One of the ways to check if an app is legitimate and how good it is is to check the ratings and reviews. However, it seems that checking the ratings may no longer be a good way to gauge how good an app is. This is because there seems to be a flaw, at least with iOS apps, that allows developers to create apps that refuse to open until a 5-star rating has been given.
This was discovered by developer Kosta Eleftheriou, who in the past has been actively uncovering some of the flaws and issues with Apple’s App Store. In the video below, you can see that the app refuses to function until a 5-star rating has been given, and according to Eleftheriou, this is extremely easy for any developer to pull off, which means that it could have a negative impact on the trust people have placed on App Store reviews and ratings.
https://twitter.com/keleftheriou/status/1397288720357679104
Of course, we imagine that most developers will probably not go down this route in order to maintain their reputation and also to prevent themselves from having their apps or accounts banned, but for scammers who are trying to get people to watch ads or click on links, they probably wouldn’t care too much about that.
We’re not sure if Apple is aware of this issue now that it has been made public, but hopefully they will now do something about it.