On September 24, 2022, the MetaTrader4 (MT4) and MetaTrader5 (MT5) trading platforms were withdrawn from the App Store, Apple’s online mobile store. The decision was major as both constitute the largest and most popular forex trading platforms on the market.

Being available for download on the App store is the gold standard for any retail trading platform. As one of the most used forums for downloads, exclusion from this service is a severe handicap in usage.

Fast forwarding six months, both platforms have been restored to the App Store. What explains the change in policy and how did MetaQuotes succeed where others did not?

For starters, Apple’s decision was seemingly based on operational technicalities, and it severely impacted the trading community. According to a recent report, the MT4 and MT5 platforms covered a combined 83.8% of the total market share at the end of the Q2 2022.

So, how was it that it took only 6 months for it to be reinstated? A closer analysis reveals the quick reaction and engineering conducted by MetaQuotes that helped restore MT4 and MT5 to the App Store, while others were caught flat footed.

MetaQuotes

Following the changes in the App Store, MetaQuotes quickly embarked on a plan to restore the MT4 and MT5 platforms. In parallel, many other platform providers were already planning on a life without these being included on the App Store.

MetaQuotes had other plans. The group’s engineering team worked relentlessly, accomplishing what other providers failed to do, restore the popular platforms as quickly as possible.

MetaQuotes has always strived to provide their users the best possible trading experience and being removed from the App Store wasn’t going to stop them from doing so. However, this was no easy feat, but was completed in record time. How did MetaQuotes manage to pull off this so quickly?

Rebuilding the MetaTrader 5 Web Terminal

MetaQuotes knew it had to go back to the drawing board and that started with Web Terminal. The company and its engineering team quickly rebuilt everything from the ground up and. Less than one month later on October 12, 2022, the company released an updated version of MT5 Web Terminal.

The new web terminal was MetaQuotes' solution to the problem of bringing back to traders the tool for easy work from mobile devices, independent of the application stores. This was due to enabling traders to access the trading platform directly from browsers on any device.

Constant communication

Recognizing the need to engineer a solution immediately, MetaQuotes kept communication lines with Apple open. The group arranged for thorough explanations on their operation technicalities and provided Apple with many insights on other topics as requested.

This dialogue was essential to charting a course that resulted in the quick restoration of its platforms in less than six months. MetaQuotes engineers worked around the clock to make both MT4 and MT5 compliant with Apple’s shifting regulatory standards and requirements.

In parallel, the MetaQuotes mobile development team promptly implemented changes to the apps to bring them back to the store.

The company's engineers needed to implement the necessary technical changes and argue for the safety of the applications for users. In addition, the company's experts made it clear that the trading platform, which is an industry standard, is not involved with possible negative accusations. Further, it took time for Apple to analyze the work done and make a decision.

Reinstatement at any cost

Six months had past and on March 6th, 2023, with all issues sorted, both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 were effectively returned to the AppStore to the delight of traders and brokers worldwide.

The fact this took place after only six months is a testament to MetaQuotes’ drive, determination, and work ethic. By recognizing the problem at hand, and shifting resources and attention with its leading talent to solving the problem and reconciling requirements with Apple, the impossible suddenly became achievable.

Despite being restored to the App Store, this is hardly the finish line for MetaQuotes. Rather, if this saga proved anything to the retail trading community, it is that MetaQuotes feels the responsibility of providing the best possible service in the online forex industry.

MetaTrader platforms have and always will keep improving and pushing the envelope in terms of offering access to markets, asset classes and providing traders with a remarkable trading experience.

As such, it comes as no surprise that even after their App Store incident, MetaQuotes still remains the top choice for the vast majority of online retail forex traders.