Apple obviously doesn’t want any more old apps to be available for download in its App Store. In a note sent to some developers, the Californian firm announced that applications that have not been updated for some time will no longer be offered for download after about thirty days. While the application can still be retrieved by all users who have already downloaded it in the past, it will no longer be available on the App Store for new users.
Developers who want their applications to remain on the App Store will have no choice but to update them within 30 days.
This sudden and unexpected announcement has not only raised concerns, but has also raised questions among the developers concerned. While it is perfectly understandable for Apple to require applications to be updated so that they can run on as many devices as possible, forcing developers to update applications that are always perfectly functional does not make much sense. This is especially true for video games.
On the page dedicated to App Store Improvements that Apple has put online on its site, the firm explains that it has implemented “a constant process that consists of evaluating apps and deleting those that no longer work as expected, that do not meet the current evaluation criteria, or that are obsolete. “
It says that the App Store team evaluates apps to make sure they work properly, meet certain criteria and are mostly up-to-date. Apple also recommends that developers “regularly update [leurs] apps to fix bugs, offer new content, provide additional services, or make improvements to them.”
This is not the first time Apple has removed apps from its App Store. In 2016 already, the Cupertino firm had already made a big sweep in its app store.
Source: The Verge