Janice R. Andrews
Christian Selig’s “Juno,” an unofficial YouTube app for Apple’s Vision Pro, has been taken down from the App Store after Google raised concerns about trademark infringement and branding guideline violations.
Selig, known for creating the popular Apollo app for Reddit, described Juno as a side project. Following the controversy surrounding Apollo’s shutdown last year due to Reddit’s API changes, Selig had hoped to avoid similar issues with Juno.
The app was designed to provide Vision Pro users with an optimized YouTube experience, featuring a layout tailored for visionOS. Selig maintains that Juno didn’t introduce new logos or significantly alter YouTube’s core functionality, but instead focused on adapting the video player’s appearance to suit the visionOS interface. However, Google disagreed, expressing concerns about the use of its iconography and modifications to the YouTube website.
Despite Selig’s assertion that Juno adhered to YouTube’s branding guidelines, he decided not to pursue a prolonged dispute, citing a lack of interest in legal proceedings.
Currently, users who have already purchased Juno can continue using the app, though future YouTube updates may potentially render it inoperable. Google has yet to release an official YouTube app for Vision Pro, although they previously indicated that one was in development. The company has not commented on Juno’s removal.
This incident highlights the challenges developers face when working with major platforms like YouTube and Apple, particularly when creating third-party applications.
