Rave Sues Apple for Antitrust Over App Store Removal

Key Takeaways

• Rave claims Apple removed its app in 2025 under false pretenses to protect SharePlay from competition
• The company seeks hundreds of millions in damages plus reinstatement to the App Store
• Rave has filed similar antitrust cases against Apple in Canada, Russia, Netherlands, and Brazil

Rave, the video-sharing app that lets users watch content together across platforms, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday. The Ontario-based company claims Apple removed its app from the App Store to kill off competition for SharePlay, Apple's own co-viewing feature.

The complaint, filed in US federal court in New Jersey, demands reinstatement to the App Store and "hundreds of millions of dollars" in damages. Apple has not responded to requests for comment.

What Rave Claims Happened

According to the lawsuit, Apple removed Rave from the App Store in 2025. Apple cited "dishonest or fraudulent activity" as the reason. Rave says that explanation is a pretext.

The real reason, Rave alleges, is competitive. Rave relies mostly on advertising revenue rather than in-app purchases. This means Apple earns no commission from Rave's business. Meanwhile, Apple launched SharePlay in 2021, offering similar functionality for watching video content together.

“Apple's pretextual removal of Rave from the App Store has harmed consumers significantly by limiting choice and effectively preventing Apple customers from co-viewing and connecting with non-Apple customers.”

— Michael Pazaratz, CEO of Rave

Pazaratz added that Apple's actions "denied users access to a product they enjoy, disrupted the communities built on Rave and impaired Rave's ability to compete fairly based on the strength of its product."

The App's Cross-Platform Pitch

Rave was founded in 2013. Its core feature lets users watch and discuss video content simultaneously across Apple's iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. The app remains available on Android and Windows today.

This cross-platform capability is central to Rave's complaint. SharePlay only works within Apple's ecosystem. By removing Rave, Apple users lose the ability to co-watch with friends on Android or Windows devices.

A Multi-Country Legal Offensive

Rave isn't limiting its fight to US courts. The company announced it has filed similar antitrust actions against Apple in Canada, Russia, the Netherlands, and Brazil.

This multi-jurisdiction approach mirrors strategies used by other Apple critics. Filing in multiple countries increases legal costs for Apple and takes advantage of varying antitrust standards across different regulatory regimes.

Apple's Ongoing Antitrust Battles

Rave's lawsuit lands as Apple continues fighting antitrust battles on multiple fronts. The most prominent is the Epic Games case, which began in 2020 when the Fortnite maker challenged Apple's commission structure for in-app purchases.

That dispute forced sweeping changes to Apple's App Store business model. Last week, the US Supreme Court sent the case back to federal court in California, extending a legal saga now entering its fifth year.

Rave's claim differs from Epic's in one key way. Epic challenged Apple's commission rates. Rave says Apple removed its app entirely because it generated no commission revenue while competing with an Apple product.

What Rave Wants

The lawsuit seeks two things: reinstatement to the App Store and substantial financial compensation. The "hundreds of millions of dollars" figure suggests Rave will argue its removal destroyed significant business value and user relationships built over more than a decade.

Proving antitrust violations in US courts requires demonstrating that Apple's actions harmed competition in a defined market, not just Rave's business specifically. Courts have set a high bar for these claims in past App Store cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Apple remove the Rave app from the App Store?

Apple cited "dishonest or fraudulent activity" as the reason. Rave claims this is a pretext and that Apple actually removed the app because it competed with SharePlay.

Is the Rave app still available on other platforms?

Yes. Rave remains available on Android and Windows. Only the iOS version has been removed from Apple's App Store.

What is SharePlay and when did Apple launch it?

SharePlay is Apple's feature for watching and listening to content together over FaceTime. Apple introduced it in 2021, roughly eight years after Rave launched.

How much money is Rave seeking in damages?

Rave is seeking "hundreds of millions of dollars" in damages according to the court filing, plus reinstatement to the App Store.

What other countries is Rave suing Apple in?

Rave has filed similar antitrust actions against Apple in Canada, Russia, the Netherlands, and Brazil alongside the US lawsuit.

Source: Tech-Economic Times / ET