Article summary
- Apple in its guidelines for developers said it will no longer accept cloned apps on the App Store.
- The decision may have been prompted by the increase in the number of apps impersonating other apps, especially ChatGPT.
- Apple added that apps that contain ads must also include the ability for users to report inappropriate or age-inappropriate ads.
Apple has updated its developers’ guidelines with a strong warning that it will no longer accept cloned apps on the App Store.
This is coming as a response to the clamour for actions against several apps impersonating the popular AI tool, ChatGPT on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. According to Apple, impersonating an app is now considered a violation of the App Store’s rules.
Apple in the updated guidelines said that developers are no longer allowed to copy another app’s code or user interface or have a similar name to another popular app.
Come up with your own idea
While noting that contravening the updated guidelines will result in removal from the Apple Development Program, Apple said:
- “Submitting apps which impersonate other apps or services is considered a violation of the Developer Code of Conduct and may result in removal from the Apple Developer Program.
- “Come up with your own ideas. We know you have them, so make yours come to life. Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store, or make some minor changes to another app’s name or UI and pass it off as your own. In addition to risking an intellectual property infringement claim, it makes the App Store harder to navigate and just isn’t fair to your fellow developers.”
Apple added that apps that contain ads must also include the ability for users to report inappropriate or age-inappropriate ads even as it introduced new rules on subscriptions provided by carrier apps. For the latter, Apple said it must now approve any carrier apps that provide subscription bundles when customers purchase a new cellular plan.
The company also noted that apps with extensions must comply with the App Extension Programming Guide, the Safari App Extensions Guide, or the Safari Web Extensions documentation, and should include functionality, like help screens or settings where possible. Safari extension must also run on the current version of Safari.
Cloned ChatGPT
While app cloning had always been a major challenge, especially for apps that have become successful, it became more pronounced on both the App Store and Google Play Store with ChatGPT. Even at a time when ChatGPT was only available as a web application, several apps of the AI tool had flooded the app stores.
Cybersecurity company, Sophos, recently announced that it uncovered multiple apps masquerading as legitimate, ChatGPT-based chatbots to overcharge users and bring in thousands of dollars a month. Sophos disclosed that while OpenAI offers the basic functionality of ChatGPT to users for free online, the fake apps were charging anything from $10 a month to $70.00 a year.
