JAKARTA - Apple suddenly pulled a promising Instagram clone app free of advertising, The OG App from its App Store. The app was withdrawn one day after its official launch.
However, it is not known for sure whether Apple's move was at Meta's request, but the social media giant said it had taken firm action against The OG App.
"This application violates our policies and we are taking all appropriate enforcement measures," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. Unfortunately, the company's spokesperson was reluctant to explain what their actions were. However, it is connected to Meta's policy prohibiting the existence of an artificial site.
"A mock site is a third-party website that duplicates, whether in part or overall, existing site content," explains Meta.
Meanwhile, Apple confirmed regarding the abolition of The OG App which refers to the company's App Store guidelines by prohibiting developers from using third-party services without permission.
Furthermore, the use of Instagram that was not approved by The OG App will also pose a security risk.
On Twitter, The OG App developer said their entire team had been permanently banned from Facebook and Instagram as a result of their bond with the service.
One of the founders of The OG App, Hardik Patil stated, "Users have the right to control what they consume, and OG will continue to defend and fight for that right," he told Engadget quoted Friday, September 30.
Patil admitted that he had not received direct communication from Meta regarding the ban. According to a TechCrunch report, the app founders explained they only wanted to provide a cleaner version of Instagram without ads.
It is known, The OG App displays customizable feeds without Reels, recommended posts and other new features that are considered to disturb users.
Meta has actually banned third-party Instagram for a long time, and in recent years the company has filed a number of lawsuits against developers who violate its rules.
But at the same time, the company was accused of using similar policies to stop legitimate research efforts to study the platform.
On the one hand, The OG App is also wrong, as companies don't offer public APIs for developers to create their own version of Instagram.
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