Bye-pod: Apple boots app that turns iPhone into an iPod Classic

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Bye-pod: Apple boots app that turns iPhone into an iPod Classic
An iPod? Nope, that's an iPhone!
Photo: QC Dads/Twitter

Apple has given the App Store boot to an app which transformed your iPhone into an iPod Classic, complete with virtual clickwheel.

However, the Rewound app’s developers say that they aren’t planning to go quietly into the night. Instead, they’re aiming to release a web app for their creation.

“Since we have been deprived of revenue by Apple, we are starting [a] fund for development of a Rewound Web App for iPhone/Android and Android native app,” the company said Tuesday.

The Rewound app charted globally. It makers claimed that it was helping people experience their music “in a whole old way via a programmable music player.” (Presumably those of us old enough to remember Walkmans experienced our music in the really old way!)

“Rewound was specifically designed not to infringe on Apple’s trademarks and we didn’t,” the company claimed. “Rewound could look many ways. Not until users started sharing/using Clickwheel skins did [Apple] ban the app.”

Bringing back iPod Classic app

In a Medium post, the app makers list the UI differences between their app and Apple’s intellectual property. While the app could offer scroll wheel navigation, a (user-created) iPod clickwheel skin and iPod layout, this was “100% opt-in.”

The company claims that Apple also took issue with the fact that the app charged for certain Apple Music features. It’s not clear exactly what these were, but it acknowledges this complaint is “less unreasonable.”

Ultimately, Rewound’s makers say that:

“We can’t update the app to get it re-approved without breaking the app for all 170,000+ users. So we’re going to have to upload a separate version but feel it is barely worth the time or effort to even try and humor them, they’re just going to keep saying no until users can’t possible make it like their favourite music player.”

With this in mind, they have created a GoFundMe for raising money for a web app. Whether that takes off remains to be seen. At time of writing, it has raised just $121 of a $20,000 funding target.

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