Apple Removes Featured Watch App 'The Whole Pantry' From App Store Amid Fraud Claims

by

Apple has removed the award-winning healthy eating app The Whole Pantry from the App Store and its featured Apple Watch apps page amid allegations that its creator Belle Gibson committed fraud, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The report states that Gibson is accused of making false claims about her cancer diagnosis and failing to donate thousands of dollars collected during fundraisers to charities.

The Whole Pantry Removed

Apple has removed The Whole Pantry from its Apple Watch featured apps page

Apple had been promoting The Whole Pantry as a featured Apple Watch app on its website over the past week, although it has updated the page today to remove the listing. The app also appears to have been pulled from the App Store worldwide, based on spot checks of the United States, Australia, Canada and United Kingdom storefronts. The company has yet to comment on the matter.

The Whole Pantry Apple Watch

The Whole Pantry was featured on the Apple Watch apps page earlier this week

Gibson is a 26-year-old from Melbourne that rose to fame for healing herself from terminal brain cancer without conventional treatment, although the report claims that she later admitted to possibly being misdiagnosed. She has since been the subject of intense scrutiny from her supporters and those that donated to her cause, and has disabled the Facebook page for The Whole Pantry and her personal Instagram account.

Note: Due to the social issues regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 6
Tags: App Store, Apple Watch apps, The Whole Pantry
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

mw360 Avatar
mw360
83 months ago
What has the healthy eating app got to do with other aspects of her life?
In the linked article:'She built her empire off the story of healing herself from terminal brain cancer without conventional treatment'

The app is the product of the business, and the business is the product of the alleged fraud.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FieldingMellish Avatar
FieldingMellish
83 months ago
Apparently the woman healed her wallet by non-traditional means.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
greytmom Avatar
greytmom
83 months ago
What has the healthy eating app got to do with other aspects of her life?

It would be kind of like Apple allowing an investment advice app from Bernie Madoff to stay in the App Store.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iSee Avatar
iSee
83 months ago
...Gibson is a 26-year-old from Melbourne that rose to fame for healing herself from terminal brain cancer without conventional treatment

That should be everything you need to know about Gibson to understand what she is about.

It's a classic con, to offer the promise of something people want to believe so much that they're able to ignore that it doesn't make any sense.

Apple probably should have vetted this app better before featuring it, but I suppose they caught it before it really had a chance to be a problem.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe Rossignol Avatar
Joe Rossignol
83 months ago
Why is this article considered political in nature?

Also, limited to 100 posts? I want to see comments on an article limited to those with 500 posts. Any way...
It is not exactly political, but it is a controversial social issue that we feel is best suited for this forum.

I have updated our disclaimer at the bottom of the article to better reflect this. Thanks.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HenryDJP Avatar
HenryDJP
83 months ago
It appears Apple is acting on the basis of their private property walled garden to simply delete an app that brings shame on Apple.

This is interesting and a bit disturbing because it appears the journey this woman went through was not so much fraud as a changing set of circumstances caused by an initial mis-diagnosis, a series of treatments including holistic, and getting a later diagnosis of being clear. This is merely a case of mixed causation.

As for the donations, it appears that when she files her tax return this year and lists her donations, and her amended return from last year, she could correct that aspect of the case with the stroke of a pen. Literally. Boom. Case not fraudulent. Then she could be reinstated on the Apple Ap store.

While it does not surprise me Apple didn't wait for due process to respond, it also shows one of the weaknesses of a walled garden. The law and justice does not matter. PR does.

Rocketman
Post like this are saddening. Defending a lying deceptive woman and making Apple the bad guy. MR is no longer the Apple Enthusiast board it once was.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Top Stories

REC ASA CODE2016 20160601 205816 2745

Elon Musk Reportedly Demanded to Become Apple CEO as Part of Potential Tesla Acquisition [Update: Musk Denies]

Friday July 30, 2021 9:04 am PDT by
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly once demanded that he be made Apple CEO in a brief discussion of a potential acquisition with Apple's current CEO, Tim Cook. The claim comes in a new book titled "Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century," as reviewed by The Los Angeles Times. According to the book, during a 2016 phone call between Musk and Cook that touched on the possibility of ...
Read Full Article • 265 comments
General Apps Messages

Android iMessage Competitor Puts Pressure on Apple

Friday July 30, 2021 3:15 am PDT by
Google and the three major U.S. carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, will all support a new communications protocol on Android smartphones starting in 2022, a move that puts pressure on Apple to adopt a new cross-platform messaging standard and may present a challenge to iMessage. Verizon recently announced that it is planning to adopt Messages by Google as its default messaging...
Read Full Article
Apple watch series 5 new case material made of titanium 091019

Titanium Apple Watch Series 6 Models Currently Widely Unavailable

Sunday August 1, 2021 6:21 am PDT by
Models of the Apple Watch Series 6 with titanium cases part of the "Apple Watch Edition" collection is currently widely unavailable for pick-up in several of Apple's retail stores in the United States and is unavailable entirely for delivery in major markets. Noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, titanium models of the Apple Watch Series 6,...
Read Full Article • 159 comments
ifixit iphone12 mini

Apple to Make Space for Larger Batteries in iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks By Adopting Slimmer Peripheral Chips

Monday August 2, 2021 2:12 am PDT by
For future iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, Apple plans to use smaller internal components in an effort to increase the size of the device's battery, according to DigiTimes. Image Credit: iFixit Specifically, Apple plans to "significantly increase the adoption" of IPDs or integrated passive devices for the peripheral chips in its products. These news chips will be slimmer in size and allow for...
Read Full Article • 65 comments
Flat 2021 MacBook Pro Mockup Feature

Unreleased Apple Macs and Apple Watches Listed in Eurasian Database Ahead of Fall Product Launches

Monday August 2, 2021 9:34 am PDT by
Apple is preparing for a slew of fall product launches according to new filings that showed up today in the Eurasian Economic Commission database. There are listings for new Mac and Apple Watch models, all of which have previously unknown model identifiers that indicate that they're upcoming devices. There are six new Apple Watch identifiers, including A2473, A2474, A2475, A2476, A2477, and...
Read Full Article • 114 comments
a15 chip

iPhone 13 and Redesigned MacBook Pro Chip Production Hit With Gas Contamination

Friday July 30, 2021 5:44 am PDT by
The most important TSMC factory that manufactures Apple's chips destined for next-generation iPhone and Mac models has been hit by a gas contamination, according to Nikkei Asia. The factory, known as "Fab 18," is TSMC's most advanced chipmaking facility. TSMC is Apple's sole chip supplier, making all of the processors used in every Apple device with a custom silicon chip. Industry...
Read Full Article • 116 comments
iPhone 13 Wi Fi 6E feature update

Wi-Fi 6E Explained: What It Could Mean for iPhone 13 and Beyond

Monday August 2, 2021 8:00 am PDT by
The iPhone 13 is widely expected to come with Wi-Fi 6E capabilities, and while it may seem rather nuanced to the average consumer, with only improved speeds and being "up to date" in the realm of Wi-Fi technology, it's actually a fairly significant improvement, laying the groundwork for much of what we know the future holds. To truly understand Wi-Fi 6E, MacRumors sat down for an exclusive...
Read Full Article • 67 comments
youtube premium lite

YouTube Tests Cheaper 'Premium Lite' Subscription for Ad-Free Viewing

Monday August 2, 2021 3:22 am PDT by
YouTube is piloting a new cheaper subscription tier in Europe called "Premium Lite," which offers ad-free viewing minus YouTube Premium's other features. First spotted by a user on ResetEra and subsequently confirmed by Google, the "Lite" plan means users who aren't interested in offline downloads or background playback can still enjoy YouTube videos on web and mobile app without being...
Read Full Article • 134 comments
iPhone 13 Always On Feature

iPhone 13 to Bring Over a Major Feature From the Apple Watch

Wednesday July 28, 2021 2:21 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 lineup will feature an always-on display akin to the Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6, according to recent reports. In his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who often reveals accurate insights into Apple's plans, said that the iPhone 13 may feature an Apple Watch-inspired always-on mode. The Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch...
Read Full Article
COVID19 Digital Wallet Apple Wallet

Australian Government Now Offering COVID-19 Digital Vaccination Certificates for Apple Wallet

Monday August 2, 2021 12:04 am PDT by
The Australian government has introduced support for adding COVID-19 vaccination digital certificates to Apple Wallet via the Express Plus Medicare app on iOS. Image credit: Tap Down Under As spotted by Tap Down Under, users who have received two doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine now have access to the digital certificate through their Medicare online account or via the Medica...
Read Full Article