How an Apple policy change wiped out 12 million users

Building success on someone else’s rules

AppGratis was an app discovery platform that helped users find daily deals on other apps. It wasn’t spammy, it wasn’t shady. It had a clean interface, real editorial curation, and millions of loyal users who trusted its recommendations. By early 2013, AppGratis had raised $13.5 million in funding, expanded globally, and hit 12 million iOS users. It had just launched an iPad version. Everything was pointing up. Then Apple pulled it from the App Store. Without warning, without negotiation, just gone.

Millions of users cut off overnight

The removal was supposedly due to violations of clauses 2.25 and 5.6 of their app guidelines – rules against apps that promote other apps or manipulate store rankings. The same rules AppGratis had seemingly navigated for years while continuously passing Apple’s approval process. Suddenly, 12 million users had no way to access the app. The business, the reputation, the growth – all gone in a moment. AppGratis tried in vain to recover. They launched an Android version, they rallied user petitions. But they never returned to the App Store. In 2017, they shut down entirely.

What could have changed the story

AppGratis was approved by Apple just weeks before its removal. That’s not unusual. Platform rules aren’t static, they evolve. When evolutions occur, they’re not always communicated. What could have helped? Proactive compliance reviews. Real-time risk audits. A go-to-market strategy that didn’t depend on one platform. AppGratis might have survived if it had seen the signs sooner – or at least prepared for the possibility of a takedown.

“We’ve been approved, so we’re safe”

This is where we see so many developers slip up. They assume that passing App Store review means long-term compliance. But a single clause can be reinterpreted, and a rule Apple ignored yesterday might be enforced today. AppGratis believed it had done everything right and, to a point, it had. But when Apple’s priorities shifted, the rules shifted too. Thus, AppGratis became a cautionary tale.

Are you building on stable ground?

Your app might be compliant today. But what happens when the rules change? What happens when your business relies on a store that can cut you off without explanation?

Check your blind spots with the App Triage Checklist, then take a deeper look with our App Risk Radar – because you don’t want to be the next headline.