Skip to main content

The OG App, an ad-free Instagram client, is no longer on the App Store

If you’ve been having trouble logging in to The OG App, deleting it, and trying to redownload it from the App Store — only to see it’s nowhere to be found — you’re not alone. The ad-free alternative to Instagram has been pulled from the App Store.

The OG App was created to bring users an old version of Instagram that didn’t have in-app ads, recommendations, or Reels. But on Wednesday, Un1feed, the startup behind the app, tweeted that it was removed from the App Store despite its growing popularity. It pointed out that it was downloaded 10,000 times, reached number 50 in the App Store rankings, and received an average rating of 4.1 stars.

Yesterday night, after we received 10,000 downloads,
were #50 on the App Store, and had an average rating
of 4.1 stars, Apple took us off the App Store.

Users chose OG over Instagram because we listened to
them and built what they wanted.

— The OG App 🔗 (@TheOGapp_) September 28, 2022

According to TechCrunch, Apple said it removed The OG App from the App Store for accessing Instagram’s service without express permission, which violated rules regarding displaying content from a third-party service, Apple cited section 5.2.2 of the App Store review guidelines. Digital Trends reached out to Un1feed for comment, and it gave the following statement.

“Everyone knows Instagram sucks. We made it better and got a lot of love from users. But Facebook hates its own users so much, it’s willing to crush an alternative that gives them a clean, ad-free Instagram,” it said. “Apple is colluding with Facebook to bully two teenagers who made Instagram better. Which leaves Android as the clear choice for users who want privacy, freedom, and optionality. Users deserve the right to control what they consume, and OG will continue to defend and fight for that right.”

It’s unclear whether Apple took down The OG App per a request from Instagram parent company Meta. However, Meta said the app clearly violated its rules regarding clone sites, and that it is taking “appropriate enforcement measures.” To wit, Un1feed said Meta permanently banned the personal Facebook and Instagram accounts of all its team members. Their Facebook accounts weren’t linked to The OG App, but their Instagram accounts were.

Un1feed said at the end of its Twitter thread that it is working on getting The OG App relisted on the App Store. Until then, it’s still available on the Google Play Store.

Editors' Recommendations

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…
It’s not just you: the Apple Weather app is down
Cloudy weather showing in iOS 15's weather app.

Stop trying to force quit apps or restart your phone, it isn't going to help. It's not just you, Apple's Weather app is down right now. There were some sporadic issues yesterday, but it seems more widespread this morning.

Whether it's on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac -- the back-end service running Apple's Weather app seems to be having issues loading data. Sometimes the home screen widget won't work; other times you'll get one or two locations in your list to update, but not the rest. Other times it all looks good, but the hour-by-hour forecast details aren't working. That's frustrating!

Read more
Instagram used to be one of my favorite apps — now I can’t stand it
A Galaxy S23 Ultra running Instagram. On the screen, there's an orange guitar.

Instagram is dying a slow, drawn-out death, and I don't think that I'm the only one to notice. The app has been at the center of controversy after controversy as Meta continuously shifts around its ambitions for it, tries to compete with other social media giants like TikTok, and packs itself full to bursting with suggested posts and a relentless number of advertisements. It feels like Meta is doing its best in order to maximize profits and draw users in, but from everyone I've talked to who feels the same as I do, we're only being pushed away.

As it's desperately tried to find a new identity, Instagram has become completely useless to me. It's an app full of content I don't care about that's plastered floor-to-ceiling with ads that have me closing it each time — feeling frustrated and that I might as well delete it to save myself some time and storage space.
Remembering what Instagram used to be

Read more
If you can’t stand ads on Instagram, you’re going to hate this update
Samsung Galaxy S23 showing Instagram

Instagram has been ruffling the feathers of many users as of late with how many ads and suggested posts it shows from unfollowed accounts. Despite the frequent criticism of the app's near-constant ads, Meta announced in a recent blog post that Instagram will now feature an additional two new types of ads to clutter the feeds of all users.

One place where Instagram remained relatively ad-free was in the search results, as the app devoted that space entirely to directing people to the photos, reels, or other users that you're looking for. Now, users can expect to see ads popping up in the search results — making the results a little more padded and a little less helpful.

Read more