Apple removes apps from the App Store without consultation: developers angry
Apple continues to implement controversial ideas. The company is now removing apps (which haven’t been updated in a while) from the App Store. This is especially the case for small developers. iPhoned tells you more.
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Apple is going to remove apps from the App Store
Apple has sent some app developers a message with a strong message. The email with the title ‘App Improvement Notice’ is now up Twitter round. It states that apps that have not had an update for a ‘considerable time’ will be removed from the App Store.
This is a tough move for the small game developers and short-lived projects that use the App Store to market their apps. On the other hand, Apple hopes with these guidelines that the apps in the App Store meet a certain quality standard.
Guidelines mainly affect indie apps
In the mail it is unclear what exactly ‘a considerable time’ of no updates means. The developers do have thirty days to comply with the new measures with their app. Don’t they? Then Apple removes the apps. This mainly affects small developers. These often lack the manpower and time to update an app regularly.
On the other hand mourn some makers that apps can no longer exist as standalone, completed projects. It’s often the finished apps from years ago that get hit. For comparison; you don’t ask Rembrandt whether he would like to update the Night Watch with the latest shades of paint.
A slightly less exaggerated example: you can still play games from thirty years ago on your game console. Why should Apple clean up the App Store then? A handy workaround might be to put a label on the outdated apps. That’s a slightly less drastic approach than uninstalling apps right away.
App Store has been under fire lately
The App Store has been in the news more often in recent years. Apple’s monopolistic stance is seen as dangerous by many parties. For example, Spotify and Epic Games (of the wildly popular game Fortnight) have already filed a lawsuit against Apple. The reason? Apple captured a whopping 30 percent of all in-app purchases. This created unfair competition.
Apple’s App Store is not exempt in the Netherlands either. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets has fined Apple a total of $ 50 million over the controversy surrounding the dating app Tinder. The app should no longer be allowed to use its own payment system.
