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.
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