Rave, a software developer headquartered in Ontario, Canada, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday in U.S. federal court in New Jersey, asserting that Apple pulled Rave’s shared video-viewing app from the Apple App Store after the iPhone maker rolled out a competing feature named SharePlay.
The complaint requests that Apple reinstate Rave’s app to the App Store and seeks "hundreds of millions of dollars" in damages, according to court filings. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Founded in 2013, Rave builds a cross-platform application that enables users to watch and discuss video content together across iOS, Android, Windows and Apple’s Mac computers. The developer noted that while the app is no longer available on Apple’s App Store, it continues to be offered on Android and Windows platforms.
In its legal filing, Rave says Apple removed the app from the App Store in 2025, citing what Apple called "dishonest or fraudulent activity." Rave contends that the stated reason was a pretext and that the true motive was competitive - Rave says it primarily earns advertising revenue and therefore did not produce commission income for Apple from in-app purchases, while it competes with SharePlay, a similar product Apple introduced in 2021.
Michael Pazaratz, CEO of Rave, said in a press release: "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. 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 lawsuit arrives amid broader legal tensions over Apple’s App Store practices. Apple has been engaged in a long-running antitrust dispute with Epic Games, the maker of "Fortnite," since 2020 over Apple’s practice of charging commissions on in-app purchases. The U.S. Supreme Court last week sent that case back to U.S. federal court in California.
Rave said on Thursday it has also initiated similar antitrust proceedings against Apple in Canada, Russia, the Netherlands and Brazil. The company is seeking parallel remedies in those jurisdictions while pursuing its New Jersey case.
Context and scope
The complaint frames the App Store removal as a competitive exclusion that affected both Rave’s user communities and the company’s ability to monetize across Apple devices. Rave’s argument centers on the allegation that Apple’s enforcement actions were motivated by a desire to protect revenue streams tied to in-app purchases rather than genuine concerns about developer conduct.
The case will proceed in U.S. federal court in New Jersey, where Rave is pursuing reinstatement and damages. The company’s international filings indicate a coordinated legal approach across several markets.