Apps Buying 5 Star Reviews

It's hard for developers to get their Apps noticed in their "stores", when they have to compete not only with thousands other developers, but big software studios as well. So, it comes as no surprise that many of them resort to "doubtful tactics" in order to giver their Apps any and all advantage they can.

Besides the number of downloads, one such indicator is the ratings users give. But, as you'll soon find out, even that can lose its meaning. For instance, in the Android game "Earth And Legend" in Google Play, you can see over 16000 5-star votes - which might lead you to believe that these would be a 5,99€ well spent.

And indeed it might be... but one can't stop but become highly suspicious once you read some of the comments, that tell us that you can gain 500 in-game gold if you give the app a 5-star rating. Meaning... they're buying their 5-star rating reviews, even if with in-game currency.

I don't think this is allowed in Google Play store (and in the odd case that is is, it shouldn't be - or else it will mean that the rating system is completely useless, as more and more developers would give some kind of bonus to every user that gave them a 5-star review.) In any case, you can report it here.

So... before buying any app, be sure to consider carefully if all those 5 star ratings you're seeing are actually legit.