Cartoon HD has surely been one of the most controversial applications of 2014, if not the number one on that list – and for obvious reasons. The app allows its users to get easy, unlimited access to numerous animations and cartoon shows, all for free – based, of course, on piracy channels. It was initially received very warmly and saw a huge surge in popularity after being featured on several websites, although it managed to do well enough by word of mouth alone.
Subsequently however, the app was removed from the iTunes App store and the Play Store, as both Apple and Google have apparently been facing legal issues with Cartoon HD. Even though the removals were met with some significant backlash from the community, that didn’t do much to sway the decisions of both companies, and the app in its original form remained banned from both services.
As can be expected with something that revolves around piracy, the community quickly took matters into their own hands. Those who had copies of the app saved on their devices put up mirrors of them at various websites, and the app can still be downloaded and side-loaded onto some devices, provided users have access to them. On the other hand, some scammers have also taken the opportunity to trick people into downloading their malicious software by disguising it as a release of Cartoon HD, so users looking for the genuine app, or a legitimate clone of it, should be extra wary when browsing outside of the standard stores.
It’s not clear if the app will ever come back in its original form, although most are convinced that it won’t. There have been rumors that the app might return with a paid subscription service model, but this seems highly unlikely as the company would have to strike deals with multiple studios. In addition, the developers of the original app already have a tainted reputation with Apple and Google, and the companies might not be too fond of letting them release another app in their stores, even if it’s a legitimate one.
One thing is certain though – the app’s quick rise to fame was a clear indicator that there is a huge market for something like this, so if someone eventually does manage to pull it off in a legitimate manner, they could potentially find themselves quite rich in the end. Of course, as we said above, that would require an extraordinary amount of legal negotiations, something which very few companies on the market are capable of going through. And of those that could potentially end up successful, none have shown any indication of having interest in such a project so far.