Say goodbye to outdated, abandoned App Store apps

Apple has quietly announced plans to remove certain apps from its App Store.

The company issued new guidelines on its developer section this week, revealing that it will pull apps that don’t meet requirements.

“To make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs, we want to ensure that apps available on the App Store are functional and up-to-date,” the company explained.

“We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated.”

The Cupertino company said that the new process will begin on 7 September, and will include apps in all categories.

Apps that crash upon launch will be removed from the App Store with immediate effect

When an offending app is found, Apple’s team will contact the developer and ask them to make the required changes. Developers will have 30 days to make the change, but if the timeline isn’t met, the app will be removed from the store until the relevant update is submitted and approved.

“However, apps that crash on launch will be removed immediately from the App Store,” Apple noted.

Existing users of an affected app won’t have to worry about it though, Apple told developers.

“Your app will remain fully functional for current users. They will experience no interruption to services and will still be able to buy in-app purchases. However, we recommend that you update your app as soon as possible to reinstate it on the App Store and ensure that it remains functional and engaging for new and existing customers.”