iPhone App Store

Getting a refund for an app purchase that didn't work out? If the refund is granted, don't expect support for any copies that remain installed. Until recently, App Store customers who received a refund for a particular app could still download updates and even reinstall the app

This is no longer the case, as Apple now prevents an Apple ID that has received a developer refund from receiving updates or redownloading the "returned" app. App Store refunds can easily be requested for a variety of reasons, ranging from accidental purchases to poor functionality. Once approved, the purchase price is returned to the payment method on file.

Not only did jailbreak tweak developer Filippo Bigarella release an app on the official App Store, but his work is quickly catapulting to the top of the Finance category. Balances is ranked number 6 in the top chart of finance apps only three days after release. So what's making Balances so popular?

For one, the app has a slick, minimalist design that functions efficiently for the task at hand. Tracking debts owed to others and debts owed to you is intuitive and easy with Balances. Tap the plus or minus button to add an entry, then enter the name, amount and a note. Once the debt has been paid, just swipe and the entry goes into a completed list.

Apple just made it more difficult for sketchy developers to rip off App Store customers with a bait and switch. The scam was a loophole of sorts in the application approval process. After submitting an app and winning approval from Apple, developers were allowed to change or update screenshots by themselves. An example of a legitimate App Store screenshot is pictured below.

As some of our readers have unfortunately discovered, some developers took advantage of this power and added screenshots that had nothing to do with their app. In fact, there have been many cases of apps that were pulled from the App Store after Apple discovered they were duping people into buying under false pretenses.

The AT&T app Mark the Spot has been around for a while, but it continues to get new features that should help customers pinpoint problems they encounter on the carrier's network. First launched in December 2009, Mark the Spot makes it possible to report dropped calls or other network issues when they happen or after the fact. The latest update has been highlighted by AppShopper and adds spam text message reporting to the list.

Spam text messages or SMS are really irritating and can come in on your iPhone at any time. With the latest version 2.0.5 of Mark the Spot, you can report these messages by selecting Report Spam SMS. First you forward the offending text to SPAM (7726). When AT&T replies they will ask for the phone number of the sender.

Following a crackdown on "overtly sexual" content, Apple has had its censors remove 5,000 applications from the iPhone AppStore. The app purge began on Friday, with over 4,000 apps removed due to their "sexually arousing" or implied sexual language and images.

To date, the Apple cleansing is said to have removed almost three percent of the total number of iPhone applications previously available. In a strange twist, apps representing large media companies but still promoting sexual content remain on the AppStore.