When the Apple Vision Pro was announced at WWDC 2023, Google chose not to offer an application for its YouTube subsidiary. The team of the famous online video site had specified that visionOS users could go to YouTube via Safari and that this was sufficient. When Google didn’t make an effort, a developer named Christian Selig came up with an alternative, the Juno app. A paid app, but one that has been very successful!
Juno is removed from the visionOS App Store
The Juno application, specially developed to allow Vision Pro headset users to watch YouTube in 4K, was removed last night from the visionOS App Store. This withdrawal leaves a void for Vision Pro owners, since there is no longer a solution for viewing YouTube via a dedicated application. From now on, users will have to turn to the Safari browser to access the platform.
The conflict between YouTube and the Juno app began in April when YouTube contacted Juno developer Christian Selig. The firm accused the application of violating its terms of use as well as those of its API. According to YouTube, Juno was modifying the site’s native interface, an action deemed to be a violation of the rules, in particular because of the use of brand elements which could mislead users.
Faced with these accusations, Christian Selig tried to save his application by making adjustments. It integrated a website player instead of the modified interface and made it clear that Juno was not an official YouTube app. However, despite these efforts, YouTube was not satisfied that these changes were sufficient to comply with the requirements.
Unsuccessful, YouTube filed an official complaint with the App Store to force Juno’s removal. Selig, not wanting to remove his app himself, ultimately saw his work disappear from the app store when Apple gave in to the complaint. This removal is also a big blow for the Cupertino company, because Juno offered a superior YouTube experience to Safari on Vision Pro, a rarity in the absence of a dedicated YouTube application.
Current Juno users can console themselves, the application remains functional for those who have already purchased it. However, it will no longer benefit from updates. Selig, while disappointed by the decision, does not intend to contest the withdrawal.
For its part, YouTube seems to take a rigid stance towards the Vision Pro. Not only has the platform not yet developed a native application for the headset, but it also refuses to allow the iPad version of YouTube to be compatible with the Vision Pro. Alternatives like Juno, developed by third parties to compensate for this lack, find themselves in the crosshairs of the platform, which seeks by all means to make them disappear.
