YouTube app ‘Juno’ for Apple Vision Pro removed from visionOS App Store

1 month ago 17

While Google seems in no hurry to build a YouTube app for Apple Vision Pro, developers such as Christian Selig (known for his work on Apollo for Reddit) have created alternative apps to access the platform on visionOS. Unfortunately, it seems that Google wasn’t happy about this and asked Apple to remove the YouTube app “Juno” from the App Store.

Juno for YouTube no longer available on the App Store

The news was confirmed by Selig himself in a blog post. According to the developer, Google had already contacted him months ago about Juno not complying with YouTube’s guidelines. More specifically, the company says that third parties cannot modify the YouTube website or use its trademarks and iconography.

“I don’t personally agree with this, as Juno is just a web view, and acts as little more than a browser extension that modifies CSS to make the website and video player look more “visionOS” like. No logos are placed other than those already on the website, and the “for YouTube” suffix is permitted in their branding guidelines,” Selig notes.

Even so, this wasn’t enough to convince Google, which managed to get Apple to remove Juno from the visionOS App Store. Given that Selig was also involved in a massive fight with Reddit last year over changes to the platform’s API, he says he has “zero desire” to fight Google to bring Juno back.

The news certainly isn’t good for those looking to buy a Vision Pro, as the platform lacks a native visionOS app, forcing users to use Safari to watch videos online. In June, Selig’s app was updated with support for 360-degree videos. Juno remains functional for users who have already purchased it, but Google could ship an update to break the app.

Unfortunately, more than a year after Apple Vision Pro was announced, many major platforms still don’t seem interested in bringing their apps to visionOS. Apart from YouTube, platforms such as Netflix and Spotify also don’t have an app for Vision Pro. This may be the result of Vision Pro having a small market share combined with developers unhappy with the App Store’s policies.