Apple Pulls An Amazon: App Update Kills Key Feature

iPhone owners who updated the Bjango’s iStat app today noticed that the “Free Memory” function mysteriously went away. iStat allows users to monitor the phone’s internal stats and, until recently, free up wired and inactive memory to boost performance and endurance. But not anymore. As Boy Genius is reporting, an update removes what was a popular feature. This kind of after-the-fact behavior is reminiscent of Amazon’s PR slipup of just a few weeks ago, when the company removed copies of 1984 (and other Orwell works) and later apologized. Apple requested that Bjango update the app to remove the strangely controversial function. iStat wasn’t the only one–all apps that offered to “Free Memory” got the same request. Some apps appear to have been removed completely from the App Store and from iPhones themselves. One irate commenter on Boy Genius Report posted that Freememory 1.5 is no longer on his phone and he hasn’t been refunded the money he paid for it. At least Amazon refunded Kindle users’ money after reaching in and deleting their books. Perhaps refunds are forthcoming, but the core problem remains. If Apple didn’t want this functionality, why did it approve the apps to begin with? And even if they are developing an Apple-baked update to do the same, why handle it in this clumsy manner? Keeping control to protect the user experience is one thing, but ostenisbly fliping the kill switch on non-malicious apps without proper notice or refund will only generate animosity.