Apple App Store appears to be widely removing outdated apps

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Some apps may no longer receive updates. Apple warned developers in an email that it will remove apps from the App Store that haven't been updated in a long time.

You can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store if you submit an update in 30 days.

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



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

— Protopop Games (@protopop) April 23, 2022

Robert Kabwe, developer of Protopop Games, is one of many app makers who are concerned about the change. Apple is threatening to remove Motivoto because it hasn't been updated in over a year.

A version of the app for the visually impaired was taken down by Apple because it hadn't been updated in two years. Even though the Pocket God app received its last update in 2015, it still remains on the App Store. Lazer-Walker reported that Apple is removing some of her older games from the App Store. Several other developers say they haven't had time to update their apps.

.@apple is removing a few of my old games b/c they have “not been updated in a significant amount of time”



Games can exist as completed objects! These free projects aren’t suitable for updates or a live service model, they’re finished artworks from years ago. pic.twitter.com/iflH70j7q4

— emilia ✨ (@lazerwalker) April 23, 2022

On Apple's App Store Improvements page, the company says it is implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, and are outdated. Apple didn't reply immediately to the request for comment.

Apple said in 2016 that it would remove abandoned apps from the App Store. It warned developers that they would have 30 days to update their app before it was taken down. It's not clear if Apple has always enforced this rule or if it recently started conducting a wider sweep. It is not clear whether Apple considers the time that has elapsed since an app was last updated or the compatibility of the app to be outdated.

Critics of the policy argue that mobile apps should be available regardless of their age, like old video games are. The policy is tough on developers and Apple doesn't fully respect the work that goes into independent games, according to others.

Earlier this month, the Play Store announced it would begin limiting the visibility of apps that target an API level within two years of the latest majorANDROID release version. With the major app stores cracking down on older apps, some developers are struggling to keep up.