Apple Accidentally Lets Pirated Movies and TV Shows App Into App Store

Monday November 4, 2024 9:11 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple has accidentally allowed an iPhone and iPad app that allows you to stream pirated movies and TV shows for free into the App Store, according to a post from Kevin Aubin on Threads. The post was earlier reported by The Verge.

iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue
While the so-called "Univer Note" app's description says that it "can easily help you record every day's events and plan your time," it actually lets you stream movies that are still playing in theaters, like Smile 2 and Venom: The Last Dance. You can also watch shows from streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and even Apple TV+. Oops!

It appears that the French-language app has been available in the App Store since September, but it is unclear how long the app has offered pirated movies and TV shows instead of calendar functionality. This app clearly went undetected by Apple's App Review team, and it should be removed from the App Store promptly after receiving news coverage.

Update: It appears the pirated movies and TV shows are only visible in the app in certain countries, such as Canada and France. In the U.S., the app actually appears to be a basic calendar app, which may have helped it to stay under the radar until now.

Update 2: The app has been removed from the App Store.

Tag: App Store

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Top Rated Comments

goodthymes

26 months ago

This is a bit concerning actually. What else has been slipping through behind the scene? So much for Apple's vaunted secured walled garden argument.

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Luna Murasaki

26 months ago

Meanwhile, in Android Land:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/over-200-malicious-apps-on-google-play-downloaded-millions-of-times/

Apple’s vetting methods are not 100% perfect, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t working.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

macfacts

26 months ago

Apple app reviewer's are either overpaid developers or developers who can't read code but managed to pass the Apple interview process.

App reviewers don't get the app's source code, so it doesn't matter if they can read/understand the source code. This just shows how easy it is to sneak in malware on the iOS app store and how apple's resistance to alt app stores with the claim of security is B.S.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Unregistered 4U

26 months ago

This is a bit concerning actually. What else has been slipping through behind the scene? So much for Apple's vaunted secured walled garden argument.

This isn’t a security situation, so it actually doesn’t say anything about a secured walled garden argument.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Naraxus

26 months ago

I remember wayyyyy back in the iPhone3g days there was an app that was little more than a color "Simon" game but when you pressed the colors in the right order it turned into a tethering app. I remember being on the AT&T Unlimited plan and downloading movies/tv shows from iTunes & streaming things.

Good times

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)