Since the launch of the App Store in 2018, Apple has never stopped investing in and developing industry-leading technologies to protect users. Today, the App Store is at the forefront of app distribution and has set the gold standards for security and reliability.
From 2020 to 2023, Apple has successfully prevented a combined total of over $7 billion in potential fraudulent transactions, including more than $1.8 billion in 2023 alone. Apple has also successfully blocked over 14 million stolen credit cards and over 3.3 million accounts from transacting again.
Here are 4 key takeaways from Apple’s fourth annual fraud prevention analysis released today.
1. Account Fraud
As much as no one wants to admit, most of us have fallen prey to fraud one way or another. Apple has robust systems to root out fraudulent customer & developer accounts effectively to prevent fraudulent activities from being carried out. In 2023, Apple terminated close to 118,000 developer accounts, a decrease from 428,000 terminations in 2022 – thanks to the continued improvements to prevent the creation of potentially fraudulent accounts.
In 2023 alone, Apple successfully deterred 153 million fraudulent customer account creations and deactivated almost 374 million accounts for fraud and abuse. Apple’s continued commitment to trust and safety extends beyond the App Store, having detected and blocked more than 47,000 illegitimate apps on pirate storefronts over the past 12 months.
2. App Review
Over 500 experts from Apple’s App Review team evaluates every single app submission from developers globally, before any app reaches users. On average, the team reviews about 132,500 apps a week. In 2023, the team reviewed nearly 6.9 million app submissions, helping more than 192,000 developers publish their first app on the App Store.
App Review leverages automated processes in tandem with human review to detect potential fraudulent activity. In 2023, over 1.7 million app submissions were rejected for a myriad of reasons, including privacy violations and fraudulent activity.
App Review is diligent in investigating and taking action against apps reported as fraudulent or malicious through Apple’s Report a Problem tool. In 2023, App Review took action to prevent nearly 98,000 potentially fraudulent apps from reaching users on the App Store.
3. Ratings & Reviews
For users looking for their next app to download, and for developers to receive meaningful user feedback about their products, ratings & reviews are an essential resource. In 2023, Apple processed over 1.1 billion ratings and reviews, and removed almost 152 million fraudulent ratings and reviews from the App Store.
4. Payment and Credit Card Fraud
Apple takes credit card fraud extremely seriously and remains committed to protecting the App Store and its users. Almost 1 million apps use secure payment technologies such as Apple Pay and StoreKit to transact on the App Store. Apple has prevented more than $1.8 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2023 alone.
When consumers transact with Apple Pay, card information is never stored on Apple servers. These information are never shared with developers as well, eliminating another risk factor in the payment transaction process.
Apple has dedicated an advanced suite of tools and resources to ensure that the App Store is a safe and trusted place for both users and developers.
Hop over to Apple Newsroom to find out more.
