Researchers from the British company Sophos, working in the field of information security, found so-called "fleeceware" applications in the Apple App Store digital content store that charge users money after the end of the trial period. In total, apps in this category have been downloaded more than 3,5 million times.
The term "fleeceware" is relatively recent. It characterizes software that abuses the rules of digital content stores, which allow the publication of applications with a free trial period. Stores assume that users who install software with a free trial period must cancel the subscription themselves if they do not plan to continue using such a product. However, in most cases, they simply remove the applications, and the developers perceive such a step as unsubscribing and not charging them. But not everyone is doing so in good faith.
Last year, apps were found on the Play Store that ignored deletions and continued to charge subscription fees even when users deleted the app. It is noteworthy that at that time, the creators of such applications as a QR code reader or a calculator, the subscription to which reached $240 per month, launched this practice. In general, applications in this category have been downloaded from the Play Store over 600 million times.
In fact, applications of this kind are not malicious, since they do not violate the rules set by digital content stores. In addition, the deletion of the application should not necessarily be perceived by the developer as unsubscribing. A Sophos study last year found dozens of such apps on the Play Store, many of which have been blocked by Google. Now similar solutions have begun to appear in the App Store.
In total, the researchers found "fleeceware" categories, which are offered with a free trial period after which you are charged at least $30 per month. This amount may seem small to some, but if you consider it as a subscription fee for an unused application, requiring $ 360 per year, then the expenses no longer seem so insignificant.
Source: 3dnews.ru