Vratislav Holub Interesting information has now flown through the Apple community that Apple is going to remove a number of applications that have not been updated for a long time from the App Store. This is evidenced by the published e-mails that the Cupertino company sent to some developers. In those, Apple doesn't even mention any time frame, only stating that apps that haven't been updated in "a long time" will disappear within days if they don't receive an update. If the update does not arrive, it will be removed from the App Store. They will remain on users' devices anyway - just uninstall them and there will be no chance to get them back. Apple explains its view on the matter on the website App Store Improvements.
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Adam Kos It is not surprising that this situation created a huge will of resistance. This is a huge obstacle, for example, for indie game developers, who understandably don't need to keep updating their titles because they work properly. After all, this is the case of a programmer named Robert Kabwe. He received an identical email from Apple threatening to download his Motivoto game. And why? Because it hasn't received a single update since 2019. This move by the apple company arouses huge controversy. But are they in place at all, or is it okay to delete older apps?
Is it a right or controversial step?
On Apple's part, this move may seem like the right thing to do. The App Store can be full of old ballast that is completely unnecessary today or may not work properly. Again, the not-so-popular double standard is manifested here, with which the developers are very familiar.
For example, the developer Kosta Eleftheriou, who is behind a number of popular and useful applications, knows his stuff. It is also well known that he is not exactly a big fan of similar steps from Apple. In the past, he also led considerable controversy for the deletion of his FlickType Apple Watch application, which, according to him, Apple first removed and then completely copied for its Apple Watch Series 7. Unfortunately, the deletion of his other software also came. This time, Apple has taken down his app for the visually impaired because it hasn't been updated in the last two years. In addition, Eleftheriou himself points out that while his software, which helps disadvantaged people, has been removed, such a game as Pocket God is still available. What's more strange is that this title was last updated in 2015.
I feel sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they're removing my free game Reason because its more than 2 years old.
It's part of their App improvement system.
This is not cool. Console games from 2000 are still available for sale.
This is an unfair barrier to indie devs. pic.twitter.com/7XNcLfiEcR
— Protopop Games (@protopop) April 23, 2022
A longtime developer scarecrow
But in reality, there is nothing new about removing out-of-date apps. Apple already announced in 2016 that it will remove so-called abandoned apps from the App Store, while the developer will always be given 30 days to update them. In this way, they should ensure peace again, that is, at least for some time. He has faced criticism for this move ever since. But as it seems, the situation is getting slightly worse, as more and more developers are starting to voice their displeasure. In the end, they are partly right. Apple thus throws sticks under the feet of, for example, indie developers.
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Google recently decided to take a very similar step. At the beginning of April, he announced that he was going to limit the visibility of applications that do not target the latest versions of the Android system or APIs from the last two years. Android developers now have until November 2022 to update their creations, or they can request a six-month delay. This will come in handy in cases where they didn't manage to complete the update on time.
.@apple is removing a few of my old games b/c they have “not been updated in a significant amount of time”
Games can exist as completed objects! These free projects aren't suitable for updates or a live service model, they're finished artworks from years ago. pic.twitter.com/iflH70j7q4
— emilia ✨ (@lazerwalker) April 23, 2022
This has been happening for a long time...