Sign in / up

back to article Apple rains refunds on Peace'd off axed ad-blocker netizens

The bloke who created and then withdrew the Peace ad-blocking tool for iOS 9 said Apple has now decided to refund all purchases of the app. Marco Arment said Monday that Apple was now issuing refunds for all users who downloaded his ad-blocking tool. Normally, if you download an app that is later pulled from the store, you …

COMMENTS

Post your comment
House rules Send corrections
Add to 'My topics' unstar *
  1. Fazal Majid

    They should also kick him off the developer program

    He's probably cost Apple several times the net gross of his app in customer service costs alone.

    I get it, his blogging buddies, like John "ad-blocking is perfectly fine unless it's my ads that are being blocked, because my shit doesn't stink" Gruber, are furious at him. The smug and sanctimonious way he did his about-face rubbed people the wrong way.

    10 2 Reply
    1. Danny 14
      Reply Icon

      Re: They should also kick him off the developer program

      so now someone else will do it and rather than the app developer turning the "first one people would remember" into a more "ethical" (is that possible with ads?) program he yanks it.

      2 1 Reply
  2. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

    But...

    Apple is the embodiment of evil. Evil Bastards don't do this sort of thing. The end of the world is nigh. Apple is doomed. etc etc

    On the otherhand, a great move by Apple from a PR POV.

    2 0 Reply
  3. chivo243 Silver badge

    "and all advertisements were blocked in the Safari browser"

    Sounds like the app does exactly what I would expect... Just because I have a browser doesn't mean it should be filled with adverts.

    I'm the guy who taped his TV shows and ffwd'd through the commercials.

    Long live ad blockers. If you got into the marketing/advertising game, it was your choice, don't moan when people think for themselves and say I don't want these adverts.

    8 0 Reply
  4. Your alien overlord - fear me

    $2.99 for an ad-blocking app, no wonder he felt bad when Android users (rooted obviously) can just slap in any old ad-blocking HOSTS file for free.

    Money, fool, easily parted.

    2 3 Reply
    1. Danny 14
      Reply Icon

      not everyone wants to root their phone though. I am loathe to trip knox on my note 4 as it is a new phone, I don't want to lose (or have to argue whilst my phone isn't with me) warranty status if it goes wrong. Sure I rooted and flashed the crap out of my older SGS2 but im leaving my new phone alone. I would love a proper http & https ad blocker, I would also like my old memory scanning apps, my backup software etc etc but for the time being im having to play unrooted.

      3 0 Reply
    2. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      No so foolish really

      The number of people who have rooted their Android in very small when compared to the Beeelions of Android phones out there.

      IMHO most ordinary users would rather pay a small fee and let an app do it for them.

      If you do root your phone and use a hosts file, you will be udating it pretty frequently as the ad/tracking sites move domains and ip addresses to thwart the very thing you are proposing.

      Letting someone else do that legwork is a pretty good idea to many people, just not those who frequent this forum.

      6 0 Reply
  5. Neil Alexander

    "roller coaster of surprise, guilt, and stress"

    None of these emotions will be felt by the advertisers as they use up my data allowance, slow down page loading and profile my web browsing, and publishers ultimately decide to get into bed with advertisers knowing full well that these things will happen. I have no sympathy for them.

    4 0 Reply
  6. bill 30

    I can't help but...

    ... wonder what the rest of the story is. Between the good will of advertisers, the benevolence of Apple and the altruism of the developer, I am sure there is a tin foil moment somewhere.

    3 0 Reply
  7. Alan Denman

    Take that you bar steward.

    Exacting revenge by Apple.

    If they could they would also sue him for bringing morality to the fore.

    More small print in the next developer agreement, Im sure.

    0 0 Reply
  8. Velv

    This must be a change of policy as I remember an App being pulled from the App Store, automatically deleted from my devices, and no refund.

    I'll need to go and dig out the invoice and chase Apple for the couple of quid (it's the principle, not the value).

    0 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Which app have Apple ever automatically deleted? There have been many pulled from the store but deleted?

      0 0 Reply
  9. Missing Semicolon Silver badge
    Holmes

    Something smells.....

    ... if the author pulled the app for working too well.

    And he seems cool with losing $100k? Maybe it gets replaced by someone. Or perhaps he was going to have to spend it all on a hospital stay having his knees re-assembled.

    2 0 Reply
    1. druck Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Down

      Re: Something smells.....

      He's been nobbled. I would not be surprised if he wasn't offered double or triple the amount its cost him in refunds.

      2 0 Reply
  10. ColonelClaw

    I now have Peace on my iPhone and P.T. on my PS4.

    What other withdrawn software do Reg readers harbour?

    0 0 Reply
  11. Bob Dole (tm)
    Holmes

    hmm..

    Why is it that when I read an article like this I wonder if someone paid him off to pull the app?

    Yeah, tinfoil and all that.

    2 0 Reply
  12. x 7

    I suspect that in reality Apple pulled the plug - not the author. The app would have cost them too much money in lost advertising revenue long term.

    What is needed now is for someone to reverse engineer it and open-source it - totally piss Apple off

    0 3 Reply
    1. gisabsr
      Reply Icon
      Facepalm

      They did it to this app, but not all of the other ones that do the same thing?

      They let the apps onto the App store in the first place, knowing full well what they can do?

      They added the ability to add extensions, including adblocking, to Safari, without thinking this through?

      It wasn't Apple. Nice try, though.

      4 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        No matter what Apple does, there is always someone who suggests "Apple did it for <negative reasons that make them look bad and stupid>". That meme is getting as old as the "you're holding it wrong" at this point. Can't the haters be more original?

        4 0 Reply

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

Forgotten password ?

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like