Cut-throat competition in app store has led to iPhone developers embracing pay to inflate services to push their apps in the top rankings. Many of the marketing firms offering such services employ automated scripts or bots to falsely boost app rankings in the app store. However, according to a report in theguardian, Apple has warned app developers against using such fraudulent services with the penalty of being stripped from releasing any app in the store in future. The iPhone maker has earlier barred iPad and iPhone app developers from using Tapjoy, which involved offering virtual currencies in one game in lieu of downloading another game.
In a note addressed to iPhone developers, the company said-
Once you build a great app, you want everyone to know about it. However, when you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership.
Yesterday, a thread posted on TouchArcade warned about pay to inflate app promotion services that promise Top 25 rankings for a fee. According to the thread, these services make use of automated scripts or bots to boost app rankings into the top charts.
Experts believe the current move will help Apple in making app store ranking more reliable and accurate. Many customers view these free rankings as a representation of the popularity of apps and make buying decisions. Such app users will greatly benefit from the recent guideline to iphone developers.
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