Apple reversed threats to remove the popular utility application “Amphetamine” from the Mac App Store. According to the developer, Apple had threatened to remove the app instead of its name, saying it violated guideline 1.4.3 related to “consumption of tobacco and steam products, illegal drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol”.
For those unfamiliar, Amphetamine is a free application from the Mac App Store designed to prevent the Mac from falling asleep. It launched in 2014 and has been on the Mac App Store ever since, but just this week Apple contacted Amphetamine creator William Gustafson on the charge that the app violated App Store guidelines.
The full guideline is:
Apps that encourage the consumption of tobacco and steam products, illegal drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol are not allowed on the App Store. Applications that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of marijuana, tobacco or controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies) is not allowed.
Apple also added specific details:
“Your app seems to promote the inappropriate use of controlled substances. Specifically, your app’s name and icon include references to controlled substances, pills. “
Apple said that if Gustafson did not change the Amphetamine name and brand, the application would be removed from the Mac App Store on January 12. Gustafson quickly filed an appeal and was contacted by Apple to discuss the situation:
On January 2, 2021, I received a call from Apple to discuss the results of my appeal. In that call, an Apple representative said that Apple now recognizes that the word “amphetamine” and the pill icon are being used “metaphorically” and in a “medical sense”.
Ultimately, Apple reversed its position and Amphetamine will be allowed to remain on the Mac App Store. However, this is yet another example of Apple’s inconsistent approach to applying the App Store guidelines. There are countless other apps on the Mac App Store with references to legal and illegal drugs, in many cases far more blatant than Amphetamine.
You can read the full details of the situation on Gustafson’s GitHub page here.
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