The allowance money of thousands of kids has just gotten a little safer, thanks to a new rule put in place by Apple. In case you missed this bit of news last week, the App Store now locks in screenshots for apps once they’ve been approved, and new screenshots may only be approved when an updated binary is uploaded to Apple. This rule has been put in place to put an end to the common tactic of scam apps that try to pass themselves off as other, more popular apps. This scam is particularly popular with games, such as Minecraft or Halo 4.
Apple’s decision wasn’t universally popular, as this does add an extra delay and hurdle for developers. Many view this rule as just another way fraudsters and cybercriminals are making the Internet a little less pleasant for everyone. I can’t say I disagree, but don’t think any of us want to see people scammed – especially not kids. And realistically, this decision benefits Apple’s coffers as well, as they have given refunds for these scam-apps in the past. It’s probably not a huge amount of money to them either way, but it certainly boosts goodwill not to have this issue anymore.
