Not update, not Party. Apple has decided to “clean up” the App Store and remove apps that haven’t received improvements for a while. notice given the developers themselvesSharing a message on the networks that the Cupertino company warns them that their creations have not been updated for a “significant period”, giving them a margin of about a month to change this situation. Otherwise, report: will remove them.

message shared Robert KabweDeveloper of Protopop Games and creator of Motivoto, a game that got its final “tuning” in March 2019. “This app has not been updated in a significant time and is scheduled to be withdrawn from sale in 30 days” receives notification.

In his email, Apple explains the extent of the measure and what the developer should do if they want their app to stay on the Store: “By sending an update you can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store for review. within 30 days“, states. Its withdrawal will not affect existing users in all cases.

30 days for setting

Kabwe isn’t the only developer to post a similar message on Twitter. Another case collected by Angerher Costa Eleftherou, the creator of the Apple Watch FlickType keyboard and yesterday the Cupertino company regrets deleting one of its tools: “Apple has removed a version of my FlickType keyboard that caters to the visually impaired community because it has not been updated for two years”. In contrast, Eleftherou points out that games like Pocket God will still be available in the online store, despite years of no improvements.

“I got an email this morning saying the same thing about one of my apps. No crash reports, still downloading five years later, you don’t need a v2 and Apple decides it’s time to go because of rapid version changes. I don’t have time to push for a major change.” Plenty on Twitter Simon Barker.

I feel sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they’ve removed my free game Motivoto because it’s over 2 years old.

It is part of application development systems.

This is not pleasant. Console games from 2000 are still for sale.

This is an unfair barrier for indie developers. pic.twitter.com/7XNcLfiEcR

— Protopop Games (@protopop) 23 April 2022

this is not the first Apple shows its intention to eliminate apps that have not been adapted for a long time. In September 2016, the company had already notified developers of its intention to initiate a process to find and remove “problematic” apps that haven’t been updated to be compatible with the latest versions of iOS and macOS.

Apple is “enforcing an ongoing app evaluation process, removing apps that no longer work as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated,” says an undated post on its website.

.@Manzana removes a few of my old games that have not been “updated in a significant time”

Games can exist as completed objects! These free projects are not suitable for updates or live service model, they are works of art finished years ago. pic.twitter.com/iflH70j7q4

– emilia ✨ (@lazerwalker) 23 April 2022

“What if a problem is found with my app? — The web abounds for guidance—The App Store team will contact you and prompt you to make any necessary changes so that your app stays in the App Store. apps that fail they will be deleted immediately when started”. On its page, the company already estimates that the margin it will give professionals 30 days for “fine-tuning” its creations. In any case, the disappearance of the app from the Store does not mean that users who have already downloaded and used it can continue to do so. “It will remain fully functional,” he says.

I got an email this morning saying the same thing about one of my apps, no crash reports, still downloading after 5 years, doesn’t need v2 and Apple decides it’s time to go 🤷‍♂️ version changes A meaningful change I don’t have time to do

— Simon Barker (@allthecode_) 23 April 2022

Same thing happened to me in my previous game. I can’t upgrade because the engine I’m using is broken. 6 years later I still have players asking where to download it. I managed to upload my apk on my website but unfortunately we are unable to install iOS apps.

— Hot Biscuit Games (@firebiscuitgame) 23 April 2022

For developers like Kabwe, Apple’s demand does nothing more than put an “unfair barrier” for independent professionals. ” arbitrary updates Are fully functioning apps a necessary part of our development workflow?”, censor.

“Now I have to open my project file, update the Unity version to make sure it meets the App Store requirements, rebuild, retest, and resubmit everything to get the exact same game in the exact same place it was before. For me, these kinds of surprises make the game worst part,” complains the creator of Motivoto.

Cover Image | Bagus Hernawan (Unsplash)