Even though some of the biggest iOS developers like Rovio are embracing piracy of its incredibly popular Angry Birds franchise, knockoffs like Misunderstood Pigs and Super Jump World by the NER Brothers may not be safe for long. The Guardian reported Apple today started to remove a number of notable fakes from the App Store, most of which are the work of one developer.
Anton Sinelnikov is the creator of Plants vs. Zombie, Angry Ninja Birds, Temple Jump, Tiny Birds, Zombie Air Highway, and Numbers With Friends. They are all clones of some of the most popular games from some of the biggest developers and publishers like Temple Run, Words With Friends, and PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies. The worst part is many people have been scammed out of money thinking they were buying the real thing. Fortunately Apple has finally stepped up and removed the app’s.
For a long time the App Store’s app approval review process for developers has come into question, despite most agreeing it does a much better job than Google’s more open non-review policy for the Android Market, which relies on users. The good news for gamers and developers is it appears Apple isn’t going to just let these games sit on the App Store, but it still brings up the question of whether they should be getting through the review process in the first place.
This isn’t the first time Apple has removed apps from the App Store, as TechCrunch noted in 2009 thousands from one developer were removed by Apple. But some of Anton’s games, like TempleJump, even reached the top of the top paid apps charts in the App Store, signalling it’s time for Apple to put a better method in place to prevent that from happening.
Google has just this week introduced a new service that aims to fight malware in the Android Market, something that has also impacted the marketplace thanks to its open policies. On the Google Mobile Blog, Google announced the service, codenamed “Bouncer”, that will scan both newly submitted apps and apps already on the Market, as well as developer’s accounts to proactively find malicious apps.
Craig Hunter – who has written 1178 posts on The Jace Hall Show.
Craig Hunter is a main contributor for the Jace Hall Show and has been an avid gamer for over 15 years. He also freelances for a number of websites and magazines covering mobile products and emerging technologies.

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