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Apple is facing calls to beef up enforcement against fake reviews and rating scams after a developer took to social media to shine a light on unfair practices hes forced to compete with as a result of fraudulent activity on the App Store not being rooted out by the tech giant.

Kosta Eleftheriou, one of the founders of the Fleksy keyboard app (who was acquihired by Pinterest in 2016), has since March 2018 been applying his expertise in autocorrect algorithms to make typing on the Apple Watchs tiny screen not only possible but simple, enjoyable and highly effective, as Forbes reviewer put it.

His app, FlickType, has also been described by app reviewers as astonishingly accurate, a fundamentally better keyboard and way faster than the letter-by-letter scribble method Apple supports natively.

User reviews also include a large amount of glowing five-star ratings. The overall rating from users currently is 3.5 because a number of lower scores have pulled down the average. But if you take the time to dig in the developer can be seen responding consistently and constructively to issues being raised by users who leave lower scores.

Sometimes complaints are related to Watch platform issues outside his control (as Apple limits how third party text input can be accessed). Missing features are another common issue and in many responses Eleftheriou responds by saying hes added the setting the person was after (such as the ability to disable Auto-Correction) or highlighting a brand new look & feel to make typing even easier. Other times he thanks users for raising bugs that he says have now been fixed.

Anyone reading how specifically each complaint is addressed would be confident the developer of FlickType is working hard to make sure the app meets customers expectations. Even though the overall rating means other Watch keyboard apps are rated higher overall.

The problem for Eleftheriou is all his genuine hard work is being undercut by copycat app makers who are able to leverage weak App Store enforcement to profit unfairly and at his expense.

The scam goes like this: A bunch of Watch keyboard apps are published that purport to have the same slick features as FlickType but instead lock users into paying eye-wateringly high subscription fees for what is, at best, a pale imitation.

You might expect quality to float to the top of the App Store but the trick is sustained by the clones being accompanied by scores of fake reviews/ratings which crowd out any genuine crowdsourced assessment of whats being sold.

Fake reviews outnumber the real deal. Its only if you take the time to read through the comments that alarm bells might start ringing

Wish I read the reviews before buying. I cant even get it to work on my watch, runs a one-star review of WatchKey, one of the rival apps Eleftheriou has complained about which nonetheless has a higher overall rating than his app owing to also having a very large proportion of five-star reviews.

We are so sorry for any inconvenienced caused. Please kindly email us to describe more about your scenario so that we can support you as soon as possible, is WatchKeys generic response to the one-star review.

Terrible, writes another one-star reviewer. I bought this app to use T9 on my watch. I havent been able to get T9 to work on my watch, Ive also reached out to the customer service email thats listed on the app. But I havent gotten a response, I would advise to find a different app.

WatchKeys response to another abysmal verdict on its software? More platitudes: Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, we havent received your email yet. Please kindly email us once more via support@vulcanlabs.co to describe more your scenario so we can support you as soon as possible.

The pattern repeats across negative reviews. Even one of the five star reviews warns: You need to pay if you want to use the T9. They make you write a review to unlock and then they ask for a payment.

One component of the manipulation involves posting generic platitudes to do the bare minimum required by Apple to manage (genuine) negative reviews. The other is flooding listings with fake five star reviews to ensure the apps overall rating remains high. Step 3: Profit.

Eleftherious Twitter thread highlights some of what he says are hundreds of fake five star reviews which are being used to drive Watch owners toward downloading the malicious clones using wording that refers to non-existent features or references things youd be doing on other types of devices (suggesting the text may have been cut and pasted from genuine reviews elsewhere).

A quick Google search for buy ios reviews returns a staggering 643M results including ads for companies touting app reviews, installs and ratings [as] the best way to improve the rank of your apps at Appstore and Google Play and selling high quality iOS app reviews with ratings for $2.5 from 100% Real Users.

Clearly selling fake reviews is a booming business which in turn speaks to the woeful lack of effective enforcement.

In an extra fake kicker, Eleftheriou found that one of the scammy competitors had even ripped off his own app promo video which was demoing the features offered by FlickType and used it in ads targeting app consumers on Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook does have policies against third-party infringement (under section 4 of its prohibited content policy) but you might as well whistle for pro-active enforcement from the adtech giant. It only acts when it gets a complaint of infringement so preventing abuse of his marketing materials would require Eleftheriou to spend even more of his time hunting for and reporting the malicious ads ripping off his stuff. (I did report and Facebook did eventually take it down. But I knew this was not going to be any sort of lasting relief, he confirms.)

Of course the really big kicker here is that Apples rules for developers clearly stipulate that submitting fraudulent reviews is a violation of the developer program licence agreement.

Its App Store review guidelines also warn that developers who attempt to cheat the system (such as by manipulating ratings) may only have their apps removed from the App Store and could be expelled from Apples developer program entirely.

So to put it politely its not a good look for Apple that an indie developer with proven expertise and reputation is having to spend so much resource fighting App Store scams because its own enforcement has failed to stamp them out. To the point where he feels the only path forward is to resort to a public call out on social media to highlight systematic enforcement failures.

Eleftheriou tells TechCrunch he decided to raise the complaint on social media after what he describes as simply depressing results from engaging with Apples official app dispute channel.

They put you in contact with the other developer in question, and oversee the thread while they hope you will resolve the issue with the other party directly, he explains. The scammers I complained about in that dispute werent even the bigger scammers I mention in my Twitter thread. Yet, the complaint I had with them barely got addressed, and there was no response from Apple whatsoever on the issue of the fake ratings and reviews. Simply a if we dont hear back from you very soon we consider the matter resolved. We even reached out to Apple privately after that but got no response.

What was most impressive to me, was that in the presence of the Apple legal team, the scammers did not feel threatened one bit almost as if they know Apple is unlikely to do anything, he adds. In my view, Apple simply does not devote enough resources on this area.

Since raising the issue on Twitter, Eleftheriou has reported a partial win in that some of the apps he had complained about have been taken down from the App Store. (At the time of writing Apple has not made any public statement confirming any action.)

However the developer accounts do not appear to have been banned at this time. Its astounding that even pulling a scam like that, doesnt get your developer account revoked! Eleftheriou told us. I mean if that didnt do it, what would??

We reached out to Apple about this issue and it provided some background information related to its developer policies which forbid attempts to cheat the system (such as by trying to trick the review process, steal user data, copy another developers work, or manipulate ratings or App Store discovery), among other relevant provisions.

We also asked Apple if its considering any policy changes in light of the issues raised by Eleftheriou and will update this post with any response.

The main issue in my view is not the cloning here. I didnt even care that they were using my name, or made their screenshots similar to mine etc. If only there was a system to better prevent fake ratings and reviews, none if this would matter, Eleftheriou also told us. People would be able to collectively protect themselves through their 1-star votes but when that system is allowed to get rigged, everything else goes out the window.

The promise of ratings and reviews you can trust does not exist any more which erodes consumer trust at an ever accelerating pace, he adds. I did a Google search to see what those companies look like, if you want to buy ratings and reviews. These are proper, full blown companies, with support systems, and claims that their ratings wont get deleted by Apple, unlike their competitors. It was shocking to see that this is an industry that is thriving.

The issue of fake reviews certainly goes far beyond Apples App Store. And is a very insidious one.

Fake reviews are pretty much a universal experience across the Internet whether youre trying to buy stuff on Amazon, looking at places to visit on Tripadvisor or trying to find a local dentist with the help of reviews on Google Maps (in short; dont) given how many platforms now incorporate user reviews.

But the issue does look especially toxic for Apple.

A core part of the USP for its App Store is the claim that Apples review process sums to a higher quality, more trustworthy experience than alternative marketplaces that arent so carefully overseen.

So a failure to do more to enforce against review scams and rating manipulations risks taking a lot more shine off Apples brand than Cupertino should be comfortable with.

Simply put: Consumers expect a higher standard from Apple. Thats why theyre willing to pay a premium for its products. Under-resourcing App Store review and enforcement thus looks like a false economy not least because it risks driving quality developers like Eleftheriou away.

If a developer with so much pedigree cant reliably sell his wares on the App Store what does that say about Apples premium marketplace?

The issue is also likely to be increasingly on the radar of consumer watchdogs and regulators in the coming years. The European Union, for example, is planning to bake binding transparency and reporting requirements into incoming platform regulations as it seeks to promote fairness and accountability in digital businesses.

While an EU Omnibus Directive that came into force at the start of last year with a two year deadline for Member States to transpose it aims to beef up consumer rights through enhanced enforcement and transparency requirements including directly addressing the issue of fake reviews by placing an obligation on traders to take reasonable and proportionate steps to ensure reviews are genuine, among other measures.

In the EU platforms will soon start being required to justify their enforcement failures vis-a-vis fake reviews. And if they cant, well, the regime includes tough GDPR-level fines for breaches of consumer protection law. So the costs wont only be reputational, as currently.

The UKs Competition and Markets Authority, meanwhile, has also been cracking down on the trade in fake reviews specifically targeting Facebook, Instagram and eBay in recent years. Further attention to the issue from UK oversight bodies, which are now operating independently of the EU, also seems likely.

Continued here:
Apple urged to root out rating scams as developer highlights ugly cost of enforcement failure - TechCrunch

Smartphone displays have grown much bigger in recent years to cater to our growing appetite for consuming media. However, the software running on most of these phones still isn't optimized for one-handed use. One of the best things about Android is that issues like this can easily be addressed by third-party apps. Niagara Launcher aims to make your phone's homescreen more convenient, and after four years of development and a two-year beta, it's launching for real.

The launcher centers around a minimalist homescreen that gives you access to all the apps on your phone without the clutter associated with app drawers. This is done by using an alphabetical sidebar with all of your apps just a single swipe away. What makes it easy to use with one hand is that it can be triggered from the bottom half of the display, on either side. However, if you're used to gesture-based navigation on the phone, you may end up triggering the back action this will take some time to get used to. Also, I'd personally love it if I could swipe through the list of apps and open one without lifting my finger.

If you want to double-up on minimalism, you can also choose to hide the alphabetical sidebar.

The launcher allows you to select several favorite apps (eight is the recommended number) that will sit on the homescreen at all times. But, it will also append your frequently-used apps at the bottom of the list. You can also enable swipe up to search to type the name of the app you want to open Sesame integration is available too.

What Niagara does well is that it doesn't sacrifice functionality at the cost of minimalism. The calendar widget at the top neatly shows the weather, and tapping on it reveals a card that exhibits the forecast and your calendar items (with your permission). Similarly, the homescreen also has a media widget that displays when media is playing. As far as widgets are concerned, you can currently only place one. If you're used to adding multiple widgets to your homescreen, you won't be able to do so natively with Niagara.

You can also opt for a floating Google Search button. I'd personally prefer a search bar, though.

Notifications from your favorite apps can also be embedded on the homescreen, and not only can you see rich previews but also reply without having to open the app. All of this works rather well from my testing.

But what about folders? Well, they don't exist in their traditional form. With a little inspiration from Action Launcher, Niagara allows apps to be bundled behind a favorite app on the homescreen. These apps can be accessed by a simple right swipe on the app they're hidden behind. For instance, I've hidden all my games behind Stack Dash (it's so addictive!). These same swipes also reveal app shortcuts.

My favorite feature by far is Music apps. Once you identify the music apps on your phone, the launcher automatically pushes them at the top of the list when you connect your phone to an audio source over Bluetooth. This is a thoughtful implementation and works perfectly.

That's probably as far as the primary functions go, but there's more to the launcher in terms of customization. It includes the basics you'd expect from any homescreen app the ability to change icon packs, edit icon shape and size, as well as a choice of font. There's also an option to set the theme and text color based on the current wallpaper. If you're a tinkerer, you should know that you can tweak things like hiding the status bar or the alphabet sidebar too.

Niagara Launcher is free to install and if you're not in the mood to shell out money, it's free to use too it won't throw ads at you. But like most other apps, Niagara's developers have put some of its better features behind a paywall. These features include the neat inbuilt calendar and weather widget, Sesame integration, a few customization options, and swipe actions, among others. However, these won't be all. The developers have made it clear they will release further Pro features apparently a new one every week this winter. There's a Github page that gives you a quick look at what's to come.

If you're interested in paying for Niagara Pro, you can opt for a one-time fee or a subscription plan. The latter, for early birds, is set at $4/4/80 a year after a two-month free trial. These prices will be hiked up to $6/6/100 a year shortly thereafter. The one-time payment will set you back $10.99/10.99/220.

Definitely. Niagara Launcher is a purpose-built launcher that doesn't leave functionality in its bid for minimalism. It may not be as customizable as something like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher, but this is just the start. If you're looking to rejig your homescreen experience, I'd recommend that you give it a try. I'm going to continue using it and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next. It isn't perfect just yet, but it's hella promising.

View post:
Hands-on: The minimalist Niagara Launcher is officially out of beta - Android Police

Think the world has enough streaming services? Think again, chump! Discovery, the owner of HGTV, Food Network, TLC, and of course, Shark Week, is entering the streaming wars today. We've got all the details on this new Discovery+ service, including what to expect and where to find it.

Discovery+ launched today on pretty much every platform you can think of. Learning from Quibi's mistakes, it has a functional web edition at launch so you can watch on Windows, Mac, and Chrome OS. The service works with many TVs thanks to compatibility with Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Roku, and newer Samsung smart TVs. Heck, you can even access it on several Xbox gaming consoles. And of course, we've got Android and iOS mobile apps that support Airplay and Chromecasting.

The streaming service is priced at $4.99/month with ads and $6.99 if you prefer to pay a little more to remove them. The lineup includes shows from HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Animal Planet, and more, along with stuff made just for Discovery+ like a new House Hunters series, a travel/food show from Bobby Flay, and a brand-new series from Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame.

If you want to check out everything the latest streaming service offers, head to discoveryplus.com or download the app from the Play Store. There's a one-week free trial so you can watch all the good stuff and then cancel test it out for yourself and see if it's worth it for you.

Continued here:
Discovery's new streaming service launches today and here's where you'll find it - Android Police

More than 200 staff at Google's parent company Alphabet have formed a union in a rare move for a Silicon Valley tech company.

The Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) announced its formation on Monday after a year of running off-radar.

All Alphabet employees across the US and Canada will be able to join the union,including contractors and temporary staff, making it the first union of its kind at the company.

The union says it isn't organized around a list of demands or specific issues, but instead aims to promote inclusive working conditions and ensure Alphabet acts ethically in the best interests of society and the environment.

The union is also pushing for more transparency from Alphabet on what employees' work is used for, and said that workers should be allowed to decline to work on projects that don't align with their individual values. That comes amid internal outcry over Google's work with the US military, and concerns over the ethics of artificial intelligence.

"We need to know the impact of our work, whether it's on Alphabet workers, our communities, or the world," AWU said.

The union will collect dues from members, equivalent to 1% of their total compensation. The union will have paid organizing staff and an elected board of directors.

Unions in the US are typically formed after an election by the National Labor Relations Board. But the Alphabet Workers Union is forming without this federal ratification, meaning it won't have collective bargaining rights.

Read more: After a Twitter thread exposed the mistreatment of Black employees at Google, I ended my company's partnership to connect HBCU students with the tech giant. Here's why we decided to pull the plug.

The union is part of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1400, and all AWU members will be CWA Local 1400 members. Local 1400 will take on AWU's legal responsibilities, process dues, and handle its bank accounts and membership records.

AWU noted that though it has "significant influence" within Local 1400, ithopes to ultimately become its own Local separate from 1400.

"This union builds upon years of courageous organizing by Google workers," Nicki Anselmo, program manager at Google, said in a statement, describing how staff have "seen first-hand that Alphabet responds when we act collectively."

"Our new union provides a sustainable structure to ensure that our shared values as Alphabet employees are respected even after the headlines fade," she added.

Alphabet software engineer Dylan Baker called the union's formation "historic," noting that it is "the first union at a major tech company by and for all tech workers."

On its website, AWU describes growing unrest among workers.

Alphabet has more than 120,000 workers globally, butAWU notedthat half of Google workers are hired as temps, vendors, or contractors, meaning they don't have access to the benefits offered to full-time employees.

Despite this, "executives have been awarded tens of millions of dollars in exit packages after documented sexual harassment against fellow Googlers," AWU said. In October 2018, CEO Sundar Pichai said 48 employees were fired for sexual harassment in just two years. The New York Times reported in 2018, to public outcry, that Google had handed Android creator Andy Rubin a $90 million exit package after a sexual harassment investigation. Days later, almost 17,000 Google employees went on strike.

Internal tensions over the Alphabet's work with the US government have also spilled into public view. The firm had won a contract with the defense department on Project Maven, a drone warfare project, triggering months of protests among employees. The firm said in 2018 it would not renew the contract, which was taken over by tech firm Palantir.

"And the company has taken on unethical government contracts, like drone targeting for the military, yet kept the nature of that technology secret even to the Googlers working on those projects," the AWU said.

AWU also noted how Google had removed its previous motto "Don't Be Evil" from its mission statement.

The union also referred to Dr. Timnit Gebru, the leading artificial intelligence researcher fired by Google in December. The incident left staff "seriously pissed," Google employees previously told Insider.

"Workers who have organized to stop these trends have been met by intimidation, suppression, and blatantly illegal firings," AWU said. "Instead of listening to workers, Google hired IRI, a notorious anti-union firm, to suppress their organizing. This is how Google's executives have chosen to interact with workers."

In December, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint alleging Google illegally spied on employee activists, fired them, and blocked workers from organizing.

"We've always worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace for our workforce," Kara Silverstein, Google's director of people operations, told Insider.

"Of course our employees have protected labor rights that we support. But as we've always done, we'll continue engaging directly with all our employees."

More:
Google, Alphabet workers form union after years of unrest - Business Insider - Business Insider

Haven, the joint healthcare venture between Amazon, JPMorgan, and Berkshire Hathaway, is shutting down.

The company told employees on Monday that it would disband by the end of next month, CNBC reported. Brooke Thurston, a spokesperson for Haven, confirmed the news to Business Insider in an email.

Haven was announced in January 2018 with a cryptic press release about solving the embarrassing cost of healthcare in the US. The three giants would form an independent company "free from profit-making incentives and constraints," it said. Using their combined resources, Havenwould come up with tech-savvy answers to healthcare problems, bringing down cost and giving member employees access to great care.

Dr. Atul Gawande, healthcare rockstar and author of "Being Mortal," was hired as Haven's CEO the following June. In the months that followed, Gawande still wasn't sure what he wanted Haven to do, saying months later at the 2018 New Yorker festival that perhaps the company would focus on middle class employees who didn't qualify for federal assistance, but couldn't afford commercial insurance.

It took another year before Haven, which wasn't named until 2019, got its first test project off the ground. That short-lived effort was ultimately defunded, which Gawande told employees was thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. During Haven's short tenure, it also faced lawsuits from rivals, lost top leadership, and ultimately couldn't settle on a direction, showing once again thathealthcare in the US is a network of problems that is difficult to solve.

The industry had high expectations for Haven.

Stocks of healthcare companies plummeted on the day JPMorgan, Berkshire Hathaway, and Amazon announced the joint venture in 2018, as investors feared that the massive employers would have success in reducing the $3.8 trillion the country spends on healthcare each year, more than 20% of which is waste, estimates indicate.

Haven, however, never came up with an answer as complicated as the problems it was trying to solve for employees based all around the country in a range of different jobs from warehouse workers to Wall Street bankers.

"Haven's founders tested the hypothesis that innovation in healthcare can be adopted at scale, and on the same pace, across different local and regional environments in the US," Tom Cassels, president of Rock Health, told Business Insider on Monday.

"It turns out that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to what individual employers want to stand behind and what their employees personally value," he said.

In a statement, Haven's Thurston said that the three companies would continue to work together loosely in pursuit of their individual ideas, depending on what makes sense for their employee populations.

When Haven was announced, Warren Buffet said that the "ballooning costs of healthcare act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy" in a statement. The new company was supposed to do something about that with technology, and not many other details were provided in 2018 or since.

That might've been Haven's first blunder. It was formed without a clear mandate and promised an abundance of resources, but good will from the founding companies soon burnt out.

Read more: Amazon wants to build a medical care empire. Here's what that means for Haven, Amazon's joint venture with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway that set out to fix healthcare.

Gawande, who was passionate about primary care, led the company towards its first big pilot. Codenamed "Starfield," Haven stood up an app that would connect employees to a dedicated primary care team, as The Information's Paris Martineau reported in July 2020.

Starfield, launched in November 2019, was expensive to build and similar to other telehealth apps, which embarrassed employees and bothered executives at the founding companies, The Information reported. But ultimately it's downfall was two-fold: an intense culture of secrecy, per that report, and an unfriendly relationship with Amazon, Business Insider found.

When it came time to roll out the app to JPMorgan Chase employees based near Columbus, Ohio, Haven didn't widely market the service because executives were wary of leaks to journalists. As a result, there was little engagement. Just two months prior, Amazon added to Haven's difficulties with the public launchof its own primary care service, Amazon Care.

Amazon Care connects eligible Amazon employees to home visits, remote care, and prescription delivery. Just like Haven, it's tech-friendly and works with a mobile app that's built around preventive care. The thinking is that better access to care on the front-end should limit pricey emergency room and urgent care visits.

Haven employees were shocked when they learned about Amazon Care through news reports in September 2019, according to The Information. But Amazon was working on the program long before Haven came along, two people close to Amazon told Business Insider.

"No one at Amazon was happy about Haven because it was a shot across the bow from Bezos that the internal team wasn't doing its job to control costs," a person familiar with the matter said. "Hence, everything Haven brought them was dead on arrival."

Soon after Starfield's launch, Haven began to lose funding, according to The Information.

Read more: Amazon wants to provide medical care to workers at major companies. Here's an inside look at Amazon Care.

In its short life, Haven lost a number of top leaders.

Jack Stoddard, Haven's chief operating officer, left in June 2019. Stoddard now serves as executive chairman of Eden Health, a startup focused on primary care.

Read more: A former top exec at the JPMorgan-Amazon-Berkshire Hathaway healthcare venture shares the 3 reasons he joined a primary-care startup as executive chairman

There was a score of layoffs in the beginning of 2020, followed by the shuttering of Starfield in April, The Information reported. In May, Gawande left his post as CEO. Serkan Kutan, Haven's chief technology officer, left in August 2020 for telehealth company Amwell, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Gawande became chairman of Haven's board and said his departure from the CEO role would allow him to focus on the coronavirus pandemic.

"This will elevate my focus from daily management to supporting Haven's strategy, board, and leadership. It will also enable me to devote time to policy and activities addressing the immediate and long-term threats to health and health systems from COVID-19," Gawande said in a statement at the time.

Since, Haven wasn't able to find a new CEO with fresh ideas or recruit top notch executives after the exodus that summer and spring.

The company told Business Insider that it shifted its focus away from primary care, without providing further details, in December. Mitch Betses, a longtime CVS Health executive, was brought on in March as chief operating officer, and took over Gawande's responsibilities when he left in May.

Some thought that Haven, under Betses' leadership, might turn to the too-high cost of prescription drugs for its founding companies. Instead, the upstart never recovered from a failed primary care project that divided leadership and ran head-first into Amazon's ambitions.

Read the rest here:
3 reasons why Haven, Amazon's joint healthcare venture with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway, was doomed from the start - Business Insider