Apple To Remove "Outdated" Apps from the AppStore

The news of Apple's new policy received public traction when one of the affected developers, Protopop Games, posted a screenshot of an email titled "App Store Improvement Notice" saying that its game "will be removed from sale in 30 days" unless the developer issues an update within the time frame.

In response to the email, Protopop owner Robert Kabwe posted a tweet saying that "this is an unfair barrier to indie devs." Kabwe also confirmed that Motivoto, the title that he developed, hasn't been updated for more than three years, although he still expressed his concerns that "a fully functioning indie app can be removed from the store with relatively little warning, and for no solid reason".

Several other developers who have also received App Store Improvement Notices shared similar experiences on Twitter saying that they just haven't had enough time to update their apps or pointing out at pointlessness of Apple's new policy. Developer Emilia Lazer-Walker stated that "games can exist as completed objects" saying that they do not require "updates or a live service model".

On Apple's App Store Improvements page, the company explained that it is "implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated." Apple also noted that the App Store team will contact the developers asking them to make "any necessary changes". Although, the company warned that "apps that crash on launch will be removed immediately from the App Store".

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