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Comment by post_break | Hacker News Reader

I used to love browsing the app store looking for cool apps. Now I can't even trust searching for the app by name because sometimes a completely different app shows up, and then there is the case of appstore ads. It's a joke.

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It's a bit unfair to state that you are the only option when it comes to ios apps, to then push ads on your captive customers and provide them with a lower quality of service. iPhone is a premium product, ads have always seemed to me to be a symbol of tacky seediness, a cheap alternative for the masses. It's not in line with Apples image. At least it shouldn't be.

The iPhone is certainly expensive, but it's a bit to abusive to its users to be called "premium."

Maybe if it had a self hosting dev environment like macs do but certainly not the way it is now.

Not adding ads to a platform was the whole basis of "A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool? A billion dollars is cool."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5fJmkv02is&t=93s

This is another way to extract money from developers -- you have to purchase the search ad for your own app in order to show up first when someone searches for the exact name of your app. Not only does this cost feel a bit silly, it can also be substantial. From the blog's author, Marco Arment, who develops Overcast: https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/1392089383864393728/p...

CPT (cost for a single tap): $2.18

CPA (cost for a single download): $53.43

Would fewer restrictions on publishing apps that pretend to be other apps somehow improve the situation?

Trust is supposed to be one of the things the AppStore provides, which is used as an argument against third-party stores. But since Apple is failing so miserably in this regard it’s not a good argument.

I agree that Apple is nowhere near restrictive enough with what makes it into the App Store, which is an argument that they ought to be more restrictive.

Which is an argument for why they should either be regulated or be forced to introduce competition since otherwise there is no incentive for them to fix these issues.

They should start by being more restrictive with the problems they’ve created for themselves, like ads in search, fake reviews, and editorial recommendations for the worst-of-the-worst adware.

It would be better than outright lying to their customers by saying that they are protecting them, yes.

I’m not in favor of them lying to their customers by saying that they are protecting them, but I’m in favor of them resolving the discrepancy by protecting their customers rather than by retracting their claim.

It's hard to call it a "discrepancy" when imposter apps are the standard, not the exception.

That’s what “discrepancy” means.

That's because Apple introduced their own targeted ads, which you don't need to opt-in to (since there is no opt-out). See more below:

https://searchads.apple.com/advanced/

Totally agree. I'm using your phone, your app store and download APP which leads me paying 30% to you, and you show me Ads for more money?!

I recently released an app with one word purposely misspelt (the first word has a z at the end instead of an s). Even if you type in the full app name it still appears as the 5th search result.

At least the App Store ads are completely contextual.

Not for long. The search page by default shows one non-contextual app above their ranked list of apps you might like.

Also, these ads along with ones in News and Stocks are targeted ads based on a user targeting profile from your data. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27261273

Personalized ads can be disabled in Settings -> Privacy -> Apple ads.

So Apple pushes others to be Opt-in meanwhile they are Opt-out?

The Apple ad setting is about personalized ads, not tracking.

> App Tracking Transparency allows you to choose whether an app can track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites for the purposes of advertising or sharing with data brokers.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212025

Apple does not track you across other companies' apps and websites so I don't see how this is related. Facebook can still do personalized ads even if you click on "ask app not to track".

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