Apple removes Vision Pro app 'Juno' following allegations from Google
What's the story
Apple has removed Juno, a third-party YouTube app made for the Vision Pro, from its App Store.
This happened after Google raised a flag, saying the app was breaking YouTube's rules.
Christian Selig, who developed Juno, confirmed the news.
Selig is a former Apple developer who was also behind Apollo, the most popular Reddit app on iOS. Apollo was shut down following Reddit's increased API pricing structure.
App features
Juno was created to fill a void
Earlier this year, Selig rolled out Juno to help Vision Pro users, who were stuck watching YouTube only through Safari. Yes, Google never developed a YouTube app for Vision Pro.
Juno offered a cool viewing experience with features like 360- or 180-degree video formats, pinch and drag for easy navigation, and Siri integration for playback control.
Even though it didn't block ads and worked as a "web-wrapper for YouTube," Selig got a warning from Google about possibly breaching YouTube's guidelines.
Legal concerns
YouTube's legal team flagged potential violations
In April, YouTube's legal team shot an email to Selig, saying that Juno "violated" the platform's API terms of service and "strongly alludes to YouTube's trademarks and iconography."
In response, Selig removed YouTube's logo from Juno's homepage and added "unofficial" to its subtitle/description on the App Store.
Despite these changes, an agreement couldn't be reached between the parties, leading to Apple removing Juno from its store.
No appeal
Selig won't challenge Juno's removal from App Store
Selig has chosen not to challenge the removal of Juno from the App Store.
He mentioned that current users can keep using the app unless they delete it or a YouTube update messes with its functionality.
This decision is quite different from his earlier approach when he battled against the shutdown of his Reddit client, Apollo.
Developer's perspective
Selig views Juno as a 'hobby project'
Selig described the $5 app as a "hobby project" and expressed his enjoyment in developing for visionOS.
He stated on his website, "I really enjoyed building Juno, but it was always something I saw as fundamentally a little app I built for fun."
"Juno was one of the best visionOS apps. It leaves a hole in the platform that seemingly won't ever be filled with the same level of quality," wrote one user on X.