SAN FRANCISCO: They all tell a similar story: They ran apps that helped people limit the time they and their children spent on iPhones. Then created its own screen-time tracker. And then Apple made staying in business very, very difficult. Over the past year, Apple has removed or restricted 11 of the 17 most downloaded screen-time and parentalcontrol apps, according to an analysis by and Sensor Tower, an app-data firm.
In some cases, Apple forced companies to remove features that allowed parents to control their children’s devices or that blocked children’s access to certain apps and adult content. In other cases, it simply pulled the apps from its App Store. Amir Moussavian, chief executive of OurPact, a popular parental-control app, said Apple had yanked his company’s app from the App Store, crippling the business.
Executives at the app makers believe they are being targeted because their apps could hurt Apple’s business. Apple’s tools, they add, aren’t as aggressive about limiting screen time and don’t provide as many options. On Thursday, two of the most popular parentalcontrol apps, Kidslox and Qustodio, filed a complaint with the EU’s competition office.
Apple is facing other accusations that it is abusing its dominant position — an issue that has become more important as the iPhone maker expands into new markets like TV, news and gaming.
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