Apple Removes Freecash App From App Store After Months of Data Harvesting

Source: MacRumors

Apple removed scam app Freecash from the App Store this week after the app spent months harvesting data from iPhone users, reports TechCrunch.

Background

Freecash reached the number two spot on the U.S. App Store charts in January after being heavily marketed on TikTok. It promised users up to $35 per hour for watching TikTok content, but it was collecting extensive user data.

• Wired covered Freecash’s deceptive marketing.
• MalwareBytes reported that the app gathered data such as race, religion, health, and biometrics, and harvested additional information through mobile games it pushed users to install.

How the App Operated

Users attracted by the promise of free cash discovered that they could not earn money by using TikTok. Instead, they earned only small amounts by playing games like Monopoly Go and Disney Solitaire. The primary goal was to:

• Encourage in‑app purchases.
• Drive users to watch paid ads within the games.
• Match game developers with users likely to spend money.

Apple’s Action

After the Wired report, TikTok removed Freecash ads, but Apple initially left the app in the store. Following a report from TechCrunch on Monday, Apple removed Freecash, stating that it violated guidelines prohibiting scam practices and misleading marketing.

Company Response

Freecash’s parent company, Almedia, denied using deceptive marketing techniques and claimed compliance with Apple’s App Store rules.

Impact and Additional Tactics

• The app was downloaded by 5.5 million users across the Apple App Store and Google Play in January 2026 and remained high on the charts thereafter.
• Misleading TikTok ads were supplemented with bots and fake ratings to boost visibility.
• Developers may have acquired an existing App Store app to bypass review, as Freecash had been banned in 2024 before an existing app was renamed and updated with the same functionality.

For a deeper dive, see TechCrunch’s full report.