
Is there any caution left? regrettably, absolutely. The Report a problem button is currently only accessible in the United States. This means that if you reside anywhere else in the world, you are unable to stop fraudulent apps. And yes, that is unfortunate given how frequently Apple’s advertising efforts use the word “security.” However, if you live outside of the US, there is a workaround that will allow you to test this functionality.
Report Scam App and Abusive Content on App Store
1. Open the App Store on your iOS 15 or iPad OS 15 device to begin going. Visit the app you wish to report and then scroll down to the information area. Next, select Report a Problem from the menu.
2. You will then be taken to Apple’s website (idmsa.apple.com), where you must sign in using your Apple ID and password in order to continue. Follow this method to reclaim access to your Apple ID if you have accidentally locked or disabled it.
3. After logging into your account, select What can we help you with from the drop-down option that appears. on your iPhone with the option to report the app.
4. As you can see in the example below, the drop-down menu will give you a variety of choices, including:
- Request a refund
- Report a quality issue
- Find my content
- Report a scam or fraud
- Report offensive, illegal, or abusive content
Select the next option that best suits your requirements by pressing Next. I’m going to select the fourth option, which enables you to report a scam or fraud, for the purposes of this guide.
5. Describe the problem and submit the report are the last steps. Apple will indicate that it will review the app and utilise your feedback to help improve the service after you have submitted the report. Please be aware that the Cupertino behemoth won’t contact you in response to your report. This means that all you can do is wait for the intended action to take place.
How to Get App Store s New Report a Problem Option Outside US
Although there is currently no confirmation on the rollout of this recently added feature outside of the US, you can access it right away via a long-standing hack. It needs you to either create a US Apple ID or change your App Store country/region to the US, as you may have already surmised. I’ll advise you to use the latter because it’s a more easier workaround.
In iOS 15, go to Settings -> your profile icon -> Media & Purchases -> View Account -> Country/Region to change the App Store country. Then click Change Country or Region and input a US postal address and phone number.
Open the App Store after changing your country, then go to the information page of a free app that also has in-app purchases. Check out the Report a Problem option after that. Restart your iPhone if it takes a while to appear.
Reasons Behind Apple s Failure to Stop Scam Apps in App Store
Without getting too technical, I’d like to mention that Google employs 20,000 content moderators, compared to Apple’s 500 human app reviewers. While Twitter has 2,200 content reviewers on staff and Facebook has 15,000 content moderators, both platforms monitor content.
Given the size of the App Store, Apple requires a larger staff of human app testers in order to stop widespread fraud. When increasing security and privacy is the top priority, App Store needs enhanced fraud protection. Why the Cupertino giant is acting so passively on this front is a mystery.
Report Fraud and Scam Apps on iPhone and iPad
So there you have it, a straightforward way to report scams and abusive apps in the iPhone’s Apple App Store. Although its effectiveness won’t be known for some time, I feel this feature to be more user-friendly than the prior one. Additionally, it would be fascinating to see whether Apple takes the reports seriously. What do you think of the new app reporting function, by the way? Do you think it’s more beneficial? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.