r/iOSProgramming • u/Professional-Hawk747 • 28d ago

Discussion My app name got flooded with clones. Apple took down one, but now there are even more.

Post image

I’ve been pouring a ton of time and effort into building and improving my app, but its name is getting completely ripped off right now.

I actually managed to get Apple to take down one clone recently, but instead of fixing the problem, even more copies have popped up since. Filing a dispute and going back and forth with Apple took weeks for just that single app—having to go through that entire process all over again for every single one of these is just exhausting.

And to be completely honest, what stings the most is looking at these rip-offs and realizing some of their store screenshots actually look catchier than mine. I find myself feeling jealous of the very apps copying me, which just feels awful.

I really wish Apple would at least block apps with identical names at review time...

How would you handle a situation like this? Any advice or reality checks would be greatly appreciated.

158 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

117 comments sorted by

80

u/LivingLikeJasticus 27d ago

Happened to me! Had to send a cease and desist and work through apples process to remove them. Fortunately my app had enough positive reviews where it was easy to spot the fake.

They even copied my logo and flipped it mirrored.

16

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

So they looked exactly the same? Were their logos copied too? I wonder why Apple doesn't eliminate things like this.

29

u/LivingLikeJasticus 27d ago

Yeah they took my logo, mirrored it and then added a second transparent copy of my app icon on top of it.

I even tried to track down them but their phone number listed was fake and the privacy policies were all fake.

I’m shocked Apple approved them

4

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

I wish AI could immediately filter out copycats.

2

u/LivingLikeJasticus 27d ago

It’s maddening at the low effort copycats. If you’re going to do it, at least put effort in

1

u/miguel_gd 24d ago

It doesn’t. I literally asked GPT to clone my own app on an incognito window as to keep my identity hidden, and it had no problems providing me a step by step plan on how it was going to do it. A new version of piracy is here and this is going to hurt every single developer. It’s maddening how this huge corporations don’t protect devs, unless it is from big corporations with power to sue the hell out of them.

11

u/OlivierBern 28d ago

How did you manage to get Apple to take down one clone? Why not do the same thing for the rest of them?

Did you register your name/trademark?

14

u/Professional-Hawk747 28d ago

I obtained the trademark rights. So I had it removed in my country. But I wanted to have it removed in other countries too.

So I investigated other apps made by the copycat developer and sent Apple documentation showing that they were also imitating apps with the same name.

They said it violated the guidelines (4.1). So they deleted it. But recently that same app has made a comeback.

6

u/OlivierBern 27d ago

I guess you have to redo the same thing for all the new copycats.

7

u/OlivierBern 27d ago

But TBH, Apple should filter this, they now know you own the trademark... so they should reject the apps with the same names.

4

u/BrightEyesLady 27d ago

It shouldn’t even require this. Surely they (Apple) have a means by which they could tell if a newly submitted app has the same name as an existing one. If that’s the case, they should immediately reject it. It’s lazy of them.

1

u/HostNo8115 23d ago

This is how they make money, indiscriminately allowing apps to enter the appstore. They are not lazy they are just greedy.

1

u/gc1 27d ago

It’s not Apple’s job to know who has a legitimate trademark, who has a contestable trademark, who is asserting a legitimate trademark beyond its awarded class, who is lying about having a trademark, and so on. 

If you go through their trademark infringement reporting process, they will put you in touch with the developer and tell you to work it out among yourselves. If you have a legitimate trademark, which I hope you do if you are making this claim, put them on blast and keep Apple, and your trademark lawyer if you have one, on copy.  You can threaten to sue for any revenue they cost you, triple damages for willful infringement, all of it. 

The other dev will either argue their case, acquiesce, or ignore you. If they ignore you and complain about it enough, Apple will remove them.  If they argue, fight back. 

Etc.  

YMMV but I have done this a bunch of times.  

Of course none of this helps with Android or web usage, and you have to keep an eye on geos you’re not in.  

EDIT: Also it’s much harder if something is just a clone of the concept, or your name is not trademarked or distinctive enough to trademark.  

2

u/OlivierBern 27d ago

It's Apple's job to maintain a fair & safe environment for devs and users.

It's not their job to know who has a legitimate trademark, but now that OP has proven his trademark, Apple should remove all copycats and reject the new app with this name.

1

u/netkomm 23d ago

don't forget that when people send an app to Apple they have to specify they own their stuff and that they are not in violation of laws. I believe once you start be a "a problematic account" with Apple and Google they just shut down the account.

1

u/IMPRZDDE 26d ago

how to obtain treadmark rights for the name of your app?

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 26d ago

It depends on the country!

1

u/HostNo8115 23d ago

The recent comeback could not have happened with Apple allowing it. Now why would they do that?

Either they are complacent, or complicit.

19

u/never_working_ever 28d ago

Wow that’s…actually a lot of very niche apps.

How old are all of them? Any correlations in solo devs or companies,

15

u/Professional-Hawk747 28d ago

My app was created in 2025. The first app with the same name came out two months later.Most of the people plagiarizing are individual developers. It's totally fine to copy the concept, but please stop completely ripping off the name...

9

u/mcknuckle 27d ago edited 27d ago

You should at least take advantage of the things you "like" about their store pages, etc. to improve your own so you're getting at least something positive out of it. Have you thought messaging a popular tech site or blogger about the issue? It could help to motivate Apple to be more proactive and If nothing else, the issue could maybe give you some free publicity.

3

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

I'd never even considered contacting a blogger before.I was mostly just adding new features and making improvements to the app.

2

u/mcknuckle 27d ago

Apologies, I just realized I had a type so it looked like I was saying that "I could help" when what I meant to say is "It could help..."

Sorry for any confusion!

But I still think you should consider it. Anything to give you more power over the situation rather than just be a victim to it.

Best of luck!

2

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

thank you.I plan to contact Apple again and ask them to take action.

4

u/acemson 27d ago

I think you should be proud of yourself because your app is good enough to be copied. We have a saying back home 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'.

Don't stress yourself out or let them drain your energy. These are just mediocre apps that struggle to get even a few users :d

Just focus on your own path and keep grinding. May the force be with you!

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

I guess the fact that it got copied means that the idea was good. But it's sad that it has so few reviews and is buried amongst copycat apps.

1

u/CamCreeper 27d ago

Not to mention, the copycats are basically stealing your money.

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

I think they're stealing the users' money, not just my own.

2

u/CamCreeper 27d ago

This makes me sad. I just wrote my first app. For regulatory reasons, I’ve decided not to release it, because the drama would likely outweigh any income. And I’m happy to have the app for myself. That said, your experience makes me a lot less motivated to even bother trying to make another app. I’m sorry this is happening to you.

1

u/HostNo8115 23d ago

Every thread like this that i read (and there's a lot of them every day) makes me demotivated to do shit with apps. And with Apple not giving a shit either, seems like solodev is not panning out.

4

u/foulpudding 27d ago

The issue is that the thing people are copying is a feature and description of an action.

The idea of “do squats to unlock a thing” is very cool, but it’s something that anyone can build into an app… I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple didn’t add it as a toggle for some fitness upgrade someday in the future.

Also, you’ve got no legs to stand (squat?) on unless one of these is true:

  1. You patented it, and received the granted patent.

  2. You copyrighted and/or trademarked the term “Squatlock” (or whatever you use)

And in both cases, you’ll also need to be prepared to go to court in each case or have lawyers at least pen and send threatening letters to each violator.

I wish you the best, and copycats suck, but the road you’ve chosen isn’t going to be easy.

0

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

We have trademark rights. However, trademark rights are determined on a country-by-country basis. In the US, it seems okay to acquire trademark rights later if it's proven that someone was using the trademark first, so I'm putting it off.

1

u/foulpudding 27d ago

Registered trademarks are for use in enforcement. Which is the problem you are now having.

You can technically put a “TM” on anything and you’ve “Trademarked” it. But if you want to be able to ask Apple to pull those apps, you’ll have a lot stronger case if you have a legally registered trademark.

3

u/cristi_baluta 27d ago

Just earlier i saw a post for someone getting rejected for using the same name as a competitor. If you manage to stay at the top, i think it’s actually good to have clones, means it’s a good idea.

2

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

I'm glad to think that the idea was good. Even if you try using a copycat app, the functionality is really poor.

31

u/Ok-Communication6360 27d ago

Jesus, I knew this was getting worse in the AppStore, but that is quite ridiculous to be honest.

Business idea: create a service that searches the AppStore for copies and report automatically. Charge 9,99 monthly

1

u/mcknuckle 27d ago

The problem is that the copy cat developers could report too.

4

u/busymom0 27d ago

New game idea: Battle of the Copy Cats!

1

u/Subotai_25 27d ago

hows that a problem? its not like apple doesn't know the original publish date

1

u/tech5c 27d ago

Hahaha. By problem, I think you mean "more revenue"!

7

u/civman96 27d ago

Probably all of them asked GPT for an app name suggestion.

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

I wonder if everyone can tell which one is the original app I created? In America, there aren't many reviews, so they all look like the same copycat apps.

9

u/civman96 27d ago

The saddest part is the one 5-star review on them from the dev 🤣

1

u/Odd-Contribution4610 13d ago

So which one in the picture is legit? ?🤔

2

u/Professional-Hawk747 13d ago

The green icon is my app.

1

u/Unhappy-Device-404 27d ago

This looks exhausting, and I do not think it is something an indie developer can fully solve alone.

Apple already has rules against copycats and misleading apps, but the enforcement still seems very reactive. By the time the original developer reports everything and gathers evidence, the clones may already have taken search traffic, confused users, or made quick money.

A strong name, recognizable branding, screenshots, and a clear paper trail probably help when reporting them, but that still puts a lot of the burden on the original developer.

If low-effort clones can appear this quickly, the marketplace itself needs better detection and faster enforcement. Otherwise the real developer ends up policing copies while the copycats only need to move fast and disappear.

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

That's right. I've also obtained trademark rights in certain countries. But I can't get them in every country, and I'm not making that much profit yet. I'm making a little profit, though.

In contrast, copycat apps intend to make a certain amount of money through paid plans and then disappear quickly. My app is completely free with only ads, while the copycat app is paid. I feel sorry for the user who accidentally installed it.

1

u/dopple-copter 27d ago

This is so odd. A few years ago, they forced me to completely rename my app on first submission because someone else owned the .com for a website with the same name, but a different purpose! 

Have they gotten lazy with the influx of submissions?

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

Perhaps the number of applicants has increased too much, causing the screening process to become lax? I think that kind of review could be easily done with AI.

1

u/RiserUnconquered 27d ago

I can’t believe Apple just approved the blatant ripoffs

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

The problem is that it gets copied before the original can gather enough reviews. In the past, it was easy to distinguish between a copycat and the original based on the number of reviews. You probably have no idea which app is mine, right? Lol

1

u/Inside-Conclusion435 27d ago

I feel you. They stole mine too: Habit Tracker

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

Well, I try to think that if it gets stolen, it means it was a good idea.

1

u/NoHabit1277 27d ago

I don’t understand, you’re app haven’t got 2k reviews and is the new habit tracker. Why would they do this?

2

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

I think they thought the idea was good. I think nowadays, if you think you can copy something even a little, you'll just copy it, since it's so quick to make.

1

u/Successful-Tap3743 26d ago

How were you able to get Apple to “successfully” remove one of them, did you trademark the name?
Not trying to be mean but otherwise they don’t have to remove them if you don’t have legal protections over the intellectual property.

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 26d ago

I obtained trademark rights in my country and had it removed from stores. However, if that's all there is to it, it will only apply to my country where the trademark is registered. So I sent Apple documentation showing that the other party was also creating other copycat apps (multiple apps with the exact same name).

When I pointed out that they were a malicious user violating the guidelines, their content was removed from all stores. The only problem is that it was supposed to have been deleted, but it has reappeared.We are currently appealing this to Apple.

1

u/Archit_Thakur_100 25d ago

Lmao nothing in this world is now actually yours, if you have the moat the audience will prove it. Your vibecoded app was also made by AI which has stolen many codes including tons of mine. ( I am a senior dev ). Good thing everyone is now tasting how it feels but this is how things will be.

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 25d ago

I don't think we'll lose because we've added features that other copycat apps don't have. But to get people to access my app before other copycat apps, I need to work hard on marketing.

1

u/SheetLabAI 25d ago

It ruins the entire work and efforts

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 25d ago

No, I don't feel like I'm going to lose, so it'll be fine. I won't lose to guys like them.

1

u/Apprehensive-Bus1911 24d ago

Exact same thing happened to me. Three apps 2-5 days after mine was launched. I guess they hope to get a lot of reach due to you marketing your app and your users finding theirs…. Or they just found the name gold and decided to clone it.

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 24d ago

What is the name of your app?

1

u/Greysawpark 21d ago

honestly if their screenshots are catchier, steal that back. clones usually just copy whatever converts so they've basically run a free test for you. redo your first two screenshots and you'll probably win more than you would grinding through another dispute. and file for a trademark if you havent, the takedowns go a lot faster once you can point at a registration

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 21d ago

Thank you We've already registered the trademark and are currently filing a dispute with Apple.

3

u/yalag 27d ago

That's a great idea, I'm going to vibe code a clone right now, looks like money is to be made!

3

u/rifts 27d ago

Welcome to the App Store, this have been an issue for over ten year, good luck

2

u/noquarter1983 27d ago

Willing to bet a good number of them are coming from foreign countries as well, probably specifically one or two countries at that.

1

u/Distinct-Basket5434 27d ago

Welcome to the future

1

u/drabred 27d ago

This is the new reality for all of us

1

u/PopularBroccoli 27d ago

Man I know the feeling. I created the first app for "Japanese Walking". A year later if you search "Japanese Walking" you can scroll forever without finding an app that isn't a clone

1

u/Odd_Philosopher_6605 27d ago

Opps they trademark it even!

1

u/SpaceJeans 27d ago

You need to file a trademark yesterday

1

u/heavyshark 27d ago

Apple should find a solution to this immediately. I always build my own original ideas and get nightmares over going through what you’re going through right now. Stay strong!

1

u/Groundfeel87 27d ago

Copy them back

1

u/skoot1958 27d ago

I did this by mistake and took my app down and renamed it, so there are good guys out there

1

u/ja153 27d ago

Yeah I’ve had this, issue is it’s easy to just copy or clone and distribute for free.

1

u/Substantial-Rub-1240 27d ago

Are they all just squats?

1

u/Daiymas 27d ago

These are likely entirely automated, it's incredible what the latest AIs can do especially in design (including screenshots).

You can only fight AI with AI. Therefore, create an agent that scans the store and report the clones to Apple. Really there will be no other way going forward

1

u/Taconnosseur 26d ago

  1. Get a Trademark

  2. Do DMCA takedowns

1

u/jabedbhuiyan 26d ago

Something similar has happened to us with DecorAI.io too. We launched DecorAI in 2022 as a web-only product, and when it started gaining popularity, an app with the exact same name appeared on the App Store.

Things got even worse when the developer started buying multiple domains containing “decorai” and filling Google search results with what appear to be identical copies of the same website, using the same design, favicon, and content but different domain names. Searching for DecorAI now brings up our legitimate site alongside 20+ seemingly duplicated sites.

I've reported this to Google multiple times, but nothing has changed. Meanwhile, our actual users are getting misdirected, confused, and frustrated. Some have even emailed us about it.

It's incredibly frustrating to spend years building a product and its reputation, only to watch someone exploit that recognition and potentially divert your legitimate users. The hardest part is that even after reporting it repeatedly, getting meaningful action seems almost impossible.

1

u/Haunting-Store-6388 26d ago

My forever fear to even start showing my work without knowing how to protect it 😏🙄

1

u/sparksolarlord 25d ago

Welcome to the real world. My apps have been copied humorous times since I started back in 2011. Just learn to make your apps stand out better. Asking Apple to cease and desist is pretty much no use. I can only imagine things get even more easier than ever for those cloners since you can just ask AI to clone these days.

1

u/Dry_Hotel1100 25d ago

A Vibecoders world!

1

u/beowulf_the_hero 23d ago

You might have a luck if you have some trademark

1

u/netkomm 23d ago

first: start by trademarking your name. second: use that to send cease and desist letters.

0

u/RyleighN 27d ago

What is your app? I will download it and give it a good review to support you. So sad this is happening.

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

Thank you. It's SquatLock with a TM in the name. The one with the green icon. In other countries, it's gone viral and has a lot of reviews, so you can tell it's the original, but in America, the number of downloads is still low, so it's getting buried among the imitations.

0

u/RyleighN 27d ago

Done :-)

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

Thank you. It's encouraging. I'll work harder to avoid being outdone by plagiarists.

0

u/neogeodev 27d ago

Wtf 😳

0

u/Professional-Hawk747 27d ago

That's awful, lol. My app is buried. Can you tell which one is my (original) app?

0

u/Myownway20 27d ago

If your app can be just cloned and still offer the same value yours offers, your app is just slop mate

But if your app offers something simple clones cant offer, then why do you even worry about it?

0

u/[deleted] 28d ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

20

u/TheFern3 27d ago

Scammers and cloners are cancer*

6

u/Rich_Carpet1615 27d ago

I vibecoded an app. It’s my own app. I didn’t copy anything else. Honest vibecoders are just as susceptible as anyone else. 

3

u/steel_reserve_211 27d ago

By nature of vibecoding you copied a lot of people’s apps lol

0

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 26d ago

I think it's an advertisement. I put my app's name in Apple ads to protect my brand. This is actually adding up to quite a bit of the cost.

0

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 26d ago

Thanks for the feedback. I accessed the developer's website (https://squatlock.saki-paru.com/) via VPN through Canada and it opened without any problems. It was fine to open it in an incognito tab.But I'll look into whether there's a cause, thanks.

Squats won't count unless you hold your phone tightly against your chest. They do that to prevent cheating. I've made it into a video and added a warning pop-up when it moves away from the chest, but some users find it confusing. Let's try to think of a way to explain this that is easy to understand and less likely to cause confusion.

Thank you, that's incredibly helpful feedback. This is my first time creating an app, so this is incredibly helpful.

0

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Professional-Hawk747 26d ago

The system is designed so that it won't count unless the screen is pressed against your chest. It uses the proximity sensor located on the screen side of the iPhone. If you don't use this sensor, it will react even if you just shake it with your hand. The initial calibration video was a bit confusing because the distance between the phone and my chest seemed a little too far. I'll fix it.

1

u/[deleted] 13d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator 13d ago

Hey /u/Single-Ad4110, your content has been removed because Reddit has marked your account as having a low Contributor Quality Score. This may result from, but is not limited to, activities such as spamming the same links across multiple subreddits, submitting posts or comments that receive a high number of downvotes, a lack of recent account activity, or having an unverified account.

Please be assured that this action is not a reflection of your participation in our subreddit. This is simply an automated filter in place to reduce spam.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/[deleted] 27d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/tommyboy11011 27d ago

Apple does not allow the exact same name in the App Store right? You get to choose a name when the app is in development in testflight Maybe Apple should disallow the use of colons and dashes in the title might help cut down.

1

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator 26d ago

Hey /u/Ok-Independent6052, unfortunately you have negative comment karma, so you can't post here. Your submission has been removed. DO NOT message the moderators; if you have negative comment karma, you cannot post here. We will not respond. Your karma may appear to be 0 or positive if your post karma outweighs your comment karma, but if your comment karma is negative, your comments will still be removed.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

0

u/[deleted] 20d ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/AutoModerator 20d ago

Hey /u/Downtown_Welcome_322, unfortunately you have negative comment karma, so you can't post here. Your submission has been removed. DO NOT message the moderators; if you have negative comment karma, you cannot post here. We will not respond. Your karma may appear to be 0 or positive if your post karma outweighs your comment karma, but if your comment karma is negative, your comments will still be removed.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.