Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil Speakers Touch is back on the App Store, but without a key feature. Version 3.1 of the app was released on Wednesday with some interface tweaks, but to get it approved, the company had to remove the ability to receive streaming audio from other iOS devices and iTunes.
Airfoil Speakers Touch Update Notes
Airfoils Speakers Touch allows users to stream audio from Macs and PCs to their iOS devices. Starting in version 3.0, the company added an in-app purchase for the ability to stream audio other iOS devices or directly from iTunes itself.
The app was pulled on May 24th, and it wasn’t initially clear why. Rogue Amoeba was told that the app was using private Apple APIs, which the company denied was the case. According to a new post, however, the issue was the above-mention new feature.
That feature doesn’t technically violate Apple’s guidelines, according to Rogue Amoeba CEO Paul Kafasis, but it did run afoul of some internal metric at Apple.
“Apple is using the authority they provide themselves in the guidelines and program license agreement to remove apps they don’t like,” he wrote in a blog post. “Specifically, they cited a provision in the App Store Review Guidelines which allows them to reject apps ‘for any content or behavior [they] believe is over the line.’”
He added, “That’s certainly disappointing, and frustrating, but it’s the nature of the system Apple has created.”
Accordingly, the app was resubmitted without that feature. More importantly, it was approved and is once again on the App Store.
“Sadly, we reached the end of the line with Apple, and it was clear they would not be allowing users to have this functionality,” Mr. Kafasis wrote. “We determined that our best course of action was to remove it, so as to save the rest of the application for its existing and future users.”
Rogue Amoeba posted some work around notes for ways to route audio from an iOS device to another iOS device.
Airfoil Speakers Touch is a free download.