New App Store lawsuits surface

Two new lawsuits are pushing an old complaint about Apple into a sharper form: not just that the App Store is tightly controlled, but that developers can lose access to it suddenly, with little explanation, and watch their businesses stall while Apple keeps moving. One suit comes from Kosta Eleftheriou, a developer who became well known for documenting scams and fake-review schemes on the App Store. The other comes from Ex-Human, an AI startup whose apps Botify AI and Photify AI were pulled after scrutiny over sexualized chatbot features and “nudify” image tools. (webpronews.com) (9to5mac.com) (appleinsider.com) Eleftheriou’s case lands with extra weight because he has spent years attacking the App Store from the inside. He co-founded the Fleksy keyboard app, later sold it to Pinterest, and then became one of Apple’s most persistent public critics, highlighting copycat apps, fake subscriptions, and weak enforcement against obvious scams. In 2021 he sued Apple over App Store practices in California state court; reports last month said that earlier case had been settled. His new federal suit, according to WebProNews, says Apple removed his AI apps without a clear explanation and is using its control over iPhone software distribution in a way that violates antitrust law. (techcrunch.com) (newswav.com) (webpronews.com) Ex-Human’s complaint is narrower and messier. The company says Apple wrongfully removed Botify AI and Photify AI and withheld about $500,000 in revenue tied to the apps. Apple has not published a point-by-point response to the suit, but the reporting around the filing points to the kind of content Apple has been cracking down on: sexualized AI chat, image tools that can be used to undress real people, and services that may expose minors to explicit material. (storyboard18.com) (macobserver.com) (appleinsider.com) That is not a random corner of policy. Apple updated its App Review Guidelines on February 6, 2026, to say more plainly that apps built around random or anonymous chat fall under its user-generated-content rules. The current guidelines also say apps used mainly for pornographic content, “objectification of real people,” bullying, or threats do not belong on the App Store and may be removed without notice. Apple says the store is curated for safety and that every app is reviewed before and after release. (developer.apple.com 1) (developer.apple.com 2) (developer.apple.com 3) The tension is easy to see. Apple presents the App Store as a guarded mall: one entrance, one rulebook, one landlord. Developers see the same structure and notice something harsher. If Apple is the only practical way to reach iPhone users in most markets, then a removal is not just moderation. It is eviction. And Apple’s own developer terms give it broad room to act. The Apple Developer Program License Agreement says Apple may remove services, revoke access, or cancel services at any time, without notice or liability, in its sole discretion. (developer.apple.com) That language has already held up in court. In March 2026, a federal judge dismissed Musi’s lawsuit over its App Store removal, with reports quoting the ruling to say Apple can delist apps “with or without cause.” That does not end new suits, but it shows the obstacle ahead. Developers can argue that Apple’s enforcement is inconsistent, retaliatory, or anti-competitive. Apple can point to contracts it wrote, guidelines it keeps revising, and a review system designed to let it act first and explain later. (9to5mac.com) (macrumors.com) (developer.apple.com) So these cases are not really about two missing apps. They are about who gets to decide what an iPhone user may download, how clearly that decision must be explained, and whether a developer has any meaningful appeal when the answer changes overnight. In Apple’s guidelines, the sentence is short and blunt: certain apps “may be removed without notice.” The new lawsuits are asking a court to look hard at those five words. (developer.apple.com)