The AppGratis application has been removed from the App Store

Apple has removed the AppGratis application from the App Store, which informs users about free programs and sales on iTunes.

Analysts believe this is another step by the Cupertino giant in its battle against third-party teams that make their business from advertising and promotion, in a manner of speaking, on the side.

Undoubtedly, Apple would prefer users to primarily focus on its "featured" products and download those applications. AppGratis, of course, did not fit into such a scheme.

The creators of AppGratis were doing quite well with 10 million downloads of the app itself and $12.5 million in investments from venture firms.

It is worth noting that this is not the first such case. In December 2012, a similar app, App Shopper, was removed from the App Store.