https://daringfireball.net/linked/2026/09/23/app-store-scam-update-my-phone

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98<dt><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/update-my-phone-apps-guide/id6753936837">App Store Scam of the Week: ‘Update My Phone &amp; Apps: Guide’ by Tair Olzhasev</a></dt>
99<dd>
100<p>“Update My Phone &amp; Apps: Guide” is an iOS app from developer Tair Olzhasev. By default, the only thing it does for free is give you a “Check for Updates” button that launches the system Settings app. It doesn’t even take you to the General → Software Update screen. It just takes you to the root level of Settings.</p>
101
102<p>Everything else it purports to do requires a $15/week subscription. That’s $780 per year. (It does offer a three-day free trial before weekly billing starts.) These other features, gated behind the “pro” subscription:</p>
103
104<blockquote>
105  <ul>
106<li>Clear device status: iOS version and storage usage at a glance</li>
107<li>One-tap shortcut to system update settings</li>
108<li>Tip of the Day with practical hacks and best practices</li>
109<li>Lightweight, private, and fast — no accounts or tracking</li>
110<li>Optional Premium for extra guidance and tools</li>
111</ul>
112</blockquote>
113
114<p>In other words, the app does nothing that iOS doesn’t automatically do for all users. Absolutely nothing. I came across it <a href="https://aus.social/@shlee/117318918816027001">from a user on Mastodon</a> who discovered their father was paying $8/week ($416 per year) for it. It seems like the esteemed Mr. Olzhasev, savvy businessman that he is, changes the subscription price frequently.</p>
115
116<p>Olzhasev’s other two apps are <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/thermal-camera-filter-effects/id6753982355">Thermal Camera Filter Effects</a> (a neat trick, given that iPhones do not have thermal cameras or heat sensors) and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/settings-app-simulator/id6753862143">Settings App: Simulator</a>, a $15 app that admittedly gives you just what it says on the tin. It’s an inaccurate mirror of the Settings app “so you can practice without changing the real system.”</p>
117
118<p class="smallprint">★ <em>Wednesday, 23 September 2026</em></p>
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