One of the top apps on the App Store was just rescinded by its developer.
Developer Marco Arment has just pulled the Peace ad-blocker application from the App Store. Arment went on to offer the following explanation via his web site:
I’ve pulled Peace from the App Store. I’m sorry to all of my fans and customers who bought this on my name, expecting it to be supported for longer than two days. It’ll keep working for a long time if you already have it, but with no updates.
If you want a refund, here’s how you do that.
As I write this, Peace has been the number one paid app in the U.S. App Store for about 36 hours. It’s a massive achievement that should be the highlight of my professional career. If Overcast even broke the top 100, I’d be over the moon.
Achieving this much success with Peace just doesn’t feel good, which I didn’t anticipate, but probably should have. Ad blockers come with an important asterisk: while they do benefit a ton of people in major ways, they also hurt some, including many who don’t deserve the hit.
Peace required that all ads be treated the same — all-or-nothing enforcement for decisions that aren’t black and white. This approach is too blunt, and Ghostery and I have both decided that it doesn’t serve our goals or beliefs well enough. If we’re going to effect positive change overall, a more nuanced, complex approach is required than what I can bring in a simple iOS app.
Peace rose to the top of the App Store charts with the debut of iOS 9 and this transition comes as unexpected to many users and customers. Arment went on to recommend ad-blocker apps like Ghostery, which is also available from the App Store.
Arment commented that while he enjoyed certain elements of the success of his app, he didn’t enjoy, or feel at peace with the whole of it.
The full text behind the retraction as well as instructions for how to receive a full refund are available at his web site.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via Marco.org
One reply on “Peace ad-blocker app pulled, developer offers refunds, explanation”
“It didn’t feel right.” Translation: somebody paid him to stop blocking their ads.