Freecash rocketed to the top of the App Store in three months. The rewards app, which claimed users could make money scrolling TikTok, hit No. 2 on the U.S. App Store. Then the truth came out.
Apple banned it Monday for misleading marketing, according to TechCrunch. The business model centered on data harvesting: Freecash paid users to play mobile games while collecting sensitive information including race, religion, sexual orientation and health data, according to cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes. The company acted as a data broker matching game developers with users willing to spend money.
The app had a questionable history from the start. Germany-based Almedia originally submitted Freecash in March 2024, but Apple removed it after two months. The app reappeared under a different developer account called Rewards that was rebranded. Downloads exploded from 876,000 in October 2025 to 6 million by February 2026.
Almedia denied using deceptive marketing techniques and said its apps are fully compliant with app store policies. Apple cited violations of guidelines on scams and deceptive marketing when it pulled the app. Google is investigating similar concerns.
Freecash rocketed to the top of the App Store in three months. The rewards app, which claimed users could make money scrolling TikTok, hit No. 2 on the U.S. App Store. Then the truth came out.
Apple banned it Monday for misleading marketing, according to TechCrunch. The business model centered on data harvesting: Freecash paid users to play mobile games while collecting sensitive information including race, religion, sexual orientation and health data, according to cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes. The company acted as a data broker matching game developers with users willing to spend money.
The app had a questionable history from the start. Germany-based Almedia originally submitted Freecash in March 2024, but Apple removed it after two months. The app reappeared under a different developer account called Rewards that was rebranded. Downloads exploded from 876,000 in October 2025 to 6 million by February 2026.
Almedia denied using deceptive marketing techniques and said its apps are fully compliant with app store policies. Apple cited violations of guidelines on scams and deceptive marketing when it pulled the app. Google is investigating similar concerns.
