Apple has slightly revised its policy on outdated apps and games on the App Store. The company has begun sending emails to some developers warning that their product will be removed from the App Store because “it has not received updates for a significant period of time.”
“You can keep this app available to new users, which will allow them, to download it from the App Store if you release the update for testing within 30 days,” Apple said in a statement. “If the update is not released during this period, the application will be removed from the store.”
I feel sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they're removing my free game Motivoto 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
Of course, such a change in policy was immediately criticized. In particular, Robert Kabwe, a developer from Protopop Games, expressed his opinion. He published a screenshot of the letter stating that Apple is going to remove his game Motivoto, which has not been updated since March 2019. However, the developer noted that console games released in the 2000s are still sold. And Apple’s policy is unfair to indie game developers.
FlickType Apple Watch keyboard developer Kosta Eleftheriou said Apple has removed a version of its application that was released specifically for the visually impaired because the app has not been updated for more than two years. At the same time, he notes in his tweet that the once-popular Pocket God game has not been updated for 7 years, but is still available in the App Store. Developer Emilia Lazer-Walker also wrote that several of her old games have been removed from the App Store. According to her, games can exist in the form of completed objects.
.@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
Apple on its website informs that it is “implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated.” It should be noted that the company announced the removal of “abandoned” applications from the App Store in 2016. However, Apple also does not specify which applications it considers “outdated” – whether it is the time that has passed since the last update, or compatibility with the latest version of iOS.
Earlier this month, the Google Play Store announced a similar initiative aimed at limiting the visibility of applications that do not meet the appropriate API level. Developers must update their applications by November 1, 2022, but can also apply for a 6-month grace period if they do not have time.
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