By Jenny Suo
An iPhone application claiming to detect melanoma has health professionals concerned it delivers untrustworthy results, putting users' lives in danger.
“Skin Scan” analyses photos of moles taken on an iPhone and determines if they could be cancerous.
But it's telling some users their moles are fine when they are not.
When Mole Map CEO Adrian Bowling first heard of the iPhone app he was sceptical, so he put it to the test.
Bowling tested five cancerous moles, the app ruled three of them either medium risk, or low risk.
Skin Scan has been marketed as a cheap and simple way to find abnormalities.
It's from Romania and claims to be developed by a team of dermatologists and mathematicians. It's only $6.50 from the iPhone store, compared to $280 for a Mole Map.
Bowling says he's worried, but not about losing business.
“I’m concerned that people are going to rely on it, and in my opinion it’s not reliable,” he says.
Skin Scan isn't the first app to spark controversy. In March, 150,000 complaints forced Apple to pull an app claiming to ‘cure gay people’.
App developer Andrew Malcolm says it's an unregulated market with the only guidelines being no nudity or profanity.
“It’s not Apple’s responsibility to deal day-to-day with developers on whether the app works, or if it doesn’t,” he says.
Apple told 3 News its approval process was created to protect consumer privacy and children against things like degradation and malware.
So if you are concerned about a mole, use your phone, but only to call a professional.
3 News