Juno, an unofficial YouTube application praised widely for its usability on Vision Pro, has been removed from Apple’s App Store following complaints from Google. According to an update from Juno’s developer, Christian Selig, Google suggested that the app violated their trademark guidelines.
This removal marks another setback for Selig, who previously had to shut down his popular Reddit client, Apollo. The shutdown was a consequence of Reddit’s policy changes that imposed fees for the use of its API. This incident led to widespread protests from Reddit users and moderators.
Selig clarified that he does not intend to escalate the situation, emphasizing that the $5 app was a “hobby project” to explore development for visionOS. He expressed his enjoyment in building Juno but stated that he had no desire to turn the situation into a major conflict, akin to the Reddit issue.
The exact nature of the trademark violation remains unclear. Selig mentioned that Google cited “trademarks and iconography” in a message to Apple, claiming Juno failed to adhere to YouTube guidelines and modified the website in an unauthorized manner. Selig countered this by explaining that Juno operates merely as a web view and acts similarly to a browser extension that adjusts CSS to align with visionOS aesthetics. He asserted that no new logos were added beyond those already present on the website, and the suffix “for YouTube” complied with branding guidelines.
As of now, Google has not developed its own YouTube application for Vision Pro, although the company indicated in February that such an app was on their roadmap. Google has not responded to requests for comments on the matter.
For users who have already purchased Juno, Selig reassured that they should be able to continue using it, although he warned that a future YouTube update might potentially render the app unusable.
