Apple bans Wordle apps from App Store that were confusing users

Apple removed several Wordle games from its App Store after users confused them with another word-play title popularized by Jimmy Fallon and other celebrities.

The word game Wordle has gone viral after initially gaining momentum in October 2021.  (AFP)

Apple Inc. removed several Wordle games from its App Store after users confused them with another word-play title popularized by Jimmy Fallon and other celebrities. As of Wednesday, the only remaining product on the App Store with that title appeared to be Wordle!, a time-based game created by Steven Cravotta more than five years ago. Apple confirmed the move to Bloomberg. 

Wordle games began to take off in the App Store in recent weeks, buoyed by a specific version that's caught on with entertainers. Created in October by former Reddit software engineer Josh Wardle, it's available to play once a day on his website and doesn't have an app for mobile users.

But like-named games have soared on the App Store. Downloads of Cravotta's Wordle! rose nearly to 40,000 in the week of Jan. 1, up 850% from the week before, according to the mobile data and analytics firm App Annie. It reached the top 10 among all word games in seven countries and was No. 1 among word games in Ireland as of Jan. 8. Wordle! is currently No. 4 among word games in the U.S. App Store.

Similarly, What Word - Wordle, launched on iOS last week, saw nearly 20,000 downloads worldwide the week of Jan. 1. It reached the top 10 among all word games in 14 countries on iOS and No. 1 among word games in the U.K., Iceland and the Netherlands as of Jan. 8, according to App Annie. That game no longer appears to be available on the U.S. App Store.

How the others thought to cash-in on the craze

As the term “Wordle” began trending and news outlets picked up on its popularity, other versions for mobile devices started to catch on.

Over the weekend in Apple's U.S. App Store, two Wordles shot up the charts in the Word category. At No. 8 is Wordle!, a time-based game created by developer Steven Cravotta, which was launched in the U.S. App Store more than five years ago.

At No. 13 is Wordle, which Candyblocks launched this month. The game offers 1,000 levels to play through, according to its description. Wordle - Daily Word Games!, also released this month by Mediaflex Games, is at No. 58.

In the past, Apple has taken down clones of hit games. When the developer of the viral sensation Flappy Bird pulled his game in 2014, it continued to live on in meme games until Apple took action.