This disturbing image of a Chinese worker with close to 100 iPhones reveals how App Store rankings can be manipulated
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A disturbing image allegedly showing a worker manipulating App Store rankings has gone viral, giving us a rare glimpse into the world of fake app ratings and downloads.
The photo, which was originally uploaded to social media site Weibo with the caption "Hardworking App Store ranking manipulation employee," depicts a Chinese woman sitting in front of a panel of close to a hundred iPhones.
The woman is wearing a heavy coat and hiding a hand inside of a blanket while she works on the dozens of iPhones in front of her, suggesting cold working conditions.
If the woman in the photo is, as the caption suggests, manipulating the rankings of app on Apple's App Store, she is likely uninstalling and re-installing apps on each of the devices to bolster their download rank. While only Apple knows exactly what factors into an app's ranking on the App Store, the higher the number of overall downloads, the higher the app's ranking.
The photo offers a rare glimpse into the clandestine world of App Store manipulation, an issue which Apple has struggled to eradicate in the past. App developers looking to give their app a boost in ratings or ranking can turn to the internet to find services claiming to offer a guaranteed five-star ratings or even a week in the App Store's Top 10 for around $65,000 per week, according to Cult of Mac.
App developers looking to legally boost their rankings in the App Store have expressed frustration with rigged rankings in the past, and if the above images are indeed real, it looks like Apple will need to continue its preventative efforts.
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Steven Tweedie is a Deputy Executive Editor at Business Insider. He launched the Business News desk in early 2020 and helped grow it into the Trending and Tech News desk, a fast-paced reporting powerhouse that tackles the biggest business and tech stories of the day in an approachable way. He now oversees the Business News desk, Corporate team, and Weekend desk. He works out of the New York newsroom and helps train fellows and new hires at all experience levels in addition to his daily editing duties.He began his career covering app startups and gadgets on the Technology desk at BI. His past reporting and scoops have been cited or syndicated by publications including the WSJ, Associated Press, CNN, Bloomberg, The Guardian, and Forbes. He attended the University of Michigan, where he studied economics and writing, and now lives in Brooklyn.While passionate about editing and helping lead the newsroom's daily business coverage, he also puts on his reporting hat every now and then to chase down a scoop — so don't hesitate to reach out!Have a news tip? Email Steven from a non-work email at stweedie@businessinsider.comFollow him on X and Threads for the latest.Featured work:▲Leaked memo: Wayfair CEO tells employees to expect long hours 'blending work and life' (scoop) ▲ Magic Leap's CFO is stepping down after it was 'mutually decided' it was time for someone new (scoop)▲ 48 hours after raising $500 million, Magic Leap called the cops to say an employee had stolen $1 million (scoop)▲ A conversation with the father of virtual reality about the changing culture of Silicon Valley▲ The future of virtual reality is here▲ The first details on the executive shakeup planned for Yahoo once its deal with Verizon closes (scoop)▲ What it's like to log in to computers in North Korea, which run look-alike Mac software called 'Red Star 3.0'
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