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iTether App Pulled From App Store

Tuesday November 29, 2011 8:10 am PST by Jordan Golson

Just hours after becoming the top-grossing app on the App Store, tethering app iTether has been removed by Apple. The $14.99 app, which went live on the App Store last night, allowed users to share their iPhone's internet connection with their Mac or PC computer over USB. With iTether, users could bypass a $20/month service offered by cellular providers for tethering services.

In 2008, Apple briefly approved another tethering app called Netshare but, as with iTether, quickly pulled it from the App Store. The approval of iTether may have been an oversight by Apple, but there has been no official word yet on the reason for the removal. As in the case of Netshare, it should continue to work for those who bought it before it was pulled.
[ 261 comments ]


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Small White Car
63 months ago
I don't think it was a mistake. Apple seemed to understand exactly what it did before they put it in the store.

My guess is that they were pushing the limits with the carriers to see if they complained. Of course, they did, but perhaps Apple wanted to make them have to complain, just to let them know that Apple could totally allow this if they wanted to.

Perhaps some future pricing negotiations are going on right now and Apple wanted to let them know who really has the power right now.

I dunno. Far fetched? Maybe. Or maybe not.
Rating: 48 Votes
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BMcCoy
63 months ago
In other words, someone high up in a carrier company just phoned Tim to rant..
Rating: 20 Votes
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reden
63 months ago

Thought they said they talked it over with Apple, and it will stay. I wonder if they said that just for the hell of it.:rolleyes:


Dude, the app's name has the word TETHER in it. I would think it would have raised some red flags at Apple.
Rating: 15 Votes
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miles01110
63 months ago
Not really sure how you miss this in the first place.
Rating: 12 Votes
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AlkFoo
63 months ago
IMO- the "tethering" fees from the carriers are a racket. Talk about double-dipping. To a degree I can understand the tethering to a PC or Mac be troublesome for carriers... but from a handheld/mobile device to another (i.e. iPhone to iPad), seems ridiculous. Excluding the under 5% (not a fact, just gestimate) of people that will run all of their interent (specifically their PC's/Desktops) through a 3G signal (who would want to) most people would just like to have access on the rare occasion they are out away from their own home wifi signal. At least, that's what I would think.
Rating: 12 Votes
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jordanwar
63 months ago
Tether claims "We were very clear with Apple what our app did. They asked us a bunch of questions and then approved us." So it may not be getting pulled.:confused:
Rating: 11 Votes
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ArtOfWarfare
63 months ago

If anything Apple should refund everyone who bought the app and not pay the author a single cent.


I'm an app developer and I have to completely disagree with you. This wasn't exactly a lottery. Sure, chance was involved, but it wasn't chance alone. They made an app, people wanted it and were willing to pay the price, and so they got it. The consumers aught to keep their app and the author aught to keep their money.

This is like someone setting up a strip club where the laws regarding such a business are fuzzy. Someone decided to take a chance and set up the club, and for a night, people wanted to go and spend money, and so the owner made money. And then the laws got clarified and the club got shut down. You can't take the money away from the owner, because his operation was legal-ish when he set it up.

Similarly, this app developer thought they'd found a way that this app was permissible on the store, and some app reviewers (it requires the approval of two to get on the store,) agreed that it was. Then the rules were clarified, and Apple took the app off the store.
Rating: 9 Votes
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fanboy05
63 months ago
Glad I snagged it when it went live last night! Now to wait and see if At&T can track my use... I am unlimited, and am not switching to their freaking capped data plan, and paying MORE to tether... they are greedy to say the least!
Rating: 8 Votes
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chainprayer
63 months ago
What a way I get rich quick! Wonder how much try pulled in...

I wish I could develop an app that goes live for half a day and reaches the #1 position!
Rating: 8 Votes
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Huracan
63 months ago
We don't accomplish much with our comments here. Write or call your congressperson to let them know what the cell phone companies are doing with tethering. Data is just data, no matter if you access it with your phone or with a laptop tethered to the phone. Comparing with fixed line access is like your ISP letting you plug a computer to your home router, but charging you $20 extra if you also plug a game console or a TV to the home router.

I feel reluctantly ok with them capping the data plans, but not with telling me how to use that data plan and with which devices to use that data plan. Please write your congressperson. Definitely the public interest is there, the way the app was selling like hot cookies.
Rating: 6 Votes

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