Freecash app store removal (2026)
Apple removed the rewards app Freecash from its App Store on April 13, 2026, hours after TechCrunch contacted the company about the app's marketing.[1][2] Google pulled the Android version around 2 AM PT on April 15, 2026.[1] Apple cited two App Store Review Guidelines, 3.1.2(a) & 2.3.1, which it said forbid scamming users, bait-and-switch tactics, & misleading marketing.[1] The app, operated by Berlin-based Almedia GmbH, had reached the No. 2 position on the U.S. App Store & 5.5 million downloads in January 2026, up from 876,000 in October 2025.[1][2] It had returned to both stores through a renamed developer account after Almedia's original Freecash app was removed in 2024, a re-entry TechCrunch described as "a common, though rule-breaking, tactic."[1] Google reinstated the Android app in May 2026 & Apple restored the iOS listing on June 17, 2026; the app is available on both stores.[2][3]
Removal from the App Store and Google Play
[edit | edit source]Freecash stayed in the App Store until April 13, 2026, when Apple removed it after TechCrunch contacted the company for comment.[4][2] Apple pointed TechCrunch to guidelines 3.1.2(a) & 2.3.1, & noted that its Developer Program License Agreement separately bars developers from bait-and-switch pricing, consumer misrepresentation, & deceptive business practices.[1] The Android app remained live for another two days; Google told TechCrunch it was looking into the matter, then confirmed it had removed the app from the Play Store around 2 AM PT on April 15, 2026.[1] AppleInsider reported that, based on the privacy section of the App Store listing before removal, Freecash was collecting data on "biometrics, health and more."[5]
Re-entry through a renamed developer account
[edit | edit source]Citing Appfigures data, TechCrunch reported that Almedia GmbH first submitted Freecash to the Apple App Store on March 24, 2024, & that Apple removed it after around two months, on June 13, 2024.[1] Months later, an existing App Store app developed by the Cyprus-based company 256 Rewards Ltd, originally called Rewards, was rebranded as Freecash, & an update was submitted under that app's existing ID.[1] Apple's guidelines prohibit apps that try to trick App Review by circumventing bans, & TechCrunch described re-entering the App Store through another developer account after a ban as "a common, though rule-breaking, tactic."[1] TechCrunch reported that Almedia's original Android app, under developer ID com.freecash.twa, was removed in January 2024, & that the current Freecash app is listed under a different developer ID, com.freecash.app2.[1]
Almedia's response
[edit | edit source]Almedia's PR manager James Law denied the app used deceptive marketing or drove artificial traffic.[1]
Our apps are fully compliant with the Apple App Store and Google Play Store policies, as demonstrated by the fact that they are live and regularly pass platform reviews.
Almedia founder & chief executive Moritz Holländer published a statement on the company website on April 16, 2026, framing the removals as a consequence of media coverage rather than a platform-initiated policy action. He described that coverage as containing "a number of inaccurate and misleading claims" about the business & said the company was "actively working with both Apple and Google to resolve this."[6] Holländer acknowledged that some third-party affiliates in Almedia's marketing program had created TikTok ads with exaggerated or misleading claims, & said the company had the ads removed once it identified them.[6]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Perez, Sarah (2026-04-14). "How the rewards app Freecash scammed its way to the top of the app stores". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-08-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rijo, Luís (2026-05-10). "Freecash returns to Google Play after review, Apple reinstatement pending". PPC Land. Retrieved 2026-08-22.
- ↑ "Freecash Makes Its Comeback on the iOS App Store, Rewarding Over 80 Million Users and Counting". PR Newswire. Almedia GmbH. 2026-06-17. Retrieved 2026-08-22.
- ↑ Clover, Juli (2026-04-14). "Apple Removes Freecash App From App Store After Months of Data Harvesting". MacRumors. Retrieved 2026-08-22.
- ↑ Gallagher, William (2026-04-15). "Freecash app scammed users and the App Store for months before removal". AppleInsider. Retrieved 2026-08-22.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Holländer, Moritz (2026-04-16). "A Word From Our Founder". Almedia. Retrieved 2026-08-22.