Apple has removed the popular YouTube wrapper app Musi from the App Store for violating YouTube's terms of service, leading to the emergence of several clone apps. The removal affects approximately 66 million users who previously downloaded the app.

Musi's core functionality allowed users to play YouTube videos while displaying its own ads, with an option to remove ads through in-app purchases. YouTube explicitly prohibits wrapper apps that bypass their advertising system.

In response, Musi has filed a lawsuit against Apple, arguing that their app doesn't violate YouTube's terms since it doesn't use YouTube's official API. Instead, they claim to have developed a proprietary "augmentative interface" that displays publicly available YouTube content without storing or processing videos.

Current Musi users report that their playlists are blocked and songs won't play, likely due to YouTube restricting access to Musi's servers. Meanwhile, alternative apps like Music Si have gained popularity among former Musi users. Music Si offers similar functionality for both YouTube and SoundCloud content, including ad removal options at $2.99/month or $9.99/year.

The situation raises questions about the future of similar wrapper apps, as Music Si has already climbed from #244 to #120 in the App Store's Music category, potentially drawing YouTube's attention.

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