NDrive was a newcomer to the GPS game, and offered iOS buyers a deal; be one of the first, and get 1.8 GB of US map data for only $2.99.
The catch? Well, it appears NDrive may not have fully licensed the map data used in the application. And, they may not have licensed those price-shattering copies, Apple may have had to intervene.
The world’s largest technology company has readily admitted that every iOS device bears a kill switch to remove applications. Not to be unmatched by Google’s recent use of the Android Market kill switch (due to security concerns), Apple may have deployed the kill switch on promotional NDrive sales.
Multiple users, including PhoneNews.com staff, have reported that their copies of NDrive have vanished from both their iOS devices, as well as iTunes Libraries.
Apple has stayed silent on the matter, we contacted them before business Monday asking for comment. We have received no response from Apple as of today. To date, no user with a missing copy of NDrive USA has reported an explanation from iTunes Customer Service either.
NDrive Customer Service has sent the following response to multiple customers:
It has recently come to our attention that customers are experiencing difficulties with our iPhone navigation applications. Accordingly, NDrive acknowledges that our software listed in the Apple iTunes Store have been dissolved until further notice. We are currently working to address and improve the situation in an efficient manner. This issue has been assigned a maximum urgency level as we cannot inquire on the duration of our void from said markets. We are attentively listening and working hard to address all inquisitions submitted.
NDrive has not explained why, or if any explanation from Apple, was given for the removal. The absence of a technical explanation for NDrive’s removal does give more credence to a licensing issue for the initial versions. Other low-cost GPS solutions have relied on public map data that is historically less accurate. Google Maps Navigation, while free, relies on their own internal map data that the company acquired through acquisitions.
If this is indeed Apple’s first use of the iOS Kill Switch, it may give firepower to App Store opponents. Apple has not refunded customers for the purchases (aside from case by case manual requests). Amazon.com refunded buyers and remotely wiped digital copies of George Orwell’s novels from their Kindle devices, after finding that they were not licensed properly. Amazon.com acknowledged that the automatic removal, without prior notification to customers, was a mistake on their behalf.
[…] Did Apple Flip the iOS Kill Switch on NDrive? | PhoneNews.com I purchased the NDrive USA GPS program when it was $3 and I'm wondering if Apple has indeed pulled the plug on it due to licensing issues. If so, does this mean that I can't sync with iTunes anymore if I wish to keep the program? I have disabled the kill switch on the phone, but that doesn't keep Apple from deleting it from iTunes. If iTunes sees it, will it reinstall it into iTunes or delete it from my phone? […]
This is probably not the place to make my comment. sorry.
Clicking on the Forums link, I get the following …
“In March, we took our Forums offline, so we could make them better.
We heard you loud and clear, you want an improved forum experience.”
“In April, we’ll bring the Forums back on a new site of their own.
Completely re-written, but with all your existing posts and accounts being brought along.
So, hang in there for just a little longer.”
Any update on this ?
I want my money back if they are going to take it away.
Hi Flower Power, for future site issues you can hit the Contact Us link at the bottom of every page.
Long story short, we are working on bringing back the forums. I can’t go into the reasons holding it up, unfortunately. We hope to have those issues resolved within the next month, but unfortunately it could be as long as 90 days or so until the forums are live again.
We will be updating the notice over there to reflect this.
And, as an end to this off-topic discussion… on with the kill switch discussion.
The 2.99 nDrive uses map data from TeleAtlas not NAVTEQ.
TA was agressively targeting the US market. Whether the TA content is properly licensed should be verified by the author with TA.
Sage Man, we can’t get anyone to comment on NDrive. And, considering NDrive appears to be wiped from our computers by Apple, we’re still looking into TeleAtlas.
You can blame Apple for the lack of verification here, not us. When evidence is erased from your hard drive via remote control, it’s hard to verify anything at all.
Just got a reply from iTunes Customer Service. My email was nearly identical to everyone else’s… no details given, just notice of a refund.
As an end user of NDrive USA version 10 purchased @ $3, i can confirm that on my iPhone 3GS 32G it states that the map provider for NDrive is Tele Atlas, NOT Navteq. It is for this reason that i do not believe that partially licensed Navteq maps are the reason for their stated ‘dissolution’. Nonetheless, their applications are not in the app. store. From my research I cannot figure out why. In addition, i find it extremely hard to believe that Apple is wiping apps remotely. What is more likely the case is that you may not download from iTunes again, but if stored on hard-drive there is no way.
Well, that’s it, Apple is now the antithesis of their famed 1984 commercial. Funny how PC/MS turned out to be the true open platform huh? Link to the commercial, just in case somebody isn’t familiar with it…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8
I wouldn’t call Microsoft the “open” platform.
Windows Phone 7’s App Marketplace will be as closed as the iOS App Store. No unsigned code outside of the web browser (Silverlight & HTML, with the possibility for Flash).
For the open solution, you have plenty of choices however: webOS, Symbian, MeeGo, and Android*.
* Unless the phone is shipped from AT&T.
SteveKartinger, I’d love to hear how NDrive vanished from our hard drives in the office, or why others have seen similar issues. Search Apple’s own discussion forums if you doubt independent reports.
Tele Atlas and NAVTEQ do not have vastly different licensing terms, that’s not really a reason to dispute the logic in the article. We’ve yet to hear from Apple, NDrive, or any map provider that NDrive was properly paying their licenses.
Comparatively, a fake Steve Jobs email posted on another site was refuted within hours by Apple Media Relations. It’s not like they aren’t reading these articles.
To assuage the whole map data debate, we have removed the incorrect reference to NAVTEQ in the article. We stand by the rest of the report however.
NDrive USA is still fully operational on my iPhone 3GS and in my iTunes Library. It was never removed and works very well.
[…] (function() { var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0]; s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js'; s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1); })(); Today we got an anonymous tip from a user about a certain application on the App Store which simply disappeared from users iPhones and Macs, overnight. Did Apple just use the kill switch? […]
[…] basada en un artÃculo de PhoneNews. Comparte este […]
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I know Apple have done well of late but when did they become “The world’s largest technology company…” ?
NDrive UK & Ireland is no longer in the UK store either.
I synched NDrive onto my iPhone 4 on Saturday July 3rd and it didn’t get removed from my computer. I synched my phone again yesterday and it is still there. After reading other reports, I took a copy of the .ipa file out of my iTunes library just in case. Too bad; I was hoping for an upgrade with Retina support.
[…] a telefonjáról is törli a programot. Az iOS is lehetÅ‘vé teszi ezt a fajta beavatkozást, az Apple pár napja élhetett a lehetÅ‘séggel. ElÅ‘ször az NDrive USA felhasználók vették észre, hogy mindenhonnan eltűnt az alkalmazás. […]
It seems that 2 weeks after “the sky is falling” I still have my NDrive USA app on my system.
Does Ndrive work with iOS 4?
If you still have a copy of NDrive, it does appear to work on iOS 4, however, features like multitasking are not available… since the app was not updated to take advantage of iOS 4.
I still have NDrive USA on my iPhone 4 and in my iTunes library. Before I came across this article, I assumed it was pulled from the App Store because they used some sort of cross-platform toolkit. The app seems to work well, but it certainly does not look or feel like a “normal” iOS app. They don’t even use the standard iOS text entry (keyboard). Very odd.
Itunes store refunded my payment last week see email below :
> From: iTunesStoreSupport@apple.com
> To: dread7@hotmail.com
> Subject: Re: App Store and iBooks; Follow-up: 113154116
> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:45:44 -0700
>
> Hello E,
>
> Thanks so much for taking the time to contact iTunes Store support. My name is Christine and I will be more than happy to help you out today.
>
> Before I begin addressing your email I just wanted to let you know that we are experiencing a slight delay in response time due to all of the exciting new Apple Products being offered. That being said, your patience up to this point is very much appreciated, and if you require any further assistance after reading this email please respond and let me know. Your response will go straight to the top of my inbox and will be given top priority!
>
> I see from your email that you’ve updated your iPhone and the app “NDrive UK & Ireland” is missing and you’re unable to re download as it may no longer be available on the iTunes Store. I am sure you are eager to regain the app. Please be assured, I’ll gladly address your inquiry today!
>
> I’ve checked the iTunes Store and regrettably it isn’t available. However, I have reversed the charge for “NDrive UK & Ireland”. In three to five business days, a credit of £4.34, plus applicable taxes should be posted to the credit card that appears on the receipt for that purchase.
>
> I would recommend contacting the developer to inquire as to why it’s removed and if they’ll add it back. You can contact them at:
>
> http://www.ndrive.com
>
> I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. The iTunes Store wants your experience to be as enjoyable as possible. You are a valued iTunes Store customer, E and have a great day!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Christine
> iTunes Store Customer Support
I’m running the Australia & NZ version on my 3GS running iOS4 and it still works fine. Keeping my fingers crossed that they sort out what the issue is and give us the update to the new version, it’s an awesome app.
[…] Did Apple Flip the iOS Kill Switch on NDrive? Wait, has Apple already used the kill switch? […]
I’m also running the Australia & NZ version on my 3GS running iOS4 and it is still on my phone even after many syncs. BUT I have not been able to get a GPS fix since upgrading to iOS4. I have tried the app in both NZ and Australia and it no longer works in either country. Other GPS apps work fine in both countries. When I contacted nDrive they replied with the standard email about working with Apple about unspecified problems. At the moment the map works (as a map book), but it is useless as a sat-nav device.
Some fact-checking, people!
The existence of Apple’s kill switch isn’t exactly a secret — Jobs has commented on it publicly himself. More importantly, it’s URL isn’t exactly a secret either:
https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps
Note the empty list there? No apps have been killswitched as of this writing. End of discussion.
(And yes, N-Drive is still working just fine on my 3GS.)
Wjv, the presence of that URL may not be the only source of the kill switch. Apps may also be removed through SSL communication in the iTunes Store communications layer. Feel free to ask Apple for comment on that, we sure tried.
Nobody has yet to explain why several, several people have all independently confirmed the disappearance of NDrive from their iTunes Libraries, including our own at PhoneNews.com.
That, is called fact checking, people.
Complete and utter garbage reporting. The app was pulled from the App Store … that was it. Apple didn’t delete anything off your iphone, your iTunes, your PC, or your Mac.
I still have it on my iPhone, and it still works. I can delete it off the phone and reinstall it from my iTunes if wanted. I upgraded from a 3GS to a 4, and simply reinstalled the app.
Other apps (like WiFiFoFum and GV Mobile originally) have been pulled from the store before. In the case of WiFiFoFum, they used a private API in their software (which you are not supposed to do), and Apple found it sometime after it had already been in the App Store. Apple usually warns the developer and gives them a chance to fix the software violation. Anyone who downloaded or purchased it prior to that is completely free to continue using the product.
Proto732, I have the app in my iTunes but when I try to sync it to my iPhone 3GS I get an error. Also, if I go to my purchases history, I can see that I have another APP (Motion X GPS) in the place of the NDrive APP, but with the same date/time and same value (29,99 euros).
This does not make sense because MotionX GPS does not cost 29,99 euros and I never purchased this APP.
Let me correct my last statement: When I mentioned that MOTIONX was in place of NDRIVE, in fact that is not true. I actually was looking in the wrong place. Nevertheless, that main problem still remains. I can’t get this APP nor iTunes lets me report a problem with the APP!! I’m getting a message saying that I’ve already reported a problem with this app (which is not true) or it is too old to be reported!
As of October 6, I have a functioning copy of NDrive USA on my new iPhone 4 running iOS 4.1. It does utilize the phone’s GPS and sees my location, and needless to say, remains in my Mac’s iTunes Apps folder. Too bad it’s no longer in the iTunes store, though. I was curious about whether the app would utilize a hardware GPS cradle like the Magellan or TomTom car kits for iPhone and couldn’t look up more info.