Apple has backed down on threats to remove the popular utility “Amphetamine” from the Mac App Store. According to the developer, Apple threatened to remove the app over its name, saying it violated guidelines 1.4.3 related to “consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol.”
For those unfamiliar, Amphetamine is a free app in the Mac App Store designed to keep your Mac from falling asleep. It was released in 2014 and has been available in the Mac App Store ever since, but only this week did Apple contact the creator of the amphetamine, William Gustafson, with the accusation that the app violates the App Store guidelines.
The full guideline is:
Apps that encourage the use of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted in the App Store. Programs that encourage minors to consume any of these drugs will be rejected. The facilitation of the sale of marijuana, tobacco or controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies) is not permitted.
Apple also added specific details:
“It seems that your program promotes inappropriate use of controlled drugs. Your name and icon of your app specifically contains references to controlled substances, pills. ”
Apple said that if Gustafson does not change the name and brand of Amphetamine, the app will be removed from the Mac App Store on January 12. Gustafson quickly filed an appeal and was contacted by Apple to discuss the situation:
On January 2, 2021, I received a call from Apple to discuss the results of my appeal. At that call, an Apple representative said that Apple now acknowledges that the word “amphetamine” and the arrow icon are used “metaphorically” and in a “medical sense”.
Eventually, Apple cut back on their position and Amphetamine will be allowed to stay in the Mac App Store. This is nonetheless another example of Apple’s contradictory approach to applying its App Store guidelines. There are numerous other applications in the Mac App Store with references to legal and illegal drugs, in many cases much more blatant than amphetamine.
You can read the full details of the situation here on Gustafson’s GitHub page.
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