Be cautious regarding highly rated apps

[libert19]

Don't blindly follow rating/reviews - these stats can be easily manipulated.

For example, look at this app - Scam app - Don't download

50T downloads, 6T reviews and 4.9 average rating, sounds perfect.

Then you look at 1 star/negative reviews and come to know the reality.

Disregard artificial stats, always check negative reviews first, if no reviews don't bother.

[tranthidung]

Don't blindly follow rating/reviews - these stats can be easily manipulated.

To be safe, firstly people should visit official websites to get links for downloading applications.

However, before doing so, let's ask yourself and answer a question, why do you need that application? Is the website, service is legit and well to use? If not, stop thinking of application download, from any source.

Then you look at 1 star/negative reviews and come to know the reality.

It's the point. Total number of review makes sense because we need to have a big sample size of review to have an overview. Small number of review can easily be faked.

Massive negative review is not good in general that is a signal to stop thinking of application download.

In addition, don't rely on application review only but let's double check with search engines by key words such as scam accusation, phishing app, etc. If all info gives you a negative overview, let's forget that service and application.

[PrivacyG]

If you have ever been scammed by a website and checked its Trustpilot reviews, you would of known reviews are not something to trust.  They can easily be faked and before you know, you have downloaded a malicious app on your phone and now it may be all compromised.

This is why I do extensive research about user opinions before downloading an app for real.  Bitcointalk threads, Reddit threads, Trustpilot and app store reviews, maybe YouTube reviews of the app.  If there are only few reviews overall, for me it is a no go.  If there are plenty of reviews and I can find positive public discussions about the app, I consider downloading it.

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Regards,
PrivacyG

[mk4]

I honestly low-key want to get wallet software banned on the Google Play Store so people would actually be forced to do a bit more research on what wallet to install lmao. Because it's a safe assumption that a lot of people just search "bitcoin wallet" or "crypto wallet" and install one of the top #3 results(which are sometimes ads).

[Upgrade00]

50T downloads, 6T reviews and 4.9 average rating, sounds perfect.

I was mildly surprised seeing '50T' reviews, which refers to 'Trillions'.
 I have personally not seen a website with trillions of downloads, that would be weird as we have only a couple billion people in the world.
It's actually '50K' downloads, referring to 50 thousand and 5K+ reviews.

In reality, those numbers does not sound perfect at all. Such amount of stats are very easy to fake, and I wouldn't use a website which is not very popular to get lots of credible information on it, especially if it's related to finance and assets.

And downloading should of course be done via the appropriate source. Extra marks if it can be verified.

[JangoUnchained]

It's good to always read reviews before downloading but the most important thing is never use any app or crypto wallet that's not even well popular in crypto space, what's talken wallet lol I've never heard of this wallet before so there for I will never store any asset in such wallet.

[Despairo]

Looking at the 1 star reviews isn't enough to say the apps is scam or fake, you need to have another research on different factors too. Let me ask you, which wallet, platform, exchange or anything that you use and don't have any problem until now, does it's really doesn't have any 1 star reviews? I don't think so.

We're already know Electrum is non custodial wallet and open source, many experts do not have any problem with it. But if you check on google play, there are so many stupid people giving random 1 star reviews just because his own fault (e.g. lost his seeds, malware on his device).

To be honest why does people need to install many unknown wallet? You only need one and it's enough for you.

Tip : Don't rely on random people reviews, it's useless. I only rely with experts reviews on various forum e.g. Bitcointalk, reddit etc. Much better if you are tech savvy person, you can check the code yourself.

[DdmrDdmr]

Both @libert19 and @Despairo are both potentially right. Since apps may incentivize giving good reviews (some of the comments in the OPs link state so) per se, and anyone is entitled to providing feedback, the ratings may be rigged to a certain degree, despite the fact that the app has near to 6K ratings.  On the other hand, the Electrum app has crappy ratings, and if you read through the one star ratings and base your decision solely in them, there is no way one would go near it (despite the solid support the Desktop version has community wise).

One should stick to those that are well known and have a good track record, but even so, besides making sure that the app is legit, one should contrast reviews from different sources to get a general idea of the product. The more serious and respectable the sources of the reviews, the better.

[slackovic]

The best way to safely download an app and to be sure it's legit is to visit it's official website (type the address into the address bar, don't click on Google link) and to download an app from there. Never trust Google ads or someone else's rating.

[libert19]

Looking at the 1 star reviews isn't enough to say the apps is scam or fake, you need to have another research on different factors too. Let me ask you, which wallet, platform, exchange or anything that you use and don't have any problem until now, does it's really doesn't have any 1 star reviews? I don't think so.

We're already know Electrum is non custodial wallet and open source, many experts do not have any problem with it. But if you check on google play, there are so many stupid people giving random 1 star reviews just because his own fault (e.g. lost his seeds, malware on his device).

To be honest why does people need to install many unknown wallet? You only need one and it's enough for you.

Tip : Don't rely on random people reviews, it's useless. I only rely with experts reviews on various forum e.g. Bitcointalk, reddit etc. Much better if you are tech savvy person, you can check the code yourself.

I mean you can judge from reviews, if the review says, 'stupid app, I forgot the seed now app won't let me in' - it's of course person's fault.

If the reviews say, - 'this app needs unnecessary permissions', 'support is non existent', 'asking for 5 star reviews for monetory gain', 'asking for mnemonic' - you can say app might be shady.

[freedomgo]

True, reviews can be manipulated, so don't trust one platform only about the review, you can search for reviews outside google play as they are more independent and probably more reliable, for example, a reputable forum, youtube review videos, and etc.

[PrivacyG]

I honestly low-key want to get wallet software banned on the Google Play Store so people would actually be forced to do a bit more research on what wallet to install lmao. Because it's a safe assumption that a lot of people just search "bitcoin wallet" or "crypto wallet" and install one of the top #3 results(which are sometimes ads).

It would make things worse.  People would just go for 'trust wallet apk download' Google searches instead.  I do not think banning software makes you more aware about what you are downloading if you never cared about researching in the first place.

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Regards,
PrivacyG

[pakhitheboss]

One thing which I always do before downloading any Android app is to read the about app information. It will not only provide the details about the app but also the website link and social media links. It becomes easy to verify an apps authenticity by verifying the website details and checking the updates being shared on social media by them.

[Despairo]

If the reviews say, - 'this app needs unnecessary permissions', 'support is non existent', 'asking for 5 star reviews for monetory gain', 'asking for mnemonic' - you can say app might be shady.

They do wrote it
 

Let's say I'm newbie and don't know how to pick good wallet, then someone tell me a good wallet doesn't have shady reviews on google play. If someone suggest me to use this wallet, I'll avoid at all cost and tell him electrum is bad due to buggy websites, insane fees, can't send Bitcoin, can't import seed phrase, ask to connect different server etc. Pretty sure he will laugh at me and call me stupid.

[PrivacyG]

One thing which I always do before downloading any Android app is to read the about app information. It will not only provide the details about the app but also the website link and social media links. It becomes easy to verify an apps authenticity by verifying the website details and checking the updates being shared on social media by them.

Not sure this is a reliable way to do it.  I do not think Google Play developers are required to validate the websites with their accounts in any way.  Any developer could probably put any link out there in their app information.

Let's say I'm newbie and don't know how to pick good wallet, then someone tell me a good wallet doesn't have shady reviews on google play. If someone suggest me to use this wallet, I'll avoid at all cost and tell him electrum is bad due to buggy websites, insane fees, can't send Bitcoin, can't import seed phrase, ask to connect different server etc. Pretty sure he will laugh at me and call me stupid.

And this is why I typically read about them on multiple websites.  Bitcointalk will definitely not recommend you to avoid Electrum and will definitely not recommend you to use Freewallet.

We have to take into consideration two more things.  Some people send 1 star reviews just because they want to troll or out of frustration and where there is fake positive reviews, I would imagine some Electrum competitors would pay to lower down Electrum's average rating.

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Regards,
PrivacyG

[Lucius]

On the other hand, the Electrum app has crappy ratings, and if you read through the one star ratings and base your decision solely in them, there is no way one would go near it (despite the solid support the Desktop version has community wise).

Really very low score for one of the most popular Bitcoin wallets, whether it is a desktop or mobile version, there are differences of course - but it is quite a solid wallet for those who understand how it works. Somehow it seems to me that in the future this rating will be even worse, because these new generations of crypto warriors want all in one app for all their altcoins with as many options as possible, and it does not matter that most will not need 80% of that what this app offers.

There are so many services that offer fake ratings and everything is subject to manipulation, so I always take good and bad reviews with great reserve.

[Rikafip]

I do not think Google Play developers are required to validate the websites with their accounts in any way.  Any developer could probably put any link out there in their app information.

I reported dozens (if not hundreds ) of fake wallets on Google Play and I know for a fact that they don't verify that info at all. Those that submit fake apps can write anything they want there which of course they are exploiting as much as they can.

Some people send 1 star reviews just because they want to troll or out of frustration and

Keep in mind that people are also more prone to leave a negative review than a good one (you know, why would I bother with writing a review if everything works good) so you get somewhat distorted feedback how good some application actually is.

I would imagine some Electrum competitors would pay to lower down Electrum's average rating.

That's also a possibility, given how easy and cheap is to get fake reviews and ratings, and how slow Google and inefficient Google is when it comes to removing those.


Rule of thumb; 4,9-5 rating on Google Play= fake app/fake ratings

[aysg76]

If you have ever been scammed by a website and checked its Trustpilot reviews, you would of known reviews are not something to trust.  They can easily be faked and before you know, you have downloaded a malicious app on your phone and now it may be all compromised.

In most cases people who have no knowledge only care to read some of the reviews and some don't even bother to look at it download these apps on mobile or desktop which comprises their funds and they come to know about it when the hackers plan is executed.Reading about the reviews is fine but over the top it's important to download the accurate apk files or from app/play store as there are already scam copies over the internet.

Talking about reviews then you can add as many possible reviews yourself with the user ID so trust them but with different formats.

This is why I do extensive research about user opinions before downloading an app for real.  Bitcointalk threads, Reddit threads, Trustpilot and app store reviews, maybe YouTube reviews of the app.  If there are only few reviews overall, for me it is a no go.  If there are plenty of reviews and I can find positive public discussions about the app, I consider downloading it.

That's good if you make some extensive research but as said in case of wallets then hardware wallets like Trezor or Ledger Nano S are best options but you can also find malicious apps registered under their name from which you need to be safe also.Going through lot of ways automatically increase your chances of being safe with extra layer of securities.But i would suggest users not to download any apps on the advice of these new fake youtubers shilling their crap knowledge about the bitcoin as paid promotions from these scam apps.

There are so many services that offer fake ratings and everything is subject to manipulation, so I always take good and bad reviews with great reserve.

Undoubtedly there are many and do this job for minimal payments as we have seen in some case the scam projects creat their hypes through these fake reviews so trusting them is hard but you should take into consideration both positive and negative aspects.The users face difficulties due to which the ratings are bad but it doesn't imply the wallet is not legit.So we should have the mind open.

The decentralised world has put peer responsibility on us to decide how to manage and keep our funds safe so be sure for every move you make.Learning snd and growing will keep your survival possible.

[cheezcarls]

I have encountered apps like this with manipulated fake reviews and ratings (maybe hiring social media providers to boost ratings and publish fake reviews, etc.). I almost ended up convincing myself to download the app, but good thing that my conscience and instincts tells me that I should have second thoughts.

From then on, I always go to the official website on where the app can be downloaded instead of just searching manually on Google Play Store, just to be sure that my phone cannot be compromised in any way.

[YellowSwap]

I've knew about this in a long time now, some apps have fake reviews the scammers intentionally create fake reviews for the app saying good things about it and ranking it up too that's why I don't believe any reviews on playstore.