Apple App Store Determined in Removing Outdated Apps — Indie Developers Are NOT Happy

If you have an iOS device with apps that haven't received an update for quite some time, you may have to rethink uninstalling them the next time you clear some space if you want to keep them.

A recent report from The Verge mentioned that Apple might be cracking down on apps that no longer receive updates, per a screenshotted email sent to affected developers.

Needless to say, app developers are far away from feeling happy about Apple's decision.

Apple App Crackdown Details

According to the email screenshotted and tweeted by Protopop Games' Robert Kabwe, apps that have not been updated in "a significant amount of time" are scheduled to be removed from sale in 30 days.

However, users who already downloaded any of the apps covered by the crackdown will still have a copy of the app.

To keep an app from being removed after the 30-day deadline and available for new users, app developers have to submit an update to Apple for review before the deadline arrives.

The crackdown's coverage doesn't end with just mobile games. Kosta Eleftheriou, the developer of the Flicktype Apple Watch keyboard made for the visually impaired, tweeted that Apple took down his app because it had not received an update in two years.

According to Apple's App Store Improvements page, the company said that its crackdown was designed "to make it easier for customers [to] find great apps that fit their needs," per Engadget.

The Cupertino-based company also added that it wants to ensure all the software users find on its platform is "functional and up-to-date."

Apple previously had a similar crackdown in 2016, when the company said it would start removing abandoned apps from its App Store, per a separate article from The Verge.

However, it isn't clear if Apple has continued its campaign of removing old, un-updated apps since then or if it is conducting a much wider sweep this time around.

Indie App Developers' Reaction

Indie app developers criticized Apple's move on old apps, with some taking to Twitter to express their disapproval and anger at the company.

"Now I am expected, along with Google's new program, to update all of my games every 2 years even if nothing is wrong with them," Kabwe said in his tweet. "Even yearly Unity updates break [a] project so badly they won't run. This is not an insignificant challenge and adds undue stress."

Kabwe also added that he feels sick about Apple's policy, saying it is "an unfair barrier to indie developers," while making a comparison to console games released in 2000, which are still available for sale.

Eleftheriou also pointed out a discrepancy in Apple's policy in his reply to Kabwe's tweet. Apple has removed its app that hasn't received an update in two years, while Pocket God is still available in the Apple App Store despite receiving its last update in 2015.

Pocket God was developed and released by Bolt Creative in 2009. Back then, it was a super popular app that garnered a rating of 4 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store.