Apple Settles 'FlickType' Developer Lawsuit Over App Store Treatment

Prominent developer Kosta Eleftheriou has settled his 2021 lawsuit against Apple over its App Store review actions that he said hindered his ability to distribute apps on the platform while allowing copycat competitors to flourish, reports TechCrunch.

iOS App Store General Feature Sqaure Complement
In his lawsuit, Eleftheriou complained that Apple repeatedly threw up "roadblock after roadblock" against his FlickType keyboard app for the Apple Watch, only to then allow copycat apps from other developers onto the store. Eleftheriou said that he had been in discussions with Apple about the company acquiring FlickType, and he believes Apple was intentionally targeting his app in the review process to try to force him to sell it at a discount.

Following the filing of the case last year, the two parties participated in court calls with a judge, the court docket shows, including as recently as this spring. A request for dismissal of the lawsuit was subsequently filed on July 21, 2022, after Apple and Kpaw (Eleftheriou’s business) came to an agreement.

Eleftheriou was unable to comment on the terms of the settlement. Apple was not immediately able to comment on the dismissal either.

Eleftheriou has been one of the higher-profile critics of Apple's ‌App Store‌ policies, repeatedly pointing out App Store scams that have slipped through the review process and even into the store's charts of top-performing apps without Apple taking action.

Apple has taken some steps to improve the ability for users to flag problematic apps, such as by bringing back the "Report a Problem" button on ‌App Store‌ listings, but Eleftheriou says he continues to find scam and copycat apps with only minimal effort.

Popular Stories

Alleged iOS 19 Icons Front Page Tech

iOS 19 Leak Reveals Alleged New Design With Rounder App Icons, Floating Tab Bar, and More

Monday April 7, 2025 3:13 pm PDT by
YouTube channel Front Page Tech is back today with another video that provides a closer look at iOS 19's alleged design changes. The video contains re-created renders of iOS 19, which are allegedly based on real footage of the software update, provided by sources within Apple. Overall, iOS 19 is expected to have a more glass-like, visionOS-inspired design, with added translucency for user...
iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro's New Rear Camera Bar 'Same Color As Rest of Device'

Monday April 7, 2025 2:09 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a redesigned rear camera panel that spans the width of the device, but it will be the same color as the iPhone itself, rather than being part of a two-tone design. That's according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, the reporter says the iPhone 17 Pro won't have a two-toned back, as some renders have...
iphone x front back

Apple Planning 'Bold' New 20th Anniversary Design for 2027 iPhone Pro

Monday April 7, 2025 2:46 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "major shake-up" for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. iPhone X released in 2017 for 10th anniversary Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple plans to launch a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold" new iPhone Pro model that makes more extensive use of glass. Could this mean Apple plans to realize former...
iPhone Assembly

Trump Believes Apple Could Manufacture iPhones in the U.S.

Tuesday April 8, 2025 12:08 pm PDT by
U.S. President Donald Trump "absolutely" believes that Apple could manufacture its iPhones and other devices in the United States, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said today during a media briefing. Leavitt was asked whether Trump thought that iPhone manufacturing is the kind of technology that could move to the U.S. "Absolutely, he believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have ...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

Is Now the Time to Upgrade Apple Devices Before Tariffs Lead to Price Increases?

Friday April 4, 2025 3:41 pm PDT by
If you have an older Apple device that you've been considering upgrading, you're probably wondering how the newly announced tariffs might impact prices going forward, and whether it's worth buying now before there's a price hike. Given analyst and economist responses to the tariffs, market panic, and Trump's stance on the current financial chaos, the answer is that making a purchase...
iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

5 Biggest Changes Rumored for iPhone 17 Pro

Tuesday April 8, 2025 2:38 am PDT by
Later this year, Apple will introduce the iPhone 17 series, which includes the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, two new high-end flagship devices that will be sold alongside the regular iPhone 17 and an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. If you have been holding out for the iPhone 17 Pro or its bigger sibling, here are five of the biggest changes, informed by the latest reports and...
Apple Vision Pro 2 Feature 2

Vision Pro 2 May Now Be in Production Ahead of Launch Later This Year

Tuesday April 8, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
The second-generation Apple Vision Pro may now be in mass production ahead of its rumored launch later this year, Chinese website IT Home today claims. Reporting on information from an unknown source, the website says that key components of the new Vision Pro, including panels, housings, and circuitry, have moved into mass production ahead of the product's purported release later in 2025....
iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Offer Dual Video Recording Feature in Camera App

Tuesday April 8, 2025 7:23 am PDT by
YouTube channel Front Page Tech on Monday shared renders of iOS 19's alleged new design. The end of the video also revealed a new feature that is supposedly planned for the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year: dual video recording. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will allow users to record video with the front and rear cameras...

Top Rated Comments

antnythr Avatar
34 months ago
Guy deserves to get PAID for this nonsense with Apple
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spaceboi Scaphandre Avatar
34 months ago
Good on him. It's absolutely stupid what happened to FlickType, being denied store approval only for them to get Sherlocked in the Apple Watch Series 7 to the tiniest detail.

God I cannot wait for the Digital Markets Act to go live.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
34 months ago
I'm disappointed that this ended in a settlement which presumably includes terms that he(?) stop publicly criticizing Apple. I had hoped he was being a bit more altruistic but it seems the money eventually worked.

And I don't say that cynically. The App store has real problems that this person seems to have taken on as a crusade to point out, and opinions were already mixed as to motives. I want to see real improvement to the App Store Apple has been so publicly proud of in court lately, and it's sad to see another voice presumably silenced.

Edit: update 10 months later. This story is the last anyone has heard from this guy publicly about app store problems so it seems I was correct.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
34 months ago

This clown Kosta Eleftheriou proves that someone can make a bad product and other companies come along and does it infinitely better but if the untalented Kosta Eleftheriou whines enough someone will give him money to shut up.
The allegations are very believable based on decades of documented history of Apple's ruthless business tactics. And whatever the reason (I've never even heard of these apps beyond the news stories) the more visible contribution has been many blog posts since pointing out glaring violations of App Store policy, which in my eyes has been a useful public service.

Please provide references for why this person has been a clown.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
34 months ago
That’s the problem when you have billions in cash, you can just dump money on a desk and the problem magically resolves itself.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eldaerenth Faexidor Avatar
34 months ago
Wether you like him or not, it takes a lot of guts to drag a powerful company like Apple into the courtroom. Seems like he kinda won in a way. Probably got lots of dough. And Apple remains Apple.. unscathed.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)