Rave Inc. filed antitrust lawsuits against Apple Inc. on May 7, 2026, after the company removed its co-viewing application from the App Store [2].
The legal action highlights the ongoing tension between platform owners and third-party developers over alleged anti-competitive behavior and the preferential treatment of first-party services.
Apple removed the Rave app in August 2025 [1]. The developer, which operates a cross-platform service for synchronized viewing, said the removal was a strategic move to eliminate competition with Apple’s own SharePlay feature [1].
The lawsuits were filed in five countries: the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Russia [4]. The legal filings were announced from San Francisco [3].
Apple said the app was removed due to unspecified allegations of fraud and vague concerns about content moderation [1]. Rave disputes these reasons and said the removal unfairly targets a service with more than 225 million downloads [3].
By removing the app globally, Apple effectively cut off Rave's access to a significant portion of the mobile market. The developer said this action constitutes an abuse of market power to protect Apple's ecosystem and its internal product offerings [2].
This multi-jurisdictional approach suggests Rave is attempting to leverage different international antitrust frameworks to force a resolution. The company seeks to regain its place on the App Store and potentially secure damages for lost revenue since the August 2025 removal [1].
“Rave filed antitrust lawsuits alleging Apple removed the Rave app from the App Store and favored its own SharePlay service.”
This case adds to a growing global trend of 'app-store' litigation where developers challenge the dual role of companies like Apple as both the platform regulator and a competitor. If Rave succeeds in any of the five jurisdictions, it could further pressure Apple to standardize its moderation policies or face stricter oversight regarding how it promotes its own integrated features over third-party alternatives.
