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Apple touts $2 billion in App Store fraud prevented last year amid rumors of third-party app stores on iPhone

Apple is out with a new press release today touting the success of the App Store’s ability to prevent fraud. According to the company, the App Store prevented more than $2 billion in “potentially fraudulent transactions” in 2022, terminated 428,000 developer accounts for fraud, and more.

Here are the headlining stats from Apple’s press release today:

  • 428,000 developer accounts terminated for potentially fraudulent activity
  • 105,000 fraudulent developer account creations blocked
  • 282 million fraudulent customer accounts were deactivated; 198 million attempted fraudulent new accounts were blocked before they could even be created
  • Protected users from nearly 57,000 untrustworthy apps from illegitimate storefronts
  • Nearly 400,000 app submissions rejected for privacy violations
  • Over 153,000 app submissions rejected for spam, copycats, or misleading users
  • Nearly 29,000 app submissions rejected for containing hidden or undocumented features
  • Nearly 1.7 million app submissions were rejected from the App Store for various reasons, including concerns related to fraud and privacy
  • Nearly 3.9 million stolen credit cards blocked from being used
  • 714,000 accounts banned from transacting again

Throughout today’s press release, Apple explains that its various protection measures, including App Store review, are what helped it prevent this $2 billion in fraudulent transactions. The company also points to its “Report a Problem” tool as a way it is able to take immediate action to investigate and remove fraudulent and malicious apps.

Over the years, Apple has introduced various measures to support an ecosystem that benefits both users and developers. As a result, the App Store has become a vibrant and innovative platform that attracts over 650 million average weekly visitors worldwide, while providing more than 36 million registered Apple developers with a global distribution platform that supports more than 195 local payment methods and 44 currencies.

Today, Apple announced that in 2022, the App Store prevented over $2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions, and rejected nearly 1.7 million app submissions for failing to meet the App Store’s high standards for privacy, security, and content.

Despite Apple’s efforts, there are still a number of scam and copycat apps that slip through the App Store cracks. In some cases, these apps reach the top of the App Store charts and generate millions in revenue before they are caught.

Apple’s press release, of course, comes as it continues to fight antitrust legislation around the world that would require it to open the iPhone up to third-party app stores and sideloading. For instance, Apple will reportedly open the iPhone to third-party app stores and side-loading in the European Union as part of iOS 17 this fall. This comes in response to the Digital Markets Act, which implements a number of new requirements on platform operators such as Apple.

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com