Apple has taken the ad-free version of Instagram off of the App Store for good and here’s why.

Most Instagram users would appreciate being able to use the apps without constantly being bombarded with ads. It appears that third-party apps with the moniker “OG App” were just released earlier this week on the App Store. What we know about the app is that it provides users access to Instagram with an ad-free version, along with other features.

However, only one day after the apps were made available through the App Store, Apple permanently removed OG App from the store. Following that removal, Apple provided an explanation to 9to5Mac as to why the action was taken.

9to5Mac reports that Apple had to take OG App off the App Store because it used Instagram’s API in a way that wasn’t allowed by Meta’s terms of service. This means that OG App was using Instagram’s service without permission, which is against both the App Store Review Guidelines and Instagram’s terms of use.

Likewise, Apple has emphasized the privacy and security of Instagram users’ accounts in accordance with App Store Review Guideline 5.2.2, which specifically states that;

Make sure your app only includes content that you created or that you have a license to use. Your app may be removed if you’ve stepped over the line and used content without permission.

If your app uses, accesses, monetizes access to, or displays content from a third-party service, ensure that you are specifically permitted to do so under the service’s terms of use. Authorization must be provided upon request.

Meta also criticized the OG App publicly, reiterating that the app violates the company’s “policies” and that the company will “take all appropriate enforcement action” in response. As a direct consequence of this, the OG App has been taken down from the App Store and is no longer available for download. If you have already downloaded the app, you will find that it will no longer function properly after Meta cuts off the app’s access to its Instagram API.

Source : [1]