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Apple removes nostalgic app that made your phone look like an iPod

Apple has removed a music player app that could make your iPhone look like an old school iPod from the App Store. 

The app called “Rewound” only appeared on the App Store last week, but the app’s creator wrote on Medium that the app was “killed” because it could be mistaken as an Apple-designed app. 

Those who downloaded the app could customize and create skins that look like the nostalgic iPod design. According to the post, it wasn’t until users seated sharing and using the click wheel skins that Apple noticed the app and decided to ban it. 

“Enabling scrolling navigation, a click wheel skin + matching layout were 100% opt-in. Users’ decision,” the blog post reads, adding that skins were user added and user downloaded. 

Before the app was pulled from the store, the blog post says that there were over 36,700 downloads in the U.S. Rewound also got to the No. 19 trending music app in the country.

The app can’t be updated without breaking it for all of the 170,000 people who downloaded the app before Apple nixed it. The developer is seeking a separate version with plans to make Rewound a web app. 

“In the digital age THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY and we’re going find a way for 2000s era MP3 players to come back into our lives for good,” Rewound’s blog post reads. 

There is currently a GoFundMe to get the Rewound web app to cache to your iPhone home screen with a goal of $55,711. (As always, be wary of the risks of crowdfunding before committing your hard-earned money.)

Digital Trends reached out to Apple to comment on why they pulled the app, and we’ll update this story once we hear back.

Even though we are about to enter an entirely new decade, the tech world has been referring back to the past when it comes to the technology of the present. A perfect example is the foldable Motorola Razr, which borrows heavily from the classic design from the 2000s. And now with Disney+, you can relive your younger years by watching Disney Channel classics like Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens, and Kim Possible. 

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Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
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