Apple has been accused of moving against apps that are designed to limit iPhone usage after introducing its own Screen Time tool, which app makers say is less strict than their own products.
On Thursday, two of the most popular parental-control apps, Kidslox and Qustodio, filed a complaint with the European Union’s competition office claiming Apple forced restrictions that damaged business.
Over the past year, Apple has removed or restricted at least 11 of the 17 most downloaded screen-time and parental-control apps, according to a new analysis by The New York Times.
Given Apple’s curatorial role as owner of the App Store, they will have verified and approved dozens, if not hundreds, of versions of each offending app before deciding this year that such apps breached their terms and conditions.
One such app was Freedom, a screen-tracking app with almost a million downloads. Freedom’s exec, Fred Stutzman, said Apple’s “incentives aren’t really aligned for helping people solve their problem. Can you really trust that Apple wants people to spend less time on their phones?”
