Apple Wants To Reconsider Using Invasive Tech

Just weeks ago, Apple called apps that use Mobile Device Management, or MDM, technology “highly invasive” and removed them from its app store. Now, it’s allowing the apps to use MDM “in limited cases.” Apple announced the decision in a blog post on Monday.

The apps Apple originally removed were screen-time control apps for parents. Critics accused Apple of removing the apps only because it was rolling out its own screen-time limiting app. Other critics said that Apple was cynically cracking down on apps that battle smartphone addiction–because, after all, Apple profits when people are glued to their iPhones.

Overall, Apple faced a wave of criticism for trying to crush the competition when it came to screen-time limiting apps.

(Photo Credit: IDG)

“They all tell a similar story: They ran apps that helped people limit the time they and their children spent on iPhones. Then Apple created its own screen-time tracker. And then Apple made staying in business very, very difficult,” the New York Times reported in April. “Some app makers with thousands of paying customers have shut down. Most others say their futures are in jeopardy.”

So what spurred Apple’s reversal of its previous decision to ban apps with MDM technology? Some speculate it’s because the Department of Justice is considering launching an anti-trust investigation into the tech giant.