Kimi did not permanently beat Netflix or Hulu. In February 2024, an app presented as a vision-testing or spot-the-difference game briefly climbed above major streaming services in Apple’s App Store charts. Reports found that its main experience was instead a catalog of movies and television programs, including recent titles that appeared to be offered without authorization. Apple removed the app on February 13, 2024, after coverage exposed the mismatch between its public description and its apparent purpose.
A chart event, not a streaming-industry victory
The headline that Kimi “overtook” Netflix and Hulu compresses several different facts into one phrase. Kimi briefly ranked above those services in particular App Store chart snapshots; it did not surpass them in subscribers, viewing hours, revenue, catalog size, or long-term popularity.
The available reporting describes a fast-moving surge between February 12 and 13, 2024. Depending on the chart, country storefront, and time of measurement, Kimi was reported as:
- above Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video in Apple’s free-entertainment rankings;
- fourth among free entertainment apps in one app-intelligence measurement;
- eighth in the free-entertainment list in another reported snapshot; and
- twelfth among all apps in one measurement of its peak.
Those positions are not necessarily contradictory. App Store rankings change quickly, and “free entertainment,” “all apps,” and other chart categories measure different groups. The careful description is that Kimi briefly climbed above major legitimate streaming apps in Apple’s rankings.
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Third-party estimates also differed. Gizmodo, citing Appfigures, reported approximately 153,000 downloads during Kimi’s App Store run. BGR reported an estimate of about 65,000 downloads across two days. Neither figure was an Apple-confirmed total, and the discrepancy may reflect different measurement windows or later revisions.
What Kimi appeared to be—and what users found
Kimi’s App Store listing presented it as a vision-testing or spot-the-difference application. That description suggested a harmless game designed to test eyesight or visual attention.
Reports found that the installed app’s principal experience did not match that description. Instead, users encountered a streaming-style interface containing a catalog of films and television programs. Coverage described features such as:
- searching for movies and shows;
- rankings and recommendations;
- advertising around at least some viewing screens; and
- access to the catalog without an obvious payment requirement or account sign-up.
The reported catalog included popular films, titles associated with the 2024 awards season, and currently airing television programs. Video quality reportedly varied: some copies were poor or pixelated, while others appeared to be higher-quality unauthorized versions.
There is no authoritative, fixed inventory of every title Kimi carried. The catalog could change, and contemporaneous reports described what journalists and users observed rather than publishing a verified full list. It is therefore misleading to treat any individual list of films as Kimi’s definitive catalog.
Who operated Kimi?
The App Store listing associated Kimi with the developer name “Marcus Evans.” Reporting questioned whether that name was a pseudonym. It did not establish the real identity of the people behind the app.
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The available reporting also did not establish how Kimi obtained or delivered the video streams. There is no sound basis for claiming that it used a particular torrent network, file host, cyberlocker, or other specific technology. The responsible description is simply that the app appeared to provide access to an unauthorized movie and television catalog.
Timeline of the Kimi incident
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| September 22, 2023 | 9to5Mac reported this as Kimi’s initial App Store release date. |
| November 2023 | Other app-monitoring records identified a November release or storefront-availability date. Because the records conflict, Kimi’s exact first-publication date remains unresolved. |
| February 12, 2024 | Reports described a sharp download surge and Kimi’s appearance above major entertainment apps in relevant App Store rankings. |
| February 13, 2024 | Apple removed Kimi from the App Store after journalists drew attention to its apparent purpose. |
| July 12, 2026 | Apple Censorship’s monitoring record showed Kimi unavailable in all 113 tested Apple storefronts, including the United States. |
The first two entries should not be treated as a settled release history. The February 2024 surge and removal are the better-established parts of the timeline.
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How could a piracy app appear in the App Store?
Kimi appears to have benefited from a mismatch between its submitted or public-facing metadata and the experience users encountered after installation. A misleading listing can make an app look like a game or utility while concealing the feature that ultimately attracts downloads.
That explanation is an inference from the reported facts, not a confirmed account of Kimi’s submission or review process. Apple did not publicly release a case-specific explanation showing exactly how Kimi passed review or identifying the particular trigger for its removal.
Apple’s App Review Guidelines provide relevant rules. They require metadata to accurately describe an app’s core experience, prohibit hidden or undocumented features, require authorization for third-party copyrighted content, and prohibit apps that facilitate illegal file sharing or unauthorized downloading or streaming. Apple’s guidance also says that apps displaying or streaming third-party movies and other protected content must have the necessary authorization.
Those rules help explain why the reported Kimi behavior conflicted with Apple’s requirements. They do not prove which specific rule Apple relied on in removing this app, nor do they establish whether the app deliberately deceived reviewers, changed behavior after approval, or escaped scrutiny because no one had yet reported it.
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Why the app could rise so quickly
Kimi combined three forces that are especially powerful in an app store:
- Low-friction access. A user could apparently install the app and browse a recognizable entertainment catalog without creating an account or paying a subscription.
- Search-driven demand. The presence of recent and widely discussed films and television programs gave users an immediate reason to look for the app or share it with others.
- Chart visibility. A concentrated burst of downloads can push an app into a prominent ranking position. That visibility can then generate further downloads, even if the app has no established brand or durable user base.
In other words, Kimi’s chart position says something about the timing and concentration of downloads. It does not show that users preferred Kimi as a sustained entertainment service over Netflix, Hulu, or any other legitimate platform.
What made Kimi different from an ordinary piracy website?
The important distinction was distribution. Conventional piracy websites generally require users to find a domain, navigate a browser interface, tolerate pop-ups or redirects, and judge whether a site is trustworthy. Kimi placed a similar discovery experience inside an app distributed through Apple’s official marketplace.
That did not make the content legitimate. It did, however, change the trust signal presented to users. An App Store listing can make an app appear to have passed a meaningful platform gate, even though App Store approval is not a guarantee that every claim in a listing is accurate or that an app will remain compliant after release.
Earlier piracy-oriented apps were also reported to use disguises such as games or utility tools before being removed. That broader pattern provides context, but it does not establish that Kimi’s operators were connected to any earlier app or that they used the same backend or distribution method.
Was Kimi illegal?
Contemporaneous reporting characterized the catalog as unauthorized or pirated. The U.S. Copyright Office recognizes that unauthorized posting or use of copyrighted video and other protected works can constitute infringement under the applicable legal framework.
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That conclusion should be stated carefully. The reporting does not identify the operators, determine the source of every stream, or resolve every legal question involving streaming, temporary copies, caching, intermediaries, or users in different countries. It supports describing Kimi’s apparent movie and television catalog as unauthorized; it does not support assigning criminal or civil liability to a named individual whose identity was never verified.
What Apple’s removal does—and does not—prove
Apple’s removal of Kimi is confirmed by the reported timeline. It demonstrates that the app was no longer available through the App Store after the coverage and that Apple acted against it.
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- the exact internal reason Apple gave for the removal;
- which Apple review stage failed to detect the mismatch;
- who operated the service;
- where the streams originated; or
- that every app with a similar appearance or name was connected to Kimi.
Apple Censorship’s monitoring record, whose latest listed test was July 12, 2026, found Kimi unavailable in all 113 Apple storefronts it tested, including the United States. That is a monitoring result, not a public Apple statement about the removal rationale. It also cannot establish that Kimi or its operators could never reappear under a different name.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why this short-lived story mattered
Kimi’s importance was not its size compared with Netflix. It was the way the incident joined three normally separate problems:
- App Store trust: The public listing allegedly described a visual game while the installed product centered on unauthorized entertainment.
- Piracy distribution: The app reduced the steps between discovering a movie and attempting to watch an unauthorized copy.
- Platform-chart amplification: A short burst of downloads gave a little-known app visibility alongside household-name streaming services.
The episode is a reminder that app-store rankings are not equivalent to market share. They can reflect a short-lived promotional push, a viral recommendation, a sudden news cycle, or a novelty effect. They also do not certify that an app’s content is licensed, that its operators are identifiable, or that it will remain available.
What happened to Kimi?
Kimi was removed from Apple’s App Store on February 13, 2024. Based on the Apple Censorship monitoring record cited above, it was unavailable in all 113 tested storefronts as of July 12, 2026, including the United States.
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Readers looking for a particular film should use its studio, broadcaster, library, rental, subscription, or other authorized release channels. Availability varies by country and changes frequently, so a check where to watch legally tool can be more reliable than assuming a title belongs to a particular streaming service. No legitimate service should be presented as carrying Kimi’s catalog merely because it offers some of the same films.
How to interpret the headline accurately
The most accurate short version is:
Kimi was a disguised app that appeared to offer unauthorized movies and television programs. It briefly ranked above Netflix, Hulu, and other major streaming apps in Apple’s charts during a February 2024 download surge, then Apple removed it.
That wording preserves the striking part of the story without turning a temporary chart position into a claim that Kimi defeated established streaming services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Kimi really beat Netflix and Hulu?
Only in a narrow, temporary App Store-ranking sense. Reports placed Kimi above Netflix and Hulu in particular Apple chart snapshots during February 12–13, 2024. It did not surpass them in subscribers, revenue, viewing time, or lasting popularity.
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How many people downloaded Kimi?
Third-party estimates differed. Gizmodo, citing Appfigures, reported about 153,000 downloads during the app’s App Store run, while BGR reported an estimate of roughly 65,000 downloads over two days. Apple did not confirm either figure.
Was “Marcus Evans” the real operator?
The App Store listing used the developer name “Marcus Evans,” but available reporting did not verify that as the operator’s real identity. It should not be treated as a confirmed individual behind Kimi.
Is Kimi still available on Apple’s App Store?
The app was removed on February 13, 2024. Apple Censorship’s monitoring record reported it unavailable in all 113 tested Apple storefronts, including the United States, in its latest listed test on July 12, 2026.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Kimi’s rise was a brief App Store-chart anomaly created by a disguised app and a concentrated download surge—not evidence that a piracy service had sustainably overtaken Netflix or Hulu. Its removal also highlights why an App Store listing is not, by itself, proof that an app’s description, content rights, or operators are trustworthy.
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