Apple and Google now rejecting games with “flappy” in the title

By David Nield February 16, 2014

apple google now rejecting games flappy title bird — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The rise and fall of Flappy Bird has been one of the most bizarre tech stories of 2014, and there’s another development to report: Apple and Google have both begun actively blocking game submissions that have “flappy” in the title, as a deluge of clones continue to flood into the companies’ respective app stores.

While there’s been no official word from Google or Apple, TechCrunch reports on comments made by developers who have had apps blocked for their “attempts to leverage a popular app.” If you think this is somewhat unfair considering the number of “flappy” games already on iTunes and Google Play, it looks like these apps are being forced to rename themselves too.

From data gathered by MobileDevHQ it seems that movement in the iOS App Store charts has ground to a halt, suggesting that Apple is now taking steps to limit the impact of Flappy Bird clones on the market as a whole. With coverage of Dong Nguyen’s smash hit all over the press last week, its presence continues to be felt even after being made unavailable.

Flappy Bird’s simple yet frustrating gameplay is obviously something lots of gamers are looking for, and with the original game now deleted from app stores there’s no shortage of developers looking to fill the void and make a buck or two at the same time.

Here’s our look at some of the most blatant Flappy Bird rip-offs that you can get your hands on; we’ve also written about our favorite alternative games that you can play instead.

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Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

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