Apple Tackles App Store Scams With New "Report a Problem" Button

Amid the growing App Store scams and negative publicity, Apple has restored the option to report suspicious apps.

How many times have you downloaded an app from the App Store only to regret it later? From malicious adware to demanding money for services they don't offer, scam apps have been haunting Apple users for a while now.

Previously, the App Store boasted a "Report a Problem" button for reporting scam apps which was removed years ago. Thankfully, as part of the new iOS 15 update, Apple has suddenly re-welcomed the much-needed and re-vamped "Report a Problem" button in the App Store.

But what pushed Apple to re-introduce this button and what has changed from the previous one? Let's find out where you can find this new button and what a regular Apple user can achieve by using this feature.

Is the New "Report a Problem" Button Any Different?

After being missing in action for many years, the Report a Problem button has suddenly re-appeared, as noticed by a developer and scam hunter Kosta Eleftheriou, as well as many others on Twitter.

But previously, this button was not available on individual app listings but was rather tucked at the bottom of the general App Store page.

Needless to say, the old setup was pretty cumbersome, as users had to scroll down to the bottom of the Apps or Games tab only to forage through multiple menus to finally report a problem—or get redirected to Apple Support.

Furthermore, it now provides a dedicated “Report a scam or fraud” option in the drop-down menu, making it easier to report issues than ever before.

The drop-down menu also includes other helpful options such as “Report suspicious activity,” “Report a quality issue”, “Request a refund”, or “Find my content”. These were not available previously.

Why Is the "Report a Problem" Button Back?

So what's the reason behind the curious re-appearance of this button? It seems like there is more than one reason behind this improvement.

A recent Washington Post article brought Apple under the limelight when it noted the flaws and scams that have been flooding the App Store.

Besides the numerous reports of scams, Apple also started noticing a surge in poor ratings and reviews after it started accepting App Store reviews for its own built-in iOS apps.

Also, the company recently settled a class-action lawsuit filed by developers that included several changes to its App Store policies.

For now, it seems like Apple has finally paid heed to the growing criticism and re-introduced the much-needed option. While it's uncertain how efficient Apple will be in responding to scams reported using this button, at least it's a step in the right direction for weeding out the risky services from the App Store.

Why Should You Use This Button?

While being more accessible, this button now includes a dropdown menu for more specific and targeted help.

By tapping the button, the users are transported to a dedicated site where they can choose to request a refund, find their content, report a quality issue, report offensive content, report a scam or fraud, and much more.

At the time of writing, it appears that the Report a Problem button is only available in the United States on some free apps with in-app purchases. However, per speculations, this button might be coming to all apps and all App Stores in the near future.

A Sigh of Relief Amid App Scams

Apple is always under scrutiny for not taking the right actions against preventing problematic and scam apps from entering the App Store. However, by bringing back the re-structured Report a Problem button, Apple has gained some credibility and made its system more secure.

One can only hope now that this button is here for the long haul and can resolve and remove problem apps quickly and more efficiently than was previously possible.

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