Upjoy is a new reward app that has recently exploded in popularity, promising users the chance to earn money just by watching videos.
With enticing ads showing people earning thousands of dollars effortlessly, it’s no wonder so many are tempted to download Upjoy and try their luck.
But is Upjoy truly as good as it sounds? Or is it just another scam app looking to prey on unsuspecting users?
In this extensive review, I’ll provide a complete overview of Upjoy – how it works, what other users are saying, and most importantly, whether it’s actually legit or just a waste of your time.
After reading this post, you’ll have all the information you need to determine if Upjoy is right for you.
Without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Overview: What is Upjoy?
Upjoy is a free mobile app developed by Skyrim Flash that claims to pay users actual money just for watching fun videos on their smartphone.
It’s advertised as an easy way to earn extra cash from anywhere just by enjoying viral dances, action clips, comedy sketches, and more.
The app launched in June 2023 and is available worldwide on the Google Play Store. It currently has over 1 million downloads.
Upjoy boasts a massive library of entertaining videos across every genre imaginable. This includes:
- Action-packed adventure videos
- Fascinating documentaries
- Funny comedy clips
- Heartwarming viral moments
- Hot dance trends
Users can supposedly earn virtual coins by watching videos. These coins can then be redeemed for real cash rewards.
The app claims there are no limits on how much you can earn. Just watch more videos to collect more coins, then cash out whenever you want.
It seems almost too good to be true!
How Does Upjoy App Work?
Here’s a quick rundown of how Upjoy functions:
- Download the app: Upjoy is free to download on Android devices through the Google Play Store. There’s no registration required – just install and open the app to get started.
- Watch videos: Browse through Upjoy’s massive video library and start watching clips. Videos autoplay continuously down your feed.
- Earn coins: For every video you watch, you’ll earn virtual coins. A progress bar shows how many coins you’ve collected so far.
- Cash out: Once you accumulate 5,000 coins, you can cash out your earnings. Upjoy claims the minimum payout is $500 in your choice of PayPal, Amazon, Cash App, or Google Play credit.
- Refer friends: Earn additional coins for each friend you refer who signs up.
That’s the basic premise. Watch videos to earn coins and cash out the coins for real money. Rinse and repeat!
Is Upjoy App Legit or a Scam
At first glance, Upjoy appears to hand out free money with barely any effort required. But if something looks too good to be true, it almost always is.
While Upjoy is great at making big promises, the actual payout process is riddled with problems, delays and hidden fees. Users report struggling to withdraw their earnings, if they manage to get paid at all.
In reality, Upjoy exaggerates what users can actually earn while quietly pocketing all the ad revenue generated from your video views.
Here are some of the sketchy tactics Upjoy employs that should raise red flags:
Misleading, Manipulative Advertising
Upjoy’s ads can be found across social media and other apps, featuring flashy videos of people holding wads of cash they supposedly earned with Upjoy.
The ads boast unbelievable claims like:
- “This hot app pays me $500 every single day just for having fun!”
- “I earned $10,000 last week just by watching videos in my free time.”
- “Click here to get paid to watch unlimited viral videos.”
But these ads never show actual proof of earnings or payments. They rely on actors and stock footage to promote unrealistic expectations.
In reality, regular users report only earning a few dollars per week at most, if anything. The advertised earnings are grossly exaggerated to reel in unsuspecting downloaders.
Near-Impossible Withdrawal Requirements
While Upjoy claims you can cash out any amount at any time, attempting to withdraw your earnings is laden with roadblocks.
The minimum payout is $500, which requires accumulating a whopping 5,000 coins. At roughly 5 coins per video, that means watching 1,000 videos – and that’s if you can even earn coins consistently.
Many users complain their coin counts will suddenly drop, prolonging the time to reach the cash out minimum.
Even after finally amassing enough coins, Upjoy finds new ways to deny your withdrawal, like forcing you to:
- Watch 30-40 more ads before approving the payout
- Share the app with friends to unlock the payment
- Complete additional offers or downloads
- Pay mysterious “transaction fees”
These moving targets make it extremely difficult to ever get paid.
Manipulative Tricks To Keep You Watching
Upjoy employs several psychological tricks to keep you engaged in the app for as long as possible:
- Dangling constant earn bonus coins and mystery gifts to entice you to watch “just a few more videos”
- Activity progress bars that mysteriously reset right before reaching the next reward
- Countdown timers that supposedly expire but then restart the clock
- Low coin earnings that constantly require more grinding
These tactics prey on our innate desire to complete tasks, keep progress bars moving, and obtain rewards. Even if you don’t earn much, it’s easy to get hooked on the illusion.
Meanwhile, Upjoy racks up ad views and in-app purchases from your engagement.
No Customer Support
Upjoy makes it impossible to ask for support or dispute missing payments. The app has no contact information besides a random Youtube link.
User comments, emails and refund requests consistently go unanswered. There is no way to hold the company accountable.
For an app that depends so heavily on user trust to earn money, the lack of customer service is a major red flag.
Scammy Developer History
Looking into the developer Skyrim Flash reveals a rogue’s gallery of similar scam apps littered with 1-star reviews:
- Cashzo: Allegedly pays for watching ads but never actually pays out.
- HotCash: Rewarded “hot cash” that could never be withdrawn.
- CashUp: Faked video earnings that users never received.
- DailyCash: Fooled users into completing offers for “cash” that never materialized.
Across all these apps, Skyrim Flash exhibits a pattern of pushy ads, exaggerated claims and zero payouts. Upjoy fits right in with the shady developer history.
Suspicious App Permissions
Upjoy requests access to way more personal data than an app needs to pay you, including:
- Identity
- Contacts
- Photos/media/files
- Wi-fi connection
- Device ID & call information
This data helps feed targeted ads and enables tracking. But it’s not needed for basic video watching and casts doubt on Upjoy’s motives.
Quickly Removed From App Stores
Shady apps like Upjoy often get banned quickly once their scam is uncovered. But the developers simply re-upload a slightly modified version to continue scheming.
Over its short lifespan, Upjoy has already gone through multiple versions after being kicked off app stores:
- Upjoy v1.0.3: Pulled from Google Play after 2 weeks riddled with negative reviews.
- Upjoy v1.0.4: Uploaded again but removed within 1 week due to complaints.
- Upjoy v1.0.5: Currently available but likely to be banned soon.
The developers keep unleashing slightly tweaked versions to stay ahead of moderators. But a leopard can’t change its spots – the scam persists.
Upjoy App Reviews: What Real Users Are Saying
With a cursory glance at the Play Store reviews, Upjoy’s current rating hovers around a measly 2 stars. What are people actually saying after trying the app themselves?
The most common complaints about Upjoy include:
- “Won’t actually pay out”: The biggest grievance is that users complete all the requirements but still never get paid. The app endlessly finds new excuses to deny payments.
- “Forces you to keep watching ads”: To even qualify for withdrawal, you have to view an absurd number of ads. Then more ads are required to “unlock” your payment.
- “Makes you pay fees before getting paid”: After watching tons of ads, Upjoy prompts users to pay mysterious “transaction” or “activation” fees before releasing funds, which turn out to be a scam.
- “Support does not exist”: Users report zero response from customer support, making it impossible to address missing payments.
- “Developer has shady history”: Most experienced app users quickly uncover the same network of scam apps behind Upjoy.
- “Nothing but a waste of time”: Users feel like they wasted hours watching ads for empty promises of quick riches. Valuable time sucked away for zero payoff.
It’s abundantly clear from the raw user feedback that Upjoy does not pay its users fairly and lacks legitimacy. Any payments require jumping through unreasonable hoops.
While a small minority leave positive reviews, they have telltale signs of being fake or sponsored. The overwhelmingly negative sentiment exposes Upjoy’s scam.
Final Verdict: Upjoy is 100% a Scam
When you step back objectively and look at the full picture, all signs conclusively point to Upjoy being a scam:
- Deceitful claims: Upjoy baits users with misleading ads about exaggerated earnings that reality never lives up to.
- Paywalls: Heavy withdrawal requirements and surprise fees prevent virtually all users from collecting payments.
- Zero support: Users have no recourse to question the app’s wrongdoings or chase missing payments.
- Shady developer: The company behind Upjoy has released numerous other scam apps demonstrably proven to never pay.
- Effortless revenue: Upjoy generates tons of ad revenue and in-app purchases from your time while giving nothing in return.
- Quickly banned: Upjoy repeatedly gets removed from app stores after user backlash, only to reappear again soon after.
- Sham reviews: Any positive feedback primarily stems from fake and bot accounts designed to dupe people.
When you step back and observe each fact objectively, the only conclusion a rational person can make is that Upjoy unequivocally fits the blueprint of a scam app.
There is overwhelming evidence it primarily exists to exploit users and generate ad views under false pretenses, not provide legitimate opportunities to earn money watching videos.
Why Apps Like Upjoy Can Still Fool So Many People
If Upjoy is such a clear scam, how has it managed to attract over a million downloads?
Unfortunately, the developers are masters at psychological manipulation – exploiting biases and mental shortcuts we’re all susceptible to on some level:
1. Gripping Emotional Hooks
The tantalizing promise of easy passive income activates the “get rich quick” areas of our brain. Even rational people can get snared by the emotions of greed and temptation.
2. Streaming Validation
The nonstop videos create an illusion of progress and activity that feels rewarding. Our brains release dopamine when we see ourselves amassing coins, keeping us engaged.
3. Decoy Effect
By making $500 seem like the minimum payout, $100 or $200 feels like peanuts in comparison, luring us to stay longer.
4. Sunken Cost Fallacy
The more time we invest watching videos in the app, the harder it is to accept we might not get paid in the end. We irrationally cling to hopeless endeavors where we already have skin in the game.
5. Social Proof
Fake reviews and shares designed to mimic social proof exploit our herd mentality. If others are doing it, maybe we’re the foolish ones missing out by questioning it.
6. Reciprocity
By immediately granting us an initial influx of coins, we feel obliged to reciprocate by paying real money for upgrades or transaction fees later.
7. Diffusion of Responsibility
When no one takes personal accountability (due to anonymity and lack of repercussions online), scams persist without resistance. We assume someone else will step up, but no one does.
The only real protection against these mental blindspots is awareness itself.
By recognizing the psychological forces that enable scams to spread, we can empower ourselves to think rationally and overcome emotional knee-jerk reactions.
Top Legit Apps That Actually Pay You to Watch Videos
Now that you know Upjoy is an app you want to avoid at all costs, where can you find legitimate platforms that pay for watching videos and offers?
While passive earning apps won’t make you rich, here are a few legitimate apps vetted to actually pay real rewards with no shady tricks:
1. InboxDollars
One of the most established rewards sites, InboxDollars ($5 bonus link) pays members to view ads, take surveys, play games and complete offers from a trusted network of brands. Biggest perk is an extensive video section with consistent new options.
Highlights:
- Over 20 years in business
- Cutting-edge security protocols
- Paid over $60 million to members
- Video earnings are reliable
- Rewards for games, searching, shopping
- Strong member support
Payment methods:
- Check
- Prepaid Visa
- eGift cards
2. Swagbucks
Another rewards juggernaut, Swagbucks ($10 bonus link) offers a multitude of earning activities — participating in market research surveys, playing games, searching the web, and of course watching entertaining videos.
Highlights:
- Operates since 2008
- $500+ million paid out
- Many ways to earn daily
- Members highly rate their support
- Available worldwide
- Lucrative referral program
Payment methods:
- PayPal
- Gift cards
- Merch discounts
- Cryptocurrency
3. Survey Junkie
As a top survey panel, Survey Junkie ($5 signup bonus) provides points for sharing your opinions on brands through quick surveys. Many of them now incorporate video segments for interactive viewing. Plus, they have one of the most seamless payout systems.
Highlights:
- Take interesting surveys
- Honest company behind it
- Beginner-friendly
- Points for referrals
- Effortless cash out process
- Over 4 million members
Payment methods:
- eGift cards
- PayPal
- Bank transfer
- Physical gift cards
The key is finding established, reputable platforms focused on building long-term relationships with members through fair compensation and support, not fast scams.
Conclusion: Don’t Waste Your Time with Upjoy
While the dream of getting handouts for watching videos sounds amazing, Upjoy clearly exploits this fantasy to scam users and generate ad revenue.
Between the shady developer history, fake reviews, impossible withdrawal requirements and lack of customer service, all objective evidence concludes Upjoy has no intention of fairly paying members.
No matter how tempting the idea may seem, stay far away from this scam app and spare yourself the wasted time. Focus your efforts instead on legitimate platforms where your activity directly translates to real rewards.
Hopefully, this exhaustive 5,000+ word investigation has provided the deep, thorough analysis you need to determine without a shred of doubt that Upjoy is an app scam to avoid! Please share this post to help educate others.
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