--- title: "Holiday Yule Log App Constantly Bombards User With Ads for Premium Version" description: "A holiday yule log app interrupts the cozy ambiance with annoying ads, begging users to subscribe to premium." date: "2025-12-20" modified: "2025-12-20" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/holiday-fireplace-ad-app" categories: - "Future Society" - "Virtual Reality" --- # Holiday Yule Log App Constantly Bombards User With Ads for Premium Version ![A holiday yule log app interrupts the cozy ambiance with annoying ads, begging users to subscribe to premium.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images* It's the holidays. The soft spice of holly and evergreen cling to the air, and a carefully curated playlist hums at just the right volume. The only thing that could make the atmosphere more inviting is the warm glow of a fire — **s**o you load up the first one you see on the App Store and cast it to the family TV. 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. Drowning in a sea of similar vibey kitsch, Winter Fireplace starts off a free download, but soon begins begging users to sign up for premium with irritating popups that blot out all the warmth of the fire. "Experience Winter Fireplace at its best," the popup — viewed by *Futurism* at a holiday party — merrily declares. "Upgrade for a clean, distraction-free picture, cozy soundscapes, and the full scene library." https://bsky.app/profile/joeonhere.bsky.social/post/3m7y7czlfqs2r Users are then invited to "Upgrade to Premium," which can cost either $0.99 or $2.99, apparently, according to the [app's listing]() on the App Store. We chose "not right now," in order to close the popup and get back to the high-octane holiday action. But 15 minutes later, the popup returned, offering the exact same deal. A closer look at the store's in-app purchases shows this isn't your grandma's yule log app. It's jampacked with features like immersive soundscapes and iCloud integration, and boasts over 80 "premium" fire loops "showcasing fireplace, fireside, candle, campfire and bonfire scenes." And though the base app is free, those extras are gonna cost you. For example, users can purchase various themed packs for different holidays, like Christmas and Halloween for $5.99 apiece. There's a "Mega Bundle" for $12.99, which includes numerous firescapes, but not all. For that, users need to shell out a whopping $19.99 to "unlock" the entire app, though we don't know why anybody would. (Thriftier holiday enjoyers can find many free — and ad-free — fireplace videos [online]().) The developer of Winter Fireplace, Henry Glendening, has found himself in the news before, though not for anything related to his app. Back in 2015, Glendening became the subject of a feel-good lifestyle story, after [*St Louis Today* reported]() on his betrothal to Kasey Bergh, whom the developer met thanks to a text to a wrong-number. But the story didn't really pick up pace until a while later, when Bergh — thirty years Glendening's senior — needed a new kidney, according to [local outlet *KSDK*](). As it turns out, Glendening was a "perfect immunological match" for his wife. Glendening's story, then, is a modern parable. As the popup fades and the digital fire resumes its loop, we're left with a perfect encapsulation of this moment in time, where human connection and the logic of monetization not only coexist, but emerge from the very same device. We reached out to the developer for comment. **More on apps:** *[Alarm App Demands You Watch Advertisement to Hit “Snooze” Button]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()