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An iPhone app that imitated and duplicated some of the functionality of the original iPod has been removed from the App Store. The app, called Retro Pod, went viral on TikTok many times since December, but has now disappeared from the App Store without any explanation.
Apple doesn’t want you to duplicate your iPod
As first discovered by The BargeA TikTok video showcasing Retro Pod has been viewed nearly 5 million times. The app itself has reportedly been downloaded nearly 500,000 times. This was due to a spike in early January after several viral videos went viral on TikTok. It was first approved by App Store reviewers and released in October.
The app’s nostalgia combined with its many striking design features led to its popularity. For example, the app used his iPhone’s Taptic Engine to recreate the “tactile, bumpy feel” of the iPod Classic’s scroll wheel.
Neither Apple nor the Retro Pod developers have commented on the removal of the app from the App Store. That said, there’s no question that Apple removed the app after its popularity skyrocketed.
App Store guidelines prohibit “copycat” applications, especially if those apps attempt to duplicate Apple itself. It’s also not the first time Apple has removed his iPod emulation-style app from the App Store. In 2019, the “Rewound” app similarly replicated his iPod design, went viral, and was subsequently removed from the App Store.
Such an app should never have gone through the App Store review process in the first place. But as we’ve seen countless times, almost everything can slip through the cracks eventually. Apple responds when faced with criticism or when certain apps like Rewound and Retro Pod go viral.
If you want to recreate the iPod experience on your iPhone, there’s still a way. iPod.js is a web-based app that clones the iPod Classic experience and also allows you to sign in with your Apple Music or Spotify account.
Do you think Apple should allow this kind of application in the App Store? Let us know in the comments.
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