The iOS App Store's Fake Pro Version Problem

Comparing a legitimate open-source project to a blatant $34.99 scam is a special kind of headache for developers. I’ve been managing a cross-platform desktop app for a while now—the kind that lives on Linux, macOS, and Windows—and we’ve always handled our own distribution through our official site to keep things clean. But the recent influx of messages from users who "bought" a pro version of my software on iOS has me questioning if the App Store has officially become a digital Wild West.

Here is the kicker: my app doesn't even have an iOS version (yet, anyway).

The scammers aren't just throwing random icons at the wall; they are being incredibly surgical. They scraped our exact icon, used our official name, and even slapped a (TM) symbol on it to provide that thin veneer of legitimacy. It has all the hallmarks of the modern AI-generated slop we see everywhere—low effort, high price, and likely just a shell designed to drain subscriptions from unsuspecting users. It's almost impressive if it weren't so frustrating.

I attempted to play the "correct" way by filing a trademark complaint through Apple’s official channels about a week ago, but the experience was a comedy of errors. The support loop feels entirely automated; it’s basically a system that takes your complaint and forwards it directly to the person running the scam (because that definitely makes sense, right?). It feels less like a professional dispute and more like screaming into a void.

I’m curious if other devs are seeing this trend of high-fidelity impersonation. Is Apple actually indifferent to these clones, or is there a specific channel that actually reaches a human being? I’d love to hear if anyone has found a way to navigate their reporting system that doesn't result in a dead end.

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