Apple's iOS App Store has a ton of recognizable games and software programs: Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja and so on. But there are a number of app creators to have decided to take a rather unscrupulous route and create apps with names and logo that are almost identical to more popular apps.
Now TechCrunch reports that Apple is apparently doing something about these app swatters. The company has removed a number of these programs from the iOS App Store. The apps had names like Tiny Birds, Plants vs. Zombie, Numbers with Friends, and Temple Jump.
A number of these now removed apps came from one person, Anton Sinelnikov. The Guardian reports that he is just one of many such app developers and development teams that have attempted to basically trick consumers into buying their products instead of the apps that the clones were clearly inspired by.
Apple's App Store guidelines state that if someone submits an app that is trying to "copy another developer's work" they will see the app removed from the App Store. While there's sometimes a fine line between an app being a copy or simply being inspired by a more well known app, there are certainly some apps that were designed and launched specifically to fool consumers.
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