Apple makes it easier for people to 'Report a Problem' in the App Store

News
By Oliver Haslam
published

App Store
App Store (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple has brought the 'Report a Problem' button back to the App Store.
  • People can more easily tell Apple when an app is a "scam or fraud."

After years of being missing, Apple has brought the 'Report a Problem' button back to the App Store, making it easier for people to report an app that is potentially scamming people or committing fraud.

The move was noticed by various people on Twitter, including developer Kosta Eleftheriou. It appears the change was made as part of the iOS 15 update.

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The button allows users to more easily report problematic apps, reducing the number of taps needed. At the time of writing it, only appears to be available on some free apps with in-app purchases, and even then only in the United States. I can only assume,e the same button will be coming to all apps and all App Stores in due course — but when that will be, isn't clear.

Apple regularly comes under pressure for the way it sometimes allows problem apps into the App Store while also putting up roadblocks that prevent legitimate apps from being released. This move is one that is most welcome and it could potentially see scams removed from the App Store more quickly than was previously possible. Before this change, people had to head out to a web browser, reauthenticate, and report the issue via Apple's website.

The move comes after Apple also began accepting App Store reviews and ratings for its own apps, a move that has seen a number of its apps receive poor scores. The Podcasts app, for example, is receiving some pretty damning reviews right now.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.