Apple removed scam app Freecash from the App Store this week after the app spent months harvesting data from iPhone users, reports TechCrunch.
Freecash reached the number two spot on the U.S. App Store charts in January after being heavily marketed on TikTok. It promised users up to $35 per hour for watching TikTok content, but it was collecting swaths of user data. Back in January, Wired covered Freecash's deceptive marketing, and MalwareBytes pointed out that the app was gathering data like race, religion, health, and biometrics, with extra data harvested through mobile games that Freecash pushed users to install.
Users tricked into downloading Freecash with the promise of free cash found that they could not earn money by using TikTok, but instead were able to earn tiny amounts of cash by playing games like Monopoly Go and Disney Solitaire. The goal was to push users to make in-app purchases or watch paid ads in the apps. Freecash advertised itself as a platform for matching game developers with users likely to spend money in their games.
After the Wired report, TikTok pulled the Freecash ads, but Apple did not take action to remove the app. Freecash stayed in the App Store until TechCrunch contacted Apple on Monday, which is when Apple removed the app from the App Store. Apple said Freecash violated its guidelines prohibiting scam practices and misleading marketing.
Freecash parent company Almedia denied using deceptive marketing techniques and said it was in compliance with Apple's App Store rules.
Our apps are fully compliant with the Apple App Store and Google Play Store policies, as demonstrated by the fact that they are live and regularly pass platform reviews. We do not comment on internal product strategy regarding specific app listings.
Freecash was downloaded by 5.5 million people across the Apple App Store and Google Play in January 2026, and it has remained high on the App Store charts since then. In addition to using misleading TikTok ads, the app appears to have used bots and fake ratings to drive traffic. The app's developers may have also acquired an existing App Store app to get around Apple's app review system, as the Freecash app was banned at one point in 2024 before an existing App Store app was renamed Freecash and updated with the same functionality.
TechCrunch's full report has more information on Freecash and the scammy tactics the company behind the app used to lure in users.
