[webber27]

I was dismayed to check BB World and see that 2 of the top 8 paid apps are "App for Instagram ($2)" and "App for Snapchat ($1)." The former is a glorified viewer, and the latter's description is, literally, "informations for snapchat that you need, this app have all." You must be kidding. And clearly many people are downloading these.

It's unacceptable that apps like this (and there are so many more) exist. For starters, they are scams, plain and simple, and that should be reason enough to not approve them. But it's awful from BB's point of view too. Most BB users aren't regular CB readers, they don't know which apps exist and which don't for BB. I can only imagine how many get a new phone, and the first thing they do is to download their favourite apps, some are legit but then they also throw money at "App for Snapchat", "App for Candycrush" etc. Once they realize what they spent money on they are going to hate BlackBerry and you can bet they'll never be back.

Meanwhile, an app like iGrann is not even in the top free apps section anymore. Such a bloody shame. Not that it's BB's job in particular to promote iGrann, but at least when new users search for "Instagram" it would help if the legit Instagram client came up and not this other BS. Seriously, is there any administrative control at all regarding what gets approved for BlackBerry World? Something really needs to change.

[the_igg]

Thank you. I feel the exact same way about this nonsense. The root of this problem is the damn app generator. It's so effed up. Never liked it from the beginning. Hate it even more now. This is what happens when people are encouraged to submit RSS feeds to become 'apps'... It's so dumb.Please remove the app generator and clean up all this App for XXX stuff. I don't mind a lower number of apps in BB World. As long as dung like these are weeded out.

[Cynycl]

They will let anything in to the appworld. Look at all the handster crap and SB44 crap they allowed in to artifically boost the app count.

It is obvious that their policy on apps is the more crap the better. Not like they are going to stuff the shelves with built for BB apps anyway.

[MrGlenn]

Agreed, but would like to point out the majority off those 'fake', 'scamming' apps have already been removed. Or at least I find much less of them now (I was just looking for some examples after reading the Whine topic).

So maybe they actually changed their approval policy a little because of 10.2.1?

BlackBerry 10 signed.

[webber27]

They will let anything in to the appworld. Look at all the handster crap and SB44 crap they allowed in to artifically boost the app count.

It is obvious that their policy on apps is the more crap the better. Not like they are going to stuff the shelves with built for BB apps anyway.

Having a bunch of extra useless apps is one thing, I don't really care because no one will download them and there's no scamming involved. If BB wants to artificially boost their app count, it makes no difference to me.

But having these "app for x" ones is counterproductive even from an app count point of view. If new BB users start thinking "wow great, BB has a ton of apps but all the ones I want are scams" it's devastating for the platform. Drives me crazy.

[webber27]

Agreed, but would like to point out the majority off those 'fake', 'scamming' apps have already been removed. Or at least I find much less of them now (I was just looking for some examples after reading the Whine topic).

So maybe they actually changed their approval policy a little because of 10.2.1?

BlackBerry 10 signed.

Hope you are right. This fake "App for Snapchat" one that has me particularly irate was just released on Jan 19 2014 though, and it's currently #6 in "top paid apps". But to be fair to your point, that was before 10.2.1, so let's hope going forward you are correct.

[SirJes]

I gotta say I agree here.

Even though there probably still more useless apps in gplay when compared, I hate them all the same, I rather quality than quantity and I always have and will

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[MrGlenn]

I hope so too. My biggest irritation was App for Spotify. Which was in the top grossing list for several weeks, and was then even featured in the big advertising banner on the BBWorld main screen.
It was just an app with some news items.

I had a list of some of the dev teams behind those apps (it was just two or three major players). I can not find those anymore, so it is looking better.

I would like to add, do not be so hard on S4BB here. They have many, many apps sure, but at least most of them serve a purpose. They are not part of this issue.

BlackBerry 10 signed.

[alan510]

While I don't use Instagram, Spotify and other apps in this category, I completely agree with the need to monitor these 'fake' apps so I am with you all the way. However, I do find some of the S4BB apps to be quite useful. I wouldn't include that company in any blanket statement about poor apps.