Creepy Apps You Should Never Download
Saara Leistiko
Our kids are geniuses, at least when it comes to traversing through smart devices and all the millions of apps floating around. Watch any 3-year-old swipe their way around a tablet or smartphone, and you will be gobsmacked in wonder. But, there are some scary apps your kids should never download.
The name says it all and should be a good reason to steer clear, but like with all risqué things, it only draws the user in more. Creepy has geolocation data built into it that allows the user to pin point exactly where the other users are, in real time. This rates high up on the super scary apps ratio!
I have to be honest and say that I've never quite understood the appeal of horror movies. For me, the idea of paying money to sit in a crowded theater and scream like a panicked toddler for two hours with my hands over my eyes doesn't quite sound like my idea of fun. The closest I've come to liking a horror film was the somewhat enjoyable time I had watching 2015's It Follows, but die-hards would probably call that more suspense than horror. It's no secret that the horror genre has a loyal and dedicated fan following, and many aren't shy about sharing their love of the genre. From zombie takeovers to scary-because-it's-true re-enactments of classic murders, for some horror fans, a perfect Saturday night looks an awful lot like enjoying a nice cup of tea on the couch while watching some psycho walk around wearing someone's face. And to each their own! You do you. If you fancy yourself a fan of gory get-ups, slasher films, fake blood galore, and cult classics, you're going to freak out over these super creepy apps for horror fans.
On the following pages you will find our latest guidelines arranged into five clear sections: Safety, Performance, Business, Design, and Legal. The App Store is always changing and improving to keep up with the needs of our customers and our products. Your apps should change and improve as well in order to stay on the App Store.
The Kids Category is a great way for people to easily find apps that are designed for children. If you want to participate in the Kids Category, you should focus on creating a great experience specifically for younger users. These apps must not include links out of the app, purchasing opportunities, or other distractions to kids unless reserved for a designated area behind a parental gate. Keep in mind that once customers expect your app to follow the Kids Category requirements, it will need to continue to meet these guidelines in subsequent updates, even if you decide to deselect the category. Learn more about parental gates.
You must comply with applicable privacy laws around the world relating to the collection of data from children online. Be sure to review the Privacy section of these guidelines for more information. In addition, Kids Category apps may not send personally identifiable information or device information to third parties. Apps in the Kids Category should not include third-party analytics or third-party advertising. This provides a safer experience for kids. In limited cases, third-party analytics may be permitted provided that the services do not collect or transmit the IDFA or any identifiable information about children (such as name, date of birth, email address), their location, or their devices. This includes any device, network, or other information that could be used directly or combined with other information to identify users and their devices. Third-party contextual advertising may also be permitted in limited cases provided that the services have publicly documented practices and policies for Kids Category apps that include human review of ad creatives for age appropriateness.
Network neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data that travels over their networks fairly, without discrimination in favor of particular apps, sites or services. It is a principle that must be upheld to protect the open internet. The idea that ISPs could...
We can start with safeguards such as avoiding apps that make contact with strangers easy (such as Kik and Tinder), keeping accounts private, and setting limits on where and when your teen can use a device (as in, not alone in their room at night). But the most powerful tool is becoming a guiding voice in our kids' heads. Ultimately, we need to help them find the right words to say (or type) in certain situations and recognize when they need to get help. As parents we know this takes a lot of repetition, usually until our kids roll their eyes and say, "I KNOW!" Also, it can be complicated: Teens want to be liked and belong, so positive attention from someone can be really compelling. And creepy people aren't always total strangers; sometimes your kid knows them, but then things get weird -- or scary.
Adults do this all the time with dating apps, so it sort of feels the same, but I know there are creepy people out there, and I don't want to get myself into a situation where I'm suddenly in danger. It's just not worth it.
Whatever it's called and however you get there, you should ultimately end up facing a collection of categories for all the types of permissions you've granted to apps on your device over time. Take a peek through 'em all and see what you find. If you see anything that raises an eyebrow, all you've gotta do is tap it to revoke the permission.
If you aren't using one of those services, now's the time to start. And if you are already using such a service, take a few minutes now to peek into the app's settings and make sure you're taking advantage of all the on-device protection it offers. With LastPass, for example, you should confirm that options to lock the app automatically and whenever it's idle for more than a few minutes are active. You should make sure the app requires a PIN or biometric authentication to unlock. And you should confirm that the app is set up for offline access, in case the need ever arises. (All of those options are in the Security section of LastPass's settings.)
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