Apple pulled ShareChat's social discovery app Vibely from its App Store. The move highlights Apple's recent aggressive stance against apps enabling random or anonymous interactions. It puts ShareChat's 12-18 month IPO timeline under fresh scrutiny.
How We Got Here
Apple updated its App Store rules this year to explicitly prohibit apps centered on random or anonymous chat. This follows years of criticism for platforms like Omegle, which shut down in 2023 due to sexual exploitation and child safety risks.
The Numbers
- Vibely, launched in 2024 by Mohalla Tech, focuses on connecting users through voice and video with unknown people.
- Apple cited Section 1.2 of its App Review Guidelines, which bans apps primarily used for "random or anonymous chat" or "Chatroulette-style experiences."
- Vibely claims it's an "exploratory product" that has never scaled and contributes "negligible" revenue to ShareChat.
- ShareChat, backed by Google and Temasek, is reportedly eyeing an Initial Public Offering within 12-18 months.
What Happens Next
🇮🇳 Why This Matters for India
For social media founders in Hyderabad and Pune targeting Gen Z, this sets a precedent on how aggressively Apple will enforce its user-generated content guidelines.
The Take
The real hit here isn't Vibely's 'negligible' revenue, it's the reputational dent for ShareChat ahead of its IPO — regulators and investors dislike this kind of platform friction. Expect other Indian social apps with 'random' elements to quietly audit their features by October.
Source:
MediaNama ↗