Apple dishes out a warning to developers who play the app ranking system
You know, as successful as app stores, markets, and worlds have become, I still think they're among the worst places to purchase content. There are pointless reviews and ratings along with reviews and ratings that are paid for by the developer. Plus, there are usually a bunch of garbage apps that somehow make their way to the top apps.
I always thought that, regardless of the operating system I was using, it was a little fishy that those apps would actually be downloaded and ranked high enough to be so prominently displayed. But now, we know why that happened, and Apple isn't happy about it.
It seems that there are companies to which developers can pay money (of sometimes upwards of $5000!) and get their apps in the top rankings. These companies use bots to download that app enough times to be featured, and then stop downloading it when it gets to the top, because by then it has enough momentum to be downloaded by actual humans.
Here's what Apple had to say:
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. Get helpful tips and resources on marketing your apps the right way from the App Store Resource Center.
This is just one app store, though. I really hope Google and Microsoft will take the same approach. I'm pretty sick of seeing BEST GAME EVER!!!1 – PUZZLE GAME FOR THE GODS in front of great games and apps when, in reality, it sucks.
[Apple Developer]
