Developer snuck apps past Apple that forced users into subscriptions

With so many apps in Apple's App Store nowadays, you need to get creative in order to make a living. 

One sneaky app developer discovered a unique way to do just that: by scamming users who downloaded free Mac apps that wouldn't close unless the user signed up for an unwanted paid subscription.

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The app, "My Metronome - Tempo Keeper," was called out as a scam earlier this month by Kosta Eleftheriou, an app developer who also tracks App Store-related scams. It was advertised as a free metronome app for musicians, but users would soon learn that there was no free version or even limited trial. Instead, it immediately tried to force users into a monthly $9.99 in-app subscription. 

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Upon being prompted to sign up for the paid subscription, users would be unable to even close out the app, according to Edoardo Vacchi, a programmer whose father was purportedly roped into the scam. The app's "Quit" option was grayed out. Vacchi, who equated the app to ransomware, said even restarting a computer with My Metronome installed didn't close the pesky app.

According to Eleftheriou, the Mac app had spent years in the App Store undetected by Apple. During that time, the app accumulated negative reviews from outraged users. My Metronome has since been removed from the App Store by Apple.

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It seems, though, that this wasn't a one-off. App developer Jeff Johnson found a connection between My Metronome creator Groove Vibes and another app company that was making money off of these similar bait-and-switch in-app subscriptions apps: Music Paradise, LLC. The terms of use on both Groove Vibes and Music Paradise, LLC had similar websites pointing to a company registered to the same street address in Novosibirsk, Russia.

Music Paradise, LLC's app, an audio editor, forced users into a $125 per year subscription. Like My Metronome, the app would not close unless the user made a purchase, although some reviewers reported being able to escape the audio editor by force quitting the app.

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Apple has since also removed the audio editor app from the App Store.

Although they are no longer available for download in Apple's Mac App Store, these apps proved to be quite lucrative for the developer. In fact, they were discovered because of their high rankings on the App Store's chart for highest grossing apps.

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Eleftheriou estimates that the developer has possibly made more than $2 million from these apps.

Mashable has reached out to Apple for comment and will update this piece when we hear back.