The week of April 23, several developers received an email from Apple inviting them to update their application within 30 days to avoid deletion. This sparked an outcry from independent developers who did not understand this decision. In response, Apple has officially communicated via its site on April 29. The company tries to erase the fears and provides some explanations on its policy of removing applications from the App Store.
A policy in effect at Apple since 2016
In response to this situation, which is making some developers angry, Apple has provided some clarification on its current management of the App Store. The Apple brand confirms that its application deletion policy is in force since 2016, as Tim Cook claimed in the same year. Thus, 2.8 million applications that do not ” no longer work as intended, do not meet current evaluation criteria, or are obsolete were removed from the App Store in six years.
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The Californian firm evokes the three main reasons for these deletions. First, they improve the visibility of new applications that have difficulty reaching App Store users. Apple also plays the card of user security and data protection, which would not be guaranteed by applications that are no longer updated. Finally, up-to-date apps provide a better user experience by taking advantage of features from the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS.
Slight reprieve for developers
Apple is trying to be more specific about what an app is. obsolete “. Apple detailed that the affected apps are those that have not been updated for three years and failed to download enough times over a one-year period. The tech giant, however, still does not give the minimum number of downloads required. A persistent vagueness which has the gift of feeding certain doubts. Robert Kabwe, developer and founder of the Protopop Games studio, one of whose games will be deleted, worries about the real importance that the number of downloads represents in Apple’s decision-making.
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I’m glad Apple is following this discussion and trying to make positive changes.
I’m also concerned that having few downloads is one of the metrics used for removal. https://t.co/0Ooz8HcE6q
— Protopop Games (@protopop) May 1, 2022
Developers who do not respect these conditions will then receive the famous email inviting them to update their application. The 30-day period is now 90 days. if necessary », even for those who have already received the email and whose application has not yet been deleted. This additional delay appears as a response to independent developers who have expressed their dismay. However, as they have already indicated, updating an application requires time and resources. This slight reprieve may not be the expected response.