Apple is out with yet another press release today in which it attempted to defend its strict (and oftentimes controversial) App Store policies. According to Apple, the App Store stopped “nearly $1.5 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2021.” Apple said this was made possible by a combination of App Store review, strict in-app payment requirements, and more.

App Store fraud

Apple said that these anti fraud efforts make the App Store “the safest place to find and download apps.” The company explained:

Other notable statistics:

In 2021, Apple protected customers from nearly $1.5 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions, and stopped over 1.6 million risky and vulnerable apps and app updates from defrauding users.

Apple’s efforts to prevent and reduce fraud on the App Store require continuous monitoring and vigilance across multiple teams. From App Review to Discovery Fraud, Apple’s ongoing commitment to protect users from fraudulent app activity demonstrates once again why independent, respected security experts have said the App Store is the safest place to find and download apps.

  • The App Review team rejected more than 34,500 apps for containing hidden or undocumented features
  • 157,000 apps were rejected because they were found to be spam, copycats, or misleading to users
  • 343,000 apps were rejected for requesting more user data than necessary or mishandling data they already collected
  • Apple systematically detected and blocked over 94 million reviews and over 170 million ratings from publication for failing to meet moderation standards
  • An additional 610,000 reviews were also removed after publication based on customer concerns
  • Apple found and blocked over 63,500 illegitimate apps on pirate storefronts
  • More than 3.3 million stolen cards were prevented from being used to make potentially fraudulent purchases
  • More than 118 million attempted account creations were rejected in 2021 because they displayed patterns consistent with fraudulent and abusive activity

Apple’s full press release can be found here. Apple’s latest App Store study comes amid continued regulatory and antitrust scrutiny. Other recent studies by Apple have focused on things like the popularity of third-party apps, the economic impact of the App Store, and the benefits of App Store Search Ads.