The app, which promised its 12 million users one free app a day, was pulled by Apple last week, and AppGratis CEO Simon Dawlat claims that the removal came as a complete surprise.
In fact, Dawlat says that the App Store review team had approved the iPad version of AppGratis just days before banning the team's existing app, leaving AppGratis confused by the platform holder's actions.
There's no doubt, though, that AppGratis held considerable influence over the App Store charts, and many commentators have argued that Apple was well within its rights to unceremoniously boot an app that was potentially distorting its rankings.
But whether you think AppGratis should have stayed or should have gone, some things are still clear Apple remains as imperious as ever when it comes to handing down judgements, and as inconsistent as ever in the enforcement of its own App Store guidelines.
After all, AppGratis isn't the only app of its kind, it was simply the most powerful. If AppGratis was kicked for breaching clauses 2.25 and 5.6, why was it approved at all? Why wasn't it booted when it held less influence?
It seems likely that AppGratis was, in the words of Jon Jordan, just "too successful for Apple."
But that's enough high-falutin' talk for now. Instead, let's take a look back at the last seven days of mobile gaming news, interviews and features on PocketGamer.biz.The AppGratis saga
- Apple continues its crusade against third-party app promotion by pulling AppGratis.
- It had 4.6 percent of the US iPhone discovery market, so PocketGamer.biz editor-at-large Jon Jordan wonders whether AppGratis was just too successful for Apple?
- Apple claims that AppGratis broke its rules on push notifications, as well as breaching the infamous Clause 2.25.
- In a detailed blog post, CEO Simon Dawlat claims that the AppGratis removal came as a complete shock to him and his team, and he is "stunned that Apple took the decision to destroy so much value within their own ecosystem."
- The decision to pull AppGratis is just the first step in a wider clampdown, according to "sources familiar with Apple."
- France's digital industry minister Fleur Pellerin responds to Apple's "brutal" removal of AppGratis, urging the Cupertino firm to "behave ethically."
- In response to articles quoting an Apple rep, Dawlat vehemently denies receiving any prior warning that his app would be pulled.
- Editor Keith Andrew looks at what the wider implications of the AppGratis saga on the App Store may be.
Tools and platforms
- Corona Labs launches a free 'starter' tier for its Corona SDK.
- Green Throttle CEO Charles Huang explains the company's "virtual console" approach to PocketGamer.biz.
- Kontagent updates its kSuite mobile consumer intelligence platform, so we catch up with the company's chief science officer to find out more.
- The developers of Cocos2d-x have boasted that twelve of PocketGamer.biz's top 50 developers make use of its cross-platform 2D game engine.
Global game
- PocketGamer.biz contributor Joseph Barron examines how Melbourne became mobile gaming's secret success story.
- We talk to Real Racing 3 developer Firemonkeys about its position as the giant of Melbourne's mobile development scene.
- Melbourne's mobile scene is transforming Australia into an "industry leader," says The Voxel Agents.
Monetisation
- This week's edition of the PocketGamer.biz Charticle looks at Megapolis, and how Social Quantum pushed its English-language App Store debut into the top grossing charts.
- Puzzle & Dragons, the most lucrative mobile game in the world, is currently adding 1 million new Japanese players every few weeks.
- The UK's Office of Fair Trading launches an investigation into freemium games and in-app purchases, focusing on 'aggressive practices' that might target children.
- And the UK's trade associations give their response, with both TIGA and UKIE praising the free-to-play model while also stressing that developers have a responsibility to consumers.
Industry voices
- The PocketGamer.biz Mobile Gaming Mavens look back on GDC 2013, remembering the surprises, parties and arguments they stumbled into at this year's show.
- In the eighth commandment of app marketing, appromoter MD Ed Vause provides eight tips for your media launch.
- Slimstown Studios' Amar Gavhane explains how the company's Quyay platform will tackle mobile gaming's discovery problem.
- Clive Downie fills PocketGamer.biz in on his plan to make DeNA "the most successful entertainment company in the world."
- PocketGamer.biz US correspondent Carter Dotson delivers his thoughts on session length, and offers two novel ways to get users playing for longer.
