Dive Brief:
- Ad-blocking app Peace was number one in paid app sales in the Apple App Store before its developer pulled the app.
- Now Apple is automatically issuing refunds to those who downloaded it.
- Since the release of iOS 9 and its mobile Safari ad-blocking capability, paid ad-blocking apps in the App Store have seen a spike in popularity and downloads.
Dive Insight:
At $2.99 a download, ad blocking app Peace zoomed to the top of the App Store’s paid apps. Its developer pulled Peace less than 24 hours after its release based on concerns it could hurt publishers' bottom lines. In what has been described as an unprecedented move, Apple is automatically issuing refunds to users who downloaded Peace. Apple developer Marco Arment wrote in a blog post, “As far as I know, this effectively never happens.” Apple typically forces users seeking refunds to place a request first. Around 13,000 people downloaded Peace during the short time it was available.
Even though Peace is no longer on the app marketplace, Apple users are still purchasing ad-blocking apps on the App Store with Crystal at $0.99 in first place and Purify Blocker costing $3.99 in fourth place in the paid app category.
