Tech giant Apple has reportedly removed or restricted at least 11 of the 17 most downloaded screen-time and parental-control apps that help users reduce their device usage.
In a report published by nytimes.com, the Cupertino-based company reportedly pulled the apps from its App Store or in some cases, forced companies to remove features allowing parental control or blocking children’s access to certain apps and adult content.
Apple which has included their own screen-time tracker with iOS 12, left app makers with thousands of paying customers thinking that they are being targeted by the tech giant, with some even shutting down.
OurPact, the top parental-control iPhone app, has been pulled from App Store where it accounted 80 percent of its revenue.
Amir Moussavian, chief executive of OurPact said: “They yanked us out of the blue with no warning.”
“They are systematically killing the industry,” Moussavian added.
However, Tammy Levine, an Apple spokeswoman, denied that the timing of the company’s moves was not related to Apple’s introduction of similar tools.
Levine explained that the company removed or required changes to the apps because they could gain too much information from users’ devices.
Philip W. Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, also told some customers via email that Apple “acted extremely responsibly in this matter, helping to protect our children from technologies that could be used to violate their privacy and security.”
(Photo source: economictimes.indiatimes.com/ theverge.com)
