Apple and Google crack the whip on Flappy Bird clones

our app store may be getting a lot less flappy.

Both Apple and Google appear to be cracking down on new apps taking advantage of the demise of "Flappy Bird," the addictively simple casual game that became an unlikely sensation before its creator abruptly pulled it off the market last week.

Even before "Flappy Bird" topped the download charts last month, a cavalcade of knock-off games began appearing. A quick search for the word "flappy" in the Google Play store on Monday returned 250 results, from "Flappy Pig" and "Flappy Fish" to "Flappy Troll," "Flappy Cat" (yes, it's the Web's beloved Nyan Cat) and even "Flappy Bieber."

Then came Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen's abrupt announcement he was going to pull "Flappy Bird" from online stores. The resulting wave of publicity created even more demand for the game and others like it.
 Say goodbye to 'Flappy Bird'

But now, developers say both major mobile players are pushing back.

"This is just not my f---ing week: Rejected. 'We found your app name attempts to leverage a popular app'," Ken Carpenter of Mind Juice Media tweeted Friday. "Which app? FB doesn't exist!?!?!
Carpenter said he had submitted a game called "Flappy Dragon." Several developers responded to his post, saying they had gotten similar notices from Apple and Google.

Neither Apple nor Google immediately responded Monday to a request for comment.

An Apple spokesperson told tech blog The Verge that the company is cracking down not just on apps with the word "flappy" in the title, but all apps that appear to be trying to trick customers into thinking they are associated with or replacing a popular original.