Apple Bans iFixit Developer Account and Removes App After Apple TV Teardown

Another thing Apple doesn’t allow: apps in the App Store submitted by developers who no longer have valid accounts.

Now, you would think that any company deciding to send iFixit a gadget has a pretty darn good idea what they’re going to do with it. They’re going to grab their screwdrivers, spudgers, and heat guns, and strip it down into a pile of (neatly photographed) components. We’re big fans of iFixIt’s work, hence why we’ve brought attention to several of the company’s teardowns through the years.

However, iFixit is not planning on rewriting its app anytime soon.

Overall, I find iFixit’s reviews of the fixability of Apple and other products to be quite fair, though I’m sure Apple didn’t love it when iFixit came up with a workaround for the tricky screws Apple uses in a few products to keep customers from opening them up. What he’s upset – or at least confused about – is why Apple would’ve sent a new Apple TV to iFixit if they really didn’t want it torn down. By pulling apart the Apple TV developer unit and publishing its findings, iFixit quotes Apple as saying that its terms and conditions had been violated, and iFixit’s actions “may hinder the performance or intended use of the App Store, B2B Program, or the Program”, said Kyle Wiens, iFixit co-founder and CEO, in a blog post.

iFixit announced that its app on the Apple App Store was removed after it tore down the Apple TV.

That means the larger group of developers who had the luxury of extended time with the new Apple TV won’t get that in the future, and instead will have to make due with software simulators and updates after they see how their apps perform on shipping hardware.

Wiens goes on to explain that iFixit has been bolstering its mobile website, so redoing its Apple app isn’t a priority right now. “We weighed the risks, blithely tossed those risks over our shoulder, and tore down the Apple TV anyway”, wrote iFixit in a blog post.

It seems no plans are afoot to try to relaunch the app, as it was “outdated, and iOS 9 introduced a few major bugs into the system – fixing them would require a substantial rewrite to a bunch of iOS 4-era code”, added Wiens. But for those of you with Android or Windows devices, iFixit fix Manual apps are still at your disposal…