Image missing.
Holiday Yule Log App Constantly Bombards User With Ads for Premium Version

Joe Wilkins

created: Dec. 20, 2025, 1:15 p.m. | updated: Dec. 30, 2025, 1:20 p.m.

Everything is going well, until you turn and notice a popup on your yule log imploring you to upgrade to premium. That’s the situation facing users of “Winter Fireplace,” a digital yule log on the Apple App Store. “Experience Winter Fireplace at its best,” the popup — viewed by Futurism at a holiday party — merrily declares. A closer look at the store’s in-app purchases shows this isn’t your grandma’s yule log app. The developer of Winter Fireplace, Henry Glendening, has found himself in the news before, though not for anything related to his app.

1 month, 3 weeks ago: Futurism