Is Apple removing old apps from the app store?

(Representative Image)

As part of their "App Improvement System", Apple appears to be taking down apps from its App Store, that have not been updated for a significant amount of time.

In an email sent out to affected developers, Apple told them that their app had not been updated for a significant amount of time, and they had 30 days before it would be pulled off the store.

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Apple told developers that it could keep the apps on the store, if they submitted an update for review within the next 30 days.

Reactions online have been mixed so far, with many developers voicing their opinion on social media.

I feel sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they're removing my free game Motivoto because its more than 2 years old.

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It's part of their App improvement system.

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

This is an unfair barrier to indie devs. pic.twitter.com/7XNcLfiEcR

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— Protopop Games (@protopop) April 23, 2022

Other apps such as third-party keyboards are also feeling the heat, like Kosta Eleftheriou, who developed the FlickType Keyboard for iOS. He was forced to remove a version that was built specially for the visually impaired, because it hadn't been updated in over two years.

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On its support page for App Store Improvements, Apple says that it wants, "to ensure that apps available on the App Store are functional and up-to-date," and that it was, "implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated."