Apple may take action against applications that no longer receive updates. In an email with a screenshot sent to affected developers entitled “Application Improvement Notice”, Apple warned that it would remove apps from the App Store that were not “updated for a significant period of time” and gave developers only 30 days to update them.
“You can keep this app available to new users for discovery and download from the App Store by sending an update for review in 30 days,” Apple said in an email. “If no update is sent within 30 days, the app will be removed from sale.” While Apple will remove obsolete apps from the App Store, all previously downloaded apps will remain on users’ devices.
I’m sick. Apple just emailed me that they’re removing my free game Motivoto because it’s more than 2 years old.
This is part of their application improvement system.
This is not cool. Console games from 2000 are still available for sale.
This is an unfair barrier for indie developers. pic.twitter.com/7XNcLfiEcR
– Protopop Games (@protopop) April 23, 2022
A number of app developers, such as Protopop Games developer Robert Kabwe, have expressed concerns about the change. Kabwe says on Twitter that Apple is threatening to completely remove its functional game Motivoto because it has not been updated since March 2019.
Meanwhile, Costa Eleftheriou, developer of the Apple Watch FlickType keyboard, says Apple has downloaded a version of its app designed specifically for the visually impaired because it hasn’t been updated in two years. As Eleftheriou points out in his tweet, the once super-popular Pocket God app still remains in the App Store, although it was last updated in 2015. Developer Emilia Laser-Walker also announced that Apple is removing “several” of its older games. from the App Store. Several other developers share the same experience, noting that they simply did not have time to update their applications.
. @ apple removes some of my old games because they “haven’t been updated in a significant amount of time”
Games can exist as completed objects! These free projects are not suitable for live updates or models, they are finished works of art from years ago. pic.twitter.com/iflH70j7q4
– emilia) (@lazerwalker) April 23, 2022
On Apple’s App Store improvement page, the company says, “We’re implementing an ongoing app evaluation process, removing apps that are no longer working as intended, not following current review guidelines, or are out of date.” that it is not clear when Apple published or last updated the publication. Apple did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
In 2016, Apple said it would begin removing abandoned apps from the App Store. At the time, he also warned developers that they would have 30 days to update their app before downloading. However, it is unclear whether Apple has consistently enforced this rule over the years or has recently begun a broader review. Apple also does not clearly outline what it considers “obsolete” – whether based on the time since the last update of the application, or if it relates to compatibility with the latest version of iOS.
Critics of this policy argue that mobile applications should remain accessible regardless of age, like the old video games that can be played on consoles. Others say the policy is unnecessarily strict for developers and argue that Apple does not fully respect the work that goes into indie games.
Earlier this month, the Google Play Store similarly announced that it would start restricting the visibility of applications that “are not targeting the API level within two years of the latest major version of Android.” Android developers have until November 1, 2022 to update their apps, but they also have the option to apply for a six-month extension if they fail to meet the deadline. As both major app stores break down older apps, this may leave some developers, especially indie studios, struggling to cope.
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