AppGratis Starts Petition To Fight Against App Store Ban

AppGratis is seeking help from its user base in order to convince Apple to unban it from the App Store. It has started a petition, which so far has garnered over 600,000 emails of support, a number that is growing rapidly fast. Unlike regular petitions, AppGratis is asking users to send them an email at save@appgrat.is. Your email address (redacted) will appear on the petition's "recent emails" list, alongside your message of support.AppGratis was removed from the App Store on April 5th without a word of warning. At first, AppGratis CEO Simon Dawlat thought it may have just been an error, until Apple made an official statement saying AppGratis violated many of the App Store's clauses. Over 12 million people use AppGratis, with over 300,000 new users joining the service every day (before it was removed). It generated $1 million of revenue each month.

France is also working with EU regulators to help support AppGratis. French Junior Minister Fleur Pellerin is asking EU regulators to increase regulation of internet companies against abusive actions. While the app may have been removed from the App Store, Dawlat assures the 12 million users still using the app that everything will continue as it always has. The app will continue to be updated with new, free apps as well as app discounts.

AppGratis is getting support from all around, but mainly, it wants the support of its users, because in the end, "it's always the end user's voice that matters most." While a petition won't guarantee that AppGratis will be restored to the App Store, it will be helpful in convincing Apple to reconsider its decisions and its guidelines. The petition also serves as a sort of reassurance to AppGratis. Dawlat says, "We needed a strong vote of confidence from our users to keep calm and carry on. And we got it."

[via Pocket Gamer]