Apple and Google get rid of puns

Apple and Google get rid of puns

Wordle versions paid for free concept.

Every once in a while, Google and Apple clean up their app stores. Mostly it is because there are security threats in the software, but this time the reason is different. Apple Insider Reports indicate that both players have removed a number of copies of Wordle.

Word It was originally created by developer Josh Wardle. Wardle’s plan was that it would be a free game with no earnings model or commercials. But it works as a web app, which is basically not available as an app for iPhone or Android mobile phones. Thus, the way was opened for a number of copies that dominated the search results on the two platforms.

Among these copies, some also paid for the “service” – some as much as $30 per month, or 260 kroner.

One reason for the arrests appears to be that the man behind one of Wordle’s copies, Zack Shaked, boasted on Twitter of the amount of activity his app had received on the App Store, such as Kotaku wrote about it.

Its application is the same as the game, but with the possibility of different word lengths, and a subscription that allows users to play an unlimited number of times. “We’re on our way to the moon,” he wrote in a Twitter message less than a day ago.

A few hours later, on Wednesday morning, Zack Shakked wonders if it’s appropriate for Apple to remove apps without appealing. He also notes that he and his attorney believe that the app they relied on was also a copy of another app.

The developer also notes a screenshot of the incitement he received after media coverage and is receiving support from many in the comment threads on Twitter.

Copying of similar concepts and names has been a common problem with software for many years. Even programs designed to copy other people’s intellectual property have been exposed – a well-known warning has been µTorrent’s long-running warning that you should not pay for a BitTorrent client, and should instead download it for free through official sites.

In all app stores – including the App Store and Google Play, but also smaller, less durable ones, such as the Bada Store and the App Store on Windows Phone, copying of apps was common. It may seem as if when simple concepts become a hit the big hordes of copies come, like when Flappy Bird took over the world for a short time nearly ten years ago – and app stores were filled with copies of the game’s concept.

If you’ve read about an app that you want to download, it’s often a trick to find out more online before you download. For example, feel free to find out the name of the developer of the app, and verify it in the App Store.

Also check that it’s graphically similar, and that it matches the description – if, say, it’s free to use. If you are in doubt as to whether it is necessary, you should not subscribe or provide information to an application.

Checking your app history in the App Store can give you what you need as well. If someone told you about the app you want to download several months ago, it’s unlikely that it was released in version 1 a few days ago, for example.

It can be helpful to have direct links to the application in question from the websites and newspapers you write about, but you also need to be aware that not all places on the Internet are well intentioned, and that some articles may contain links to more suspicious applications or content. .