pretty sure, they use an inhouse ad for that (still working after being banned from play market) … whatever, I would be interested how google will react, it seems, they are using the same tactic as before :_)
I’ve downloaded it and I don’t see the same type of tactic. Earlier they were offering in game currency for ratings. Now they just have a normal nag screen, non-incentivized asking users to rate the app.
Yeah, on startup of the old app, it now says “New version available! Upgrade: Yes/No” … clicking Yes takes you to a web page that explains that you need to install a new version, and that you will get 500 free coins if you do, but that none of your old coins etc can be transferred.
Lotum will win this battle, I would bet.
I have looked at other »4 pics 1 word« games, and especially at their authors. Many of them do not have a web page (yet). Some of them are experts for “Cheats” apps (Logo Cheats, 100 Doors Cheats…).
I would also not be surprised, if some of other »4 pics 1 word« would disappear from Google Play in the following days.
I am not promoting this games, just for the record, to follow what will happen, I am making a list of some “4 pics 1 word” search results from Google Play:
-
Guess The Word - 4 Pics 1 Word
LOGA GAMES
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hillsmobile.guesstheword -
4 Pics 1 Word
LOTUM GMBH
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.lotum.whatsinthefoto.us -
4 Pics 1 Word: What’s the Word
ITCH MANIA
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.itchmedia.whatstheword -
What’s The Word: 4 pics 1 word
EMERGING GAMES
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emerginggames.whatstheword -
What’s the Word: 4 Pics 1 Word
4 PICS 1 WORD - WHATS WORD GAMES
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=whats.the.word.game.quiz -
4 Pics 1 Word: What’s The Word
4 PICS 1 WORD - WHATS THE WORD GAMES
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=whats.the.word -
What’s the Word?
RED-SPELL
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.redspell.whattheword
Another surprise. The first rival of Lotum, the Loga games, is now doing the same thing. The game was updated yesterday (February 19), and here are some comments from users:
“Asked to rate 5 stars to get free coins is a bit naughty!! Good game though”
“Don’t listen to my 5 star review its lies they bribed me with 120 coins I feel so dirty lol”
“Even though being bribed to rate with coins is a little Cheeky”
Really cheeky, what now Loga games developer/publisher is doing.
Lots of lolz here… and some lessons for the rest of us as we monitor the situation and see both what Google does and how fast they do it.
Yes, we are getting interesting lessons here…
At this moment https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hillsmobile.guesstheword is still accessible. But I think it will not survive another hour, Google Play daily update is ongoing…
lol. Everyone is sitting around watching and waiting. If they don’t nip it in the bud, everyone is going to be doing this next week. The race to the bottom continues.
I’m not sure how you prevent this long term though. This isn’t easy to detect and it seems like someone has to report it each time, and then they react, which doesn’t scale. Unless they go the Apple route and ban incentivized installs altogether.
What would you do if you were Google here?
I think “4 pisc 1 word” example provided more than enough data to feed ai engines, and that google is probably able to detect this pattern within one day automatically. Simply by letting their engines process download/review stats and user comments. For sure, Google will leave no more room for manipulating user reviews in a way, we have seen. At least not on a large scale.
Yeah, as soon as you realize that the pattern here is almost the same as DDOS network traffic… suddenly they are getting “too much” 5 star reviews (ie: “traffic”) coming to one app (as a percentage of installs).
The algorithms are well known… it should be relatively easy for them to write the code. Getting it into production will probably take a few weeks though. In the mean time, expect a number of apps to jump on it like a cheap hooker on crack 
See, the game has been just banned. That was quick… May be that “the algorithm” is already in production. Or google is reading this forum
Cool, glad to see a swift response. That’s a trend I don’t want to see.
This is sick. 12 hours after loga games »4 pics 1 word« has been banned from google play, version 2 of the game has been released:
Guess The Word - 4 Pics 1 Word
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hillsmobile.guesstheword2
I wish them a lot of success with such disgusting behavior.
This is an arms race. Look at it this way:
Problem: Need to be a the top of the app list.
Solution: Lots of G+ and 5 star reviews
Achieving the solution: bribe users against Google’s TOS.
Current punishment: ban app.
Current solution: re-release under new app package name
Future punishment: ban developer account
Future punishment solution: re-release under new developer account (net win if you make more than $25 on the app)
And then Google will hopefully realize the problem is the broken ranking system and fix it…
Another solution is to make creating a developer account cost a large amount $$$$$ (or income equivalent in non-USA countries).
Yes, instated of penalizing them for breaking some rules, google is actually awarding them with 30-days top-new period for their “ver. 2” apps.
Well how come developer accounts get banned (as reported by some here) without explanation, and this developer is able to survive with just one app down ?
Perhaps the reason is that the developer has a bunch of other reasonable games on Google Play - including a zombie game.
So perhaps they are seen as a serious player - compared to some developer who has only one app, or all their apps are scam apps - in that case maybe the developer account gets banned ??
I believe that no one from google is actually manually checking misbehaving apps/developers, but this task is automatically carried out by some AI engines. What google stuff does is that they eventually adjust their engines. And correct wrong automatic actions, if necessary. But that is just what I am guessing…
You have mention Zombie game, I will rather mention another:
Bubble Shooter Deluxe / Loga Games
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hillsmobile.shooterbubble5
If you want to reveal more “misbehavior”, take a look at package name com.hillsmobile.shooterbubble5. Search for com.hillsmobile on google play will surprise you with results from another developer, MOBILE CARDS & CASINO LLC, and another game with exactly same icon:
Shoot Bubbles Deluxe / Mobile Cards & Casino LLC
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hillsmobile.shooterbubble3
So they have an “impressive” history of similar action in the past.
Grim. decastro was right in naming this thread. The lesson learned, unfortunately, is indeed “breaking the rules appears to work.”
Loga is doing well as is LOTUM, the original ratings-for-gold developer.
The ratings on these games in the past couple of weeks are astounding.
There was a great post a little while ago by adforandroidapps talking about strategies that may “not be palatable to the nice-guy programmer.” I guess this is the game we signed up to play.
4 Pics 1 Word
Loga Games
4.7 stars (74,646 ratings)
4 Pics 1 Word: What’s the Word
Itch Mania
4.6 stars (62,274 ratings)
What’s the Word?
Red-Spell
4.8 stars (45,144 ratings)
What’s The Word: 4 pics 1 word
Emerging Games
4.5 stars (21,828 ratings)
They could stop breaking the rules now so Google won’t ban them but their games would atain the high ratings. I wonder if they’ll stop or continue.