Apple has received a lot of criticism for its latest decision to remove from sale apps that haven’t been updated in two years. According to the latest report, there are now almost 3000 apps that might face deletion.
Sensor Tower shared the data with TechCrunch, analyzing iOS apps that had at least 10,000 installs in 2022.
The company found out that 2966 apps and mobile games, which were last updated in 2018, might be pulled from the store. However, the total number could be even higher, considering that some developers have said that they received notice from Apple despite updating their products more recently.
“You can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store by submitting an update for review within 30 days,” the improvement notice shared by Protopop Games reads. “If no update is submitted within 30 days, the app will be removed from sale.”
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
Apple explained this decision by trying to make it easier for users to “find great apps that fit their needs.” According to the company’s policy, it will remove apps and games that “no longer function as intended, don’t follow review guidelines, or are outdated.”
The main problem here is that these rules affect smaller developers, who create completed games that don’t have to be updated on a regular basis. So Apple might harm indie creators with this policy, forcing them to submit new versions of their projects or simply removing them for being “outdated.”