Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Macworld reports that Apple is blocking updates to AppGrid, a third-party Launchpad alternative, citing visual similarity to Apple’s own interface as a design guideline violation.
- This situation arose after Apple removed Launchpad in macOS Tahoe, yet prevents developers from offering similar functionality through App Store updates.
- Developer Attila Miklosi now offers AppGrid through direct download at a lower price, highlighting how Apple’s policies can force developers to bypass the App Store entirely.
With the release of macOS Tahoe last September, Apple introduced a major change: It removed Launchpad and replaced it with the Apps app. Many of us mourned the loss (and many of you laughed at us, based on the feedback I got from this article) and turned to third-party, Launchpad-like solutions to fill the void. However, there’s a sign from Apple that those third-party apps could be at risk, too.
Developer Michael Tsai recently posted about AppGrid, a Launchpad-like app that many are using in the macOS Tahoe Launchpad void. Unfortunately, AppGrid’s developer, Attila Miklosi, is being blocked from updating the app in the Mac App Store. Miklosi has been told that the reason for this is that the app violates an Apple guideline: AppGrid looks too similar to Launchpad.
Yes, AppGrid looks similar to Launchpad, but that’s the point since LaunchPad doesn’t exist anymore. With this ruling, Apple is essentially saying that the guidelines even apply when Apple deprecates a feature or an app, which is unfair. There’s an argument to be made about Apple protecting its intellectual property, but if it’s for an item that will likely never return, why bother?
Miklosi has been told that updates will be allowed once AppGrid has been redesigned to not look like Launchpad. “Thousands have paid for it already, and they paid exactly for it being as similar to Launchpad as possible, so I decided not to go down that route,” he told Tsai.
Foundry
To make the matter even more confounding, AppGrid is still available for purchase on the Mac App Store, but the app is basically defunct. It can’t be updated because Apple won’t allow it. But Apple continues to collect its 30 percent cut every time someone buys it. Miklosi is getting his cut for the app, too, but the app can’t be updated so that people who bought it essentially get unsupported software. In the App Store description, Miklosi promises a new version with “powerful new features, including advanced grid customization, app grouping, renaming, and more” is coming soon, but as long as Apple has its say, that won’t be the case.
Miklosi has given up on trying to resolve the App Store issue and is focusing on the version of AppGrid that can be downloaded directly through his site. Apple probably won’t do anything to stop that, but who knows? Maybe Launchpad is coming back in macOS 27.
So if you’re interested in giving AppGrid a try, don’t get the Mac App Store version, visit Appgridmac.com and get it there. It’s actually cheaper, in fact: Unlocking AppGrid’s full feature set cost $25 with support for five Macs compared to $30 in the App Store.
