Grooveshark iPhone App Pulled After Universal Complaint

The Grooveshark iPhone app has been pulled from the App Store after Apple received a complaint from Universal Music Group UK.

The move comes only days after the app made its debut in the store.

"This comes as an absolute surprise to us, and we are not sleeping until we figure out exactly how to fix this—and get Grooveshark for iPhone back in the App Store," Grooveshark wrote in a blog post. "Above all, our biggest concern is damaging the service we provide to all of you guys—our loyal (awesome) users."

Complaints of this kind are usually about suspected copyright infringements or licensing squabbles, but Grooveshark did not elaborate on the problem, or whether it has an agreement with Universal UK.

Those who have already downloaded the app will be able to continue using it. "We're going to keep working hard to provide the best services we possibly can across the web, BlackBerry, Android, Palm WebOS, Symbian, and everywhere else you love your music—including the iPhone," Grooveshark said.

Grooveshark for iPhone provides access to playlists, favorites, search, and the "play any song" feature. It also includes offline caching for Airplane Mode.

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Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

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I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

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Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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