Intch founder on how startups can survive an App Store removal
Intch founder and CEO Yakov Filippenko has shared how his startup survived being removed from Apple’s App Store by building a web-based alternative. His account highlights the financial and operational risks startups face when dependent on app stores for distribution and revenue, and offers concrete steps to reduce that vulnerability.
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How platform risk derailed Intch’s growth
Yakov Filippenko, founder and CEO of Intch, experienced firsthand the risks of depending on Apple’s App Store when his company’s app was removed without explanation in 2025. The removal triggered a cascade of financial and operational disruptions, including frozen funds, disabled subscriptions, and a collapse in monthly recurring revenue. His experience reflects a growing vulnerability for startups reliant on app stores for distribution and revenue.
Apple’s removal surge and its consequences
In 2025, Apple removed 166,899 apps from its App Store and restored only 423 after appeals, according to Crunchbase News. The disparity highlights the limited recourse available to developers when their apps are pulled. For Intch, the removal came without a clear reason, and attempts to appeal were met with a generic rejection. The process left the company in limbo for a month, unable to recover funds or restore subscriptions during that period.
Other startups have faced similar disruptions. Cal AI, an app reportedly generating $100,000 daily, was removed and later reinstated, but the uncertainty left its business exposed. These cases show that appeals rarely provide timely relief, forcing founders to prepare for the worst.
Building a web alternative to reduce dependency
Intch mitigated the fallout by building a web-based alternative to its app two years before the removal. The shift allowed the company to bypass Apple’s 30% commission, ship updates more frequently, and maintain direct control over payments and subscriptions. After the app was pulled, every key performance metric—including user retention and revenue—fully recovered within weeks.
Filippenko’s strategy aligns with advice from Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who has long advocated for web access to avoid store restrictions and potential censorship. The approach reduces dependency on platforms that can unilaterally disrupt a business’s operations.
To test the viability of a web alternative, Filippenko recommends founders validate it while their app is still available. This ensures customers can transition smoothly if the app is removed, rather than scrambling to rebuild after the fact.
Why platform risk belongs in growth planning
Before scaling a business on a platform like the App Store, Filippenko advises founders to assess how much revenue and customer access depends on continued approval. He warns that investors should also scrutinize this exposure, as a single platform decision can interrupt recurring revenue and destabilize a company’s finances.
Apple’s control over distribution extends beyond removal risks. The company’s freeze on funds for three months after removal and its ability to disable subscriptions exacerbate the financial strain on affected startups. These policies can turn platform dependency into an existential threat for subscription-based businesses.
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Sources
- Crunchbase News · 2026-11-12
How Founders Can Reduce Platform Risk Before It Threatens Growth
This story is an original summary drafted with AI by Lazyfounder from the reporting listed above and checked by automated validation. Facts are attributed to their original publishers; sections marked as analysis are Lazyfounder's. Where a source is in another language, facts were machine-translated and quotations are reported, not reproduced. Read the original coverage via the links, and see our AI policy and corrections policy.
About the author
Editor, Lazyfounder
Tarun Mottlia edits LazyFounders, covering Indian startups, funding rounds, AI and product launches. Every story on the site is AI-assisted and checked against its cited sources before publication.
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