Behind the Code: Unveiling the Dark Side of App Development
Tags: android, androiddev, google, productivity
Published: 2024-04-20 05:10:00

Hi, Developers. 

Today I am going to describe the fraud relating to  individual developers and how to fight it, along with my own experience and actual evidence. If you are releasing an app or service, you need to know this. And this is not found in textbooks or sites that show you how to. This may come as a shock to developers who are trying hard to increase the number of users after releasing their apps. Please be sure to read to the end.

-   [How Fraud Affects You](#how-fraud-affects-you)
-   [Fraud perpetrated](#fraud-perpetrated)
-   [What you should check](#what-you-should-check)
-   [What to do if you discover fraud](#what-to-do-if-you-discover-fraud)
-   [What to do about fraud](#what-to-do-about-fraud)
    - [Make an accusation](#make-an-accusation)
- [My real experience](#my-real-experience)
    - [Findings](#findings)
    - [Pointing out](#pointing-out)
    - [What happened as a result](#what-happend-as-a-result)
    - [Accusation](#accusation)
    - [If I had not been able to take appropriate action](#if-i-had-not-been-able-to-take-appropriate-action)
    - [Why did I write the article about the evidence](#why-did-i-write-the-article-about-the-evidence)

- [Differences between my app and his app](#differences-between-my-app-and-his-app)
- [Appreciation](#appreciation)



## How Fraud Affects You
Have you ever released an app and then had trouble getting people to download it? I was troubled. It doesn't matter if the app is well made or not, if people don't know about the app in the first place, you won't even get a chance to get someone to use and evaluate it. This is why advertising and other marketing is necessary. That is where fraud lurks.

You are trying to get people to rate your app and promote it by word of mouth so that your app will be of interest to many people. How would you feel if a developer who makes an app very similar to yours easily outperforms you without even trying by cheating? This would be very upsetting. And it also robs you of the results you could have had with your efforts.

## Fraud perpetrated
It is spoofing. Have you seen users of competing apps and services posting on the web about how great their apps are? You need to make sure that it is　indeed a correct write-up. It could be a　developer writing under the　guise of a user. Of course, it could also be a real post. To avoid
having your results taken away from you, you need to carefully　identify them.

## What you should check
What should I check to make sure there is no fraud going on? The first thing to look for is the identity of the person who made the post. Take a close look at the account information. Check the history of other posts on the account, the content and time of the posts, the date and time the account was created, etc. Check to see if there are any suspicious. Posting habits, copy and paste traces, etc. may also be helpful.　There may be　evidence of fraud.

## What to do if you discover fraud
If you find evidence of fraud, be sure to document it. This is always necessary. It is very likely that the wrongdoer will try to destroy the evidence.

## What to do about fraud
### Make an accusation
First, file a formal complaint about the problem. If it is a specific　community, file a complaint against the community's support. If it is an app for a specific platform, file a complaint against the platform's support. At this time, be sure to report it along with your evidence. It is also effective to make a post on a social networking site or blog. This blog also falls under this response. However, it is important to keep the facts straight at this point. Be meticulous in your description.

## My real experience
### Findings
Here is what actually happened to me. I am developing an app to "easily" meet Google's closed testing requirement of 20 testers for new developers. I found the problem while working on getting the app known. Two threads with the same title had similar comments about a same app. They said they had great results using the app. One of the comments posed as a regular user, but when I looked it up, it was clearly from the app's　developer.

### Pointing out
I pointed out the posts. I also told them that it is unacceptable for　a developer who makes apps for developers to cheat other developers,
and asked them to respond in good faith.

### What happened as a result
* Rewriting of account information
  - Change of name
  - Deletion of past postings
* Another user's posts saying that the contents of the posts are true
* Restriction of posts from my account

Here are the actual contents

* [Writing the Trigger](https://megalodon.jp/2024-0411-2101-58/https://community.flutterflow.io:443/ask-the-community/post/how-can-i-get-20-testers-for-14-days-for-my-app-OSiPGbS6HLIwszD)
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/f04x0nu5vpnygkyukpur.png)

* [Before](https://megalodon.jp/2024-0411-2108-01/https://community.flutterflow.io:443/member/J9xFPuoyg1)
* [After](https://megalodon.jp/2024-0419-0009-47/https://community.flutterflow.io:443/member/J9xFPuoyg1)
![evidence of the developer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/7jwhwgnw63qmb86auarn.png)
![evidence of the developer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/17dth9gincejk4mk8ucc.png)
　　　　　↓
![he changed name and delete post history](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/yv7hcs1m9miwyei1bw8s.png)

[My point.](https://megalodon.jp/2024-0419-0110-29/https://community.flutterflow.io:443/discussions/post/how-can-i-get-20-testers-for-14-days-for-my-app-vIx2LLw2muHowWV)
![I pointed him](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/iwsqxy2l14zqpiky144s.png)




There was no sincerity in his actions.　I was　disappointed in　him(them?) who rewrote his account information and acted as if nothing　had happened. When I tried to reply to him, I noticed that my posts　were restricted. I don't know what else he has done to be this　dishonest. With that in mind, I decided to fight.

### Accusation
Fortunately I had already taken evidence as stated. I was able to　report what was happening to the official support. I don't know if　that was the reason, but I then received a reply. However, there was no mention of him lying about his identity.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/lscyo2jkro7i6l1i2rze.png)

It is [18.Apri](https://megalodon.jp/2024-0418-2139-44/https://community.flutterflow.io:443/ask-the-community/post/how-can-i-get-20-testers-for-14-days-for-my-app-OSiPGbS6HLIwszD). He described as if he had originally left comments as a developer.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gcuypjnlzor0ztn0i2k5.png)
This is a very dishonest response. He may not have known I had evidence. They don't explain their lies and encourage me to try out their app. I have no plans to check. The problem is that he lied, and his policy allows him to act as if it never　happened. 

## If I had not been able to take appropriate action
My point would have been ignored.　It's easy to imagine what someone would do if he changed his name and deleted their posts.　He would continue to get the results they take for granted　without any effort. And I would have to work very hard to achieve similar results. But fortunately, I had you are reading this article. I could tell you the facts.


### Why did I write the article about the evidence
One is of course for myself. I was angry at the dishonest response and　could not forgive it. But that is not the only reason. This is not just my problem, but one that affects all developers. When bad developers routinely profit from fraudulent activities, it is the developers who are dealing with the situation in good faith who will
suffer the loss. I'd rather not waste my energy on these accusations and focus on developing the app. However, I don't want there to be other developers who might feel as　frustrated as I did. I wanted good developers who didn't realize they were being exploited to know the reality. I wrote this article because I believe that in　order for many people to know about this issue. It is necessary to base it on facts and make them aware that it is an issue that is close to your hearts.

## Differences between my app and his app
My [app](https://zmsoft.org/apps-info/androiddeveloperspayforward) and his app are very similar in that I can gather testers for free by doing the test myself. In his comments, he emphasized that he was able to get testers and complete the test within 24 hours or 48 hours. On the other hand, my app takes a little longer.　I would say it's "easy" to get testers for my app. It does not claim to gather testers in a "short period of time". Why is that? First, My application is only to help mutual assistance. As it is a mutual aid, I cannot promise a time. Please consider it as one way to find a tester.
Secondaly, the reason is that now is the time to make efforts to gain trust in my app. If each developer needs 20 testers as a mutual　aid mechanism, then the number of apps that developer must test is 20.　This is absolute unless the number of new app developers continues to　grow. And no developer (even if I were a user) would naturally not　want to be asked to test 20 people using an app that is not trustworthy. 

Therefore, with the goal of building trust, I'm reducing the number of tests required for registration so that people can first determine if the system is usable. Of course it takes time.

If there is a way to reduce the number of tests required of developers and still have a viable mechanism, I would like to know how to do it. If there is a mutual subsidy mechanism that can guarantee time until testers are assembled, I would like to know it.

I would like to create an app that is as open and trusted as possible. Thank you for your support.

## Appreciation
Thank you for taking the time to read this article to the end. If you　are interested in learning more about the injustices that developers　have to fight, please take a look at the following [article](https://dev.to/zmsoft/the-dark-side-of-app-development-that-individual-developers-absolutely-need-to-know-dont-lose-to-fraud--421l)
based on my own experience. If you have had similar difficulties or　have any thoughts on this issue, I would be very encouraged if you　could comment.