ProTube finally pulled from the App Store

Sep 4, 2017 12:11 GMT  ·  By

ProTube, one of the most popular YouTube apps for the iPhone, has been pulled from the App Store by Apple at the request of Google, which claimed it violated its own Terms of Service.

In a statement on his website, ProTube developer Jonas Gessner reveals that Google first wanted to get his app removed from the App Store over a year ago when the search giant went after several other YouTube clients available for iPhone and iPad users.

ProTube, which was available for $5, included functionality that wasn’t available in the free YouTube client developed by Google, like background playback, support for 4K video at 60 fps, and an audio-only mode that made it possible for users to listen to their favorite tunes with the app running in the background.

Some of this functionality, such as the background playback, is available as part of YouTube Red, a premium service that Google sells for $10 a month.

Number 1 in paid app charts in 11 countries

Gessner says that he looked into several ways to avoid having the app pulled from the App Store, including removing the features that infringed on Google’s terms of service and then making the app completely free.

He eventually decided not to do this to maintain the premium features for existing clients, also adding that he even discussed with YouTube a potential agreement, but he describes the process as “very difficult.”

Google threatened the developer with a lawsuit that would eventually get the app banned anyway, so he decided to give up and remove it completely.

“This would end the dispute with YouTube, I wouldn't end up in court and everyone who had downloaded the app could still use it. While it is absolutely awful seeing ProTube getting pulled from the App Store, it was the best solution when it comes to the users that already purchased the app. I was getting screwed either way but I at least didn't want to screw my users,” he explained.

The developer says he’ll soon start work on another app and return to the App Store and he guarantees it won’t be something that involves a third party to avoid any similar disputes in the future.

ProTube for iOS (4 Images)

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