iOS app 'bot farming' rampant on the App Store

News broke this week that many apps hold Top 25 chart positions on the Apple App Store thanks to the activity of paid ‘bot farms’.

As more and more developers and investigating tech journalists come forward to reveal the extent of this practice, one particular developer has claimed it used such a service without even realising, gaining between 30,000 and 50,000 US downloads in the process.

The anonymous developer spoke to Pocket Gamer and explained that although they didn’t know it was a scam at the time the results ‘spoke for themselves’.

‘We've been on the store almost since the beginning and our apps were downloaded in excess of 15 million times. We know how organic users behave, and it is very clear to us that those aren't real users at all,’ he added.

Since the extent of this scamming activity emerged, Apple has been quick to clamp down on it. The company has now issued a statement on its developer blog:

‘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.’

The so-called ‘bot farms’ approach developers of newly launched apps and games, promising ‘guaranteed’ Top 25 or Top 50 ranking positions for their apps for fees of around $5000. Downloads are then carried out automatically using pre-programmed bots.

Pocket Gamer’s anonymous tipster claimed some bot farmers are now offering top-up packages of 10,000 additional downloads for $2000 a pop.

Knowing it's easily to fabricate a review means App Store reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt. Knowing it can be done via the use of bots only worsens the issue, especially if it makes it even harder for certain developers, who frown on the practice, to compete.