Apple threatened to delete some developers’ apps from the App Store if they were not updated in a “substantial length of time,” according to some developers.
The corporation has now responded by issuing a press release effectively claiming that no one downloaded the apps in the first place.
The following is an excerpt from the report, which was released on Friday evening:
“As part of the App Store Improvements process, developers of apps that have not been updated in the last three years and do not meet a minimal download threshold – meaning the app is not downloaded at all or very few times during a rolling 12-month period. – Receive an e-mail with notification that their app has been identified for possible removal from the App Store.”
We’ve heard about these emails before – coders like Robert Coffee and Emilia Lazer-Walker discussed them last week.
They confirmed that they were receiving them and expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that they only had 30 days to update their apps before they were removed from the market.
Other developers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the policy and the length of time given to make modifications on Twitter, claiming that it is unfair to indie creators.
They’ve also expressed greater alarm about Apple’s decision to remove an entire class of apps from its store because they don’t appear to belong there.
Playing should be allowed to finish, according to Laser-Walker, and they can still be valuable without becoming a service. Cabbage had a similar thought, pointing out that console games from the 2000s are still available.
To put it another way, Apple’s decision to remove the apps is akin to it banning movies from the iTunes Store just because they appear with black bars on current televisions (although I do understand that interpretation of a video signal is less complicated than running Code).
Apple’s statement explains why it looked to implement the guidelines inconsistently, as some developers pointed out.
One developer, for example, pointed out that What Pocket God, a popular game from the iPhone’s early days, hasn’t been updated in seven years but is still available on the App Store.
Apple is essentially stating that it is still operational because it is still popular.
Despite the fact that Apple’s statement may appear to be a slap in the face to developers scared about losing something they worked hard on, the corporation is extending a small olive branch.
Anyone who receives a report from here or outside – as well as those who have already received one – will have 90 days instead of 30 to update their app before it is withdrawn, according to his article.
While this should make it easier for developers to store their apps, unlike Laser-Walker, it does not allow them to “exist as completed things.” Apple appears to be solely interested in completed items that are still attracting attention.
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