An iOS 8 app that allowed users to create custom shortcuts and access them from a Notification Center widget has been removed from the App Store by Apple for what it calls “misuse of widgets,” the developers said in a notice posted on the app’s website.
The app, called Launcher, worked by letting users enter a URL or select an application to be launched when a shortcut was tapped. The shortcuts would then be displayed in Notification Center, allowing quick access to a variety of tasks such as starting a phone or FaceTime call, creating a new text message, email, or iMessage, opening an application, or more.
The app was pulled from the store on Friday night and Apple says there is no chance that it will be allowed back with the widget functionality still in place.
Users who already upgraded to the pro version of the app through an in-app purchase will still be able to use the pro capabilities, but no one else will be able to purchase the upgrade. The developers have said that while no new bug fixes or features will be able to be released for the software, it will still be able to connect to their own servers and download updates to its list of tasks, giving them the ability to add new functions to the app over time.
