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AppGratis: It's 'absolutely untrue' that Apple discussed app's removal from App Store

No correspondence before app was pulled

AppGratis: It's 'absolutely untrue' that Apple discussed app's removal from App Store
AppGratis CEO Simon Dawlat has described the suggestion his company was given ample opportunity to alter its discovery platform by Apple before it was pulled from the App Store as "absolutely untrue."

In a short statement posted on the firm's website, Dawlat states Apple only got in contact with AppGratis after the app had been removed from the marketplace.

Clarification

"It is important to me and my team that we clarify what happened," said Dawlat in the blog post.

"It is absolutely untrue that there were discussions between AppGratis and Apple in advance of our App being removed from Apple’s platform. The first communication from Apple we received was an email sent to us after our App had been removed."

Dawlat's comments have been made after Reuters quoted an Apple representative as stating the firm "had had a discussion with AppGratis before removing it from its platform and that the company had disregarded its technical specifications."

According to Dawlat, however, that discussion is yet to take place.

Cold shoulder

"Since our App was removed, we have had one telephone conversation with an Apple employee who repeated the content of Apple's email to us, and refused to discuss the matter further. Since then Apple has not returned any of our calls.

"It goes without saying that I am still very keen to speak to them."

Dawlat's statement comes hours after France's digital industry minister Fleur Pellerin described Apple's treatment of AppGratis as "brutal", insisting the American giant had acted "unilaterally and without explanation."

[source: AppGratis]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.