It’s possible that Apple is going to start penalizing outdated apps. Apps that haven’t been “updated in a significant amount of time” will be removed from the App Store, Apple says in an email to impacted developers titled “App Improvement Notice,” which was screenshotted. The company gives developers 30 days to fix the problem.
On the App Store Improvements website, Apple states, “We are establishing a continuous process of evaluating apps, eliminating apps that no longer perform as intended, don’t follow current review rules, or are outdated.” Due to the lack of a modification or publication date, it is unclear when the post was originally made by Apple or when it was last updated.
Apps for mobile devices, say many who disagree with this strategy, should be preserved indefinitely, much as classic video games are still playable on current-gen platforms. Some have criticized Apple’s stance, arguing that it is too harsh on creators and that the company does not appreciate the effort put into independent games.
The new regulation has been greeted with opposition from developers on social media, with many pointing out the potential negative effects on independent and game makers.
Creator of the FlickType Apple Watch keypad Kosta Eleftheriou noted that Apple removed his program since it has not been upgraded in two years, whereas the once-popular game “Pocket God” is still available despite not having been patched since 2015.
Many other app developers on Twitter who have obtained App Improvement Notices have voiced similar concerns, noting that they have not had enough time to make the necessary improvements and that some apps already exist as “finished objects” that don’t need “updates or a live service model.”
It is unclear if Apple has consistently or continually maintained their policy of removing apps from the App Store that have not been updated in a considerable amount of time. Whether “a significant amount of time” refers to being compatible with the most recent version of macOS or the amount of time that has passed since the last upgrade is similarly unclear.
