Thread by @keleftheriou

The App Store has a big problem👇

You: an honest developer, working hard to improve your IAP conversions.
Your competitor: a $2M/year scam running rampant.

1/🧵

Over the years, I've worked incredibly hard to create what I think is the best Apple Watch keyboard app in the world. When I started, I had two goals:

1. Make it possible to type on a watch at a reasonable speed
2. Stay ahead of any competition that might pop up

While I believe I achieved my first goal and even became a top paid app of 2020, I ultimately failed to stay ahead of the competition - but not for reasons I anticipated.

Just a few months ago, I was *way* ahead of my competition. By the time they figured out just how hard autocorrect algorithms were, I was already rolling out the *swipe* version of my keyboard, quickly approaching iPhone typing speeds. So how did they beat me?🤔

First, they made an app that appeared to fulfill the promise of a watch keyboard - but was practically unusable. Then, they started heavily advertising on FB & Instagram, using my own promo video, of my own app, with my actual name on it:

But wait, you say. People will see it doesn't work well & not give any money - surely! Well, this is the first screen you get upon launching the app: zero explanation, no close button, no price. Tap to "unlock", and you're now 1 step away from confirming a $416/year subscription.

But wait, you say. People will eventually see through all this, rate the app badly since it costs an obscene amount of money and doesn't even work well, so the scam will soon be dead in its tracks. That's why apps have ratings, surely! Right?

Then their glowing 5-star reviews start rolling in:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Very happy with it has control alt delete what's your two of my favorite Keys even though they don't work" says user Munim Flynn, delighted to be able to invoke the Windows task manager on their Apple Watch. Huh?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Great easy to read, very customisable with a full 5-row keyboard in landscape. The arrow keys are really helpful in terminal emulators" writes Ceclia Bock, who often turns her watch into landscape mode to do some terminal emulator work.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"This keyboard exceeded my expectations drastically. Not only does it offer portrait and landscape options, but it offers a calculator, different layouts, multiple languages, various themes" raves Jennabel Snodgrass, who just loves all these non-existent features.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Pretty good, though any keyboard is going to be tricky on a 3.5 inch phone. This keyboard is very good indeed. Move up to 5*" writes Amada Daugherty, who regularly uses this watch keyboard app on their 3.5 inch original iPhone.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Very good experience.after trying s couple of keyboards ,google one,swift keyboard,this one was the one i enjoyed most." writes Billy Nuttet, who first tried some iPhone keyboards on their Apple Watch before discovering this rare gem.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"I really like the the keyboard. I just had to pay attention at first because I kept hitting the period instead of the spacebar." writes Phyliss Quezada, but also Chimaijem Escalante who coincidentally uses the *exact same phrasing*.

Fake ratings, and fake reviews. These quickly push the scams to the top of search results, leaving honest & hard-working developers in the dust. An old problem that's not easy to solve, but one that's at the core of why App Store app discovery is so problematic.

There are hundreds of these. And then, there's hundreds of *real* ones too:
⭐️
"SCAM. What shady business. Downloaded this app on concept. It doesn’t even work. There is no free version AT ALL. You are tricked into downloading and then asked to pay $7.99 per FREAKING WEEK. Wow."

These are just one of the many scammers I have to somehow deal with, and one out of the *many* scammers plaguing the App Store, stealing unsuspecting people's money every day - only because people have been led to believe they can trust app ratings and reviews.

And so, because scammers are willing to break the App Store rules and sink to unethical behavior I would never consider, it's impossible for me to compete with them😔

So please Apple, do something. I'm pretty close to giving up here. If you've been affected by something like this, or would just like to help me spread the word, please consider retweeting for visibility. Thank you.

The scammers: apps.apple.com/us/app/keywatc…

And some more scammers, who may or may not be owned by the same people. They share some of the exact same reviews:

apps.apple.com/us/app/type-ke…

apps.apple.com/us/app/text-wa…

More, I'm starting to lose track here: apps.apple.com/US/app/id14993…