Apple Explains App Store Criteria for Removing Outdated Apps, Give 90 Days Response Time

Apple removed nearly 2.8 million apps as part of the App Store Improvements process

By Nithya P Nair | Updated: 30 April 2022 20:37 IST

Apple Explains App Store Criteria for Removing Outdated Apps, Give 90 Days Response Time

Photo Credit: Apple

The apps will function for users who have already downloaded them on their devices

Highlights

Earlier, developers had 30 days to comply with Apple's policy
Apple's App Store Improvements process was started in 2016
Google is also removing outdated apps from the Google Play store

Apple's recently reported announcement to sweep apps from the App store that are no longer being updated by their developers started a new controversy in the tech space. Now, in a latest update, the Cupertino giant has shared the criteria for how it chooses to remove abandoned apps. The iPhone maker clarified that only outdated apps are being removed from the App Store. Further, the company is giving 90 days response time for developers to update their apps and avoid removal, instead of 30 days available earlier.

Through a developer-facing statement on Friday, Apple announced that it will start removing apps from App Store that have not received updates for the last three years and failed to meet a minimal download threshold. The iPhone maker is sending emails to developers notifying the possible removal of their apps. Developers will have 90 days to update their app and avoid the action. Previously the company was permitting a 30-day timeframe to comply with this. Apps that are removed will continue to function as normal for users who have already downloaded the app on their device, noted Apple.

Apple stated that the App Store Improvements process is not new and it began back in 2016. The company said it had removed around 2.8 million apps as part of this move. According to the company, removing outdated apps will increase the visibility of existing apps and increase the security and privacy of users as they are incorporated with the latest technologies and tools.

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The news of the removal of apps from the App Store that no longer function as intended emerged last week and several developers have expressed their concerns about the change. The list of apps mostly includes games that have not been updated for years. The new move by Apple comes a few weeks after Google said that it would limit the apps from discovery and installation that “don't target an API level within two years of the latest major Android release version”, starting on November 1, 2022.

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Will the 2022 iPhone SE sink or swim? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: App Store, Apple, App Updates, Google Play, Google

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More