App developers urged to cut App Store dependency as platform risk threatens growth

Traders Union
All News
Business & Wealth
Cut App Store Dependency Risk

Highlights

Apple removed 166,899 apps in 2025 and restored only 423 after appeals, highlighting significant platform risk for app-dependent companies.
App removals can cause immediate revenue loss by freezing three months of funds and turning off recurring subscriptions, risking a drop of monthly recurring revenue to zero.
Developers are increasingly building web-based versions to bypass App Store dependency, accelerate updates, and avoid commissions, as platform risk impacts company valuation and funding decisions.

App removal risk and business continuity

As reported by Crunchbase News, Filippenko describes platform dependency as a form of infrastructure risk that founders should treat with the same seriousness as cloud outages or payment failures.

He says an app removal can immediately cut off new downloads, trigger distrust among paying subscribers and prevent existing users from reinstalling the product when they change devices. The financial impact can be severe for subscription-led companies because Apple freezes funds from the previous three months and turns off recurring subscriptions, which can drive monthly recurring revenue to zero.

Filippenko cites Apple data showing the company removed 166,899 apps in 2025 and restored only 423 after appeals. He argues that founders should assess whether customers could still use and pay for their product if the app disappeared tomorrow, because every new user deepens exposure if the answer is no.

Web alternatives gain importance for app developers

Filippenko says appeals should not serve as a contingency plan because outcomes and timelines remain uncertain. He points to examples such as Cal AI, which was reportedly removed and later reinstated, while saying his own company received only a generic explanation and a rejected appeal after 30 days.

He says his company had reduced that risk two years earlier by building a web version and making it the primary payment channel. That setup also allowed faster product updates and helped avoid Apple commissions, while figures such as Telegram founder Pavel Durov have also promoted web access as a way to bypass store restrictions and possible censorship.

Filippenko says founders and investors should include platform exposure in growth, funding and valuation decisions, especially when subscription revenue depends heavily on a single distribution gatekeeper. In his view, companies cannot control monopoly platforms' decisions, but they can limit the power those decisions have over the survival of the business.

We recently reported on the Bank of England’s call for bare metal recovery to keep core banking services running during AI-driven cyber incidents.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.