Apple boots app that called BS on fake Amazon reviews from App Store
That reality came crashing down hard Friday for an app designed to spot fake Amazon reviews, after Apple kicked it out of its App Store. Apple confirmed in a statement that it removed the app after Amazon reached out.
The news of Fakespot's outing was first reported by The Verge. We reached out to Apple, Amazon, and Fakespot to confirm the Verge's reporting.
An Apple spokesperson provided a statement, attributed to the company, which says Amazon kicked off the inter-company beef early in June. It also insists that Apple attempted to give both parties time to work things out.
"This was a dispute over intellectual property rights initiated by Amazon on June 8 and within hours we ensured both parties were in contact with one another, explaining the issue and steps for the developer to take to keep their app on the store and giving them ample time to resolve the issue," read the statement. "On June 29, we again reached out to Fakespot weeks before removing their app from the App Store."
"Apple are claiming that they gave us a notice that they are going to take us down, but these are all template emails that seem to be from a robot," he explained over the phone. "Anyone would be disappointed with this whole process, especially when your livelihood depends on it," he added.
