作者：Rob LeFebvre

最近苹果采取了一系列措施去镇压App Store里的“骗子”，为了遏制开发商继续欺骗消费者去下载应用限制了他们的截图更新。

狡猾的开发商们总是能够事先创造出一款“无害的”应用，并在将其提交给苹果后改变截图，而体现出一款完全不同的游戏——特别是利用像《口袋妖怪》或《我的世界》等较引人注目的游戏而进行发行。

这时候，天真的买家们便会被这些虚假的截图所欺骗，并在购买了应用后发现里面的内容与广告上说的根本就不一样。

的确，近几年来许多“骗子”都使用了这种“诱导转向法”而欺骗了大量的用户。

最近的案例

pokemonyellow（from tongbu）

去年2月，一家骗人的发行商便将《口袋妖怪》推向了App Store，并在此取得了巨大的销量，从而引来许多人向苹果投诉，并希望能够从商店中撤下这款游戏。

另外一款使用了这种诱导转向法的应用便是《登月飞船》。

这款游戏之所以能够引起广大玩家的关注是因为使用了《我的世界》的截图去诱骗用户。尽管苹果偿还了这些用户，但仍有许多用户被这些骗人的应用所蛊惑，从而导致App Store的正统性受到了沉重的打击。

因此，苹果决定针对这些截图与应用提交去改变政策，并明确，“一旦应用通过审批，其截图将与iTunes Connect永远锁定在一起。”

同时苹果还规定“开发者只有在提交现有应用或新应用的二元更新内容时才能上传新截图。”

但是开发者们并未热情迎接这种新政策。

“担心”

一名开发者在一个全新网站YCombinator上说道：“这一新政策让我们感到担心。”

“因为少部分的骗子，整个开发社区都需要为此付出代价。说实话，这种政策只是在浪费所有人的时间罢了。”

另外一篇文章回复道：“从根本上来看，比起开发者的发展，苹果更乐意保护他们的用户。这对于开发者来说便会非常烦恼，尽管苹果的消费者会觉得这种措施非常有效。”

虽然开发者们也会到Pocket Gamer发泄他们的愤怒，但是说实话，这种做法将带来两种作用。

一石二鸟

首先，这能保证他们不会呈现任何虚假截图。

这能从一开始便保护好消费者的权益，确保应用在获得审批后，狡猾的开发者不能再欺骗玩家去购买他们的虚假应用。

其次，它保护了合法开发者的有效截图，他们需要确保自己的图像能够获得预先批准。

也许苹果规定开发者必须进行第二次二元更新才能改变截图的要求太过分，但是他们并不会在意这点，因为比起开发者者，苹果更加在乎消费者。

要求开发者必须经历第二次审批过程将会激怒许多人，但却能够帮助苹果保住自己高品质应用的声誉，尽管这么做较为自私，但是他们认为这对所有人都有好处，不管是开发者还是消费者。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Stateside: Apple will always put consumers ahead of developers…

by Rob LeFebvre

As you’ll have no doubt read on these pages, Apple has recently taken steps to clamp down on App Store scammers, restricting screenshot updates in a bid to stop unscrupulous devs tricking consumers into downloading their apps.

Essentially, dodgy developers have previously been able to create an innocuous, light on features apps, submitting them to Apple before switching the screenshots post-approval to reflect a completely different game – typically a high-interest release such as Pokemon or Minecraft.

Naive buyers, deceived by the bogus screenshots, would purchase these apps only to find that they were not even remotely close to as advertised.

Indeed, this ‘bait and switch’ method appears to have deceived consumers aplenty, with several scammers having served up bogus apps in recent years.

Recent history

In February of last year, one scam developer launched a ‘Pokemon Yellow’ app onto the App Store, selling enough copies to generate a volume of complaints large enough for Apple to pull the app from sale – something it doesn’t do all that regularly.

Another app that used this bait and switch approach was an outfit called Mooncraft.

As is popular, said developers used Minecraft screenshots to lure consumers in. While Apple reimbursed those consumers – and, indeed, others that have fallen foul of such scam apps – the legitimacy of the App Store is hurt by such practices.

Therefore, Apple made a change in its policies regarding screenshots and submitted apps, stating that app screenshots will be “locked in iTunes Connect once your app has been approved.”

Apple continued, “New screenshots may be uploaded when you submit a binary for an update to an existing app or a new app.”

Developers, however, did not embrace the move with open arms.

‘Worrying’

“This is very worrying,” posted one developer at news site YCombinator.

“Due to a small minority of scammers, the entire dev community is being made to pay…Essentially, this current implementation just wastes everyones time.”

Another poster replied, “Basically, Apple is more interested in protecting their customers than they are about making developer lives easier. As a developer, that’s annoying, as an Apple consumer the fact they’re taking steps to block scammers is a net positive.”

Developers also took to Pocket Gamer to vent their anger, but – ultimately – this move does two things for them.

Two birds, one stone

Firstly, it makes sure that they cannot switch out bogus screenshots.

This protects consumers from the initial practice, assuring that once an app has been approved, dodgy devs will not be able to fool them into purchasing their deceitful releases.

Secondly, it puts the onus of getting the correct screenshots ready on time on legitimate developers, who will need to make sure their images are the ones they want pre-approval.

A second binary update to change screenshots may seem like a bit much, but Apple seems more concerned with protecting its consumers, rather than making life easier for developers.

Forcing them to go through a second approval process will anger a few, but will ultimately will continue to protect Apple’s reputation as having a higher bar for quality apps, which – though self-serving – could be argued helps everyone, developer and consumer alike.(source:pocketgamer)