Apple Sued for Pulling Co-Viewing App Rave From the App Store
Source: MacRumors
Background
Rave is a cross‑platform service that lets users watch movies, TV shows, and music together while chatting. It was founded in 2016 and was available on iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows. The app offered a collaborative viewing experience that Apple’s SharePlay does not provide on Android and Windows devices.
Allegations
In August 2025 Apple removed the Rave app from the App Store. Rave filed a series of antitrust lawsuits against Apple, claiming that Apple:
- Cited “unspecified allegations of fraud and vague concerns about content moderation” as the reason for the removal.
- Targeted Rave because it competes with SharePlay and Apple wanted to dominate the smartphone co‑viewing market.
- Falsely labeled the Rave macOS app as malware, preventing Mac users from installing it.
Apple has not commented on the lawsuits or the removal.
Content‑moderation concerns
Discussion on Reddit highlighted several issues associated with Rave, including:
- Unmoderated public chatrooms.
- Presence of pornography, scams, and CSAM material.
- The Rave app being flagged as malware by security vendors such as Kaspersky, BitDefender, Windows Defender, and Google.
These points suggest that Apple may have had legitimate security and safety concerns beyond competitive motives.
Current status
Following Apple’s action, Rave’s service is now limited to Windows and Android devices. The iOS and macOS versions remain unavailable in the App Store.
This article first appeared on MacRumors.com.