Truth Social, Donald Trump’s new social media business, debuted late Sunday in Apple’s App Store, possibly signalling the former president’s return to social media after being banned from multiple platforms last year.
The software was released shortly before midnight ET and was the most popular free app on the App Store on Monday morning.
Users who pre-ordered Truth Social had the software instantly downloaded to their Apple Inc (AAPL.O) devices.
Many people reported having problems registering for an account or being placed on a waiting with the statement “We have placed you on our queue due to tremendous demand.”
According to media, the software has been available to those who have been invited to use it throughout its testing phase.
Following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters, he was banned from Twitter Inc (TWTR.N), Facebook (FB.O), and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) YouTube after he was accused of posting statements inciting violence.
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the venture behind Truth Social, is led by former Republican U.S. Representative Devin Nunes and joins a growing portfolio of technology companies positioning themselves as champions of free speech in the hopes of attracting users who feel their views are suppressed on more established platforms.
So far, none of the emerging startups, such as Twitter competitors Gettr and Parler, as well as video site Rumble, have come close to matching the mainstream counterparts’ popularity.
“We’ll start rolling out on the Apple App Store this week. That’s going to be fantastic because we’re going to get a lot more people on the platform,” Nunes said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” show on Sunday “.
“Our aim is, I believe we’ll meet it; I believe we’ll be completely functioning, at least within the United States, by the end of March,” he added.
The initial public version of Truth Social, or version 1.0, was available a day ago, according to the app store page showing its version history, verifying a media report. According to the page, the latest version 1.0.1 offers “bug fixes.”
