AppStore
Apple is launching a major cleanup: why your favorite apps may soon no longer be available
Some older apps will soon disappear from the store.
© Silas Stein / Picture Alliance
The clock is ticking for some apps: Without a quick update, many programs are in danger of being removed from the App Store. Already installed apps remain available to users.
Apple is planning a cleanup campaign in the App Store and has decided to delete numerous old apps. No wonder, because among the more than two million apps there are some dead files that haven’t received an update for years and may no longer be state-of-the-art. However, the exact criteria for which apps should disappear are apparently not known. Apple’s detailswho it affects are rather vague.
update or deletion
As a result, there is resistance on social media. The developer Robert Kabwe recently received the following message: “Your app has not been updated for a while and will be retired in 30 days. For users who have already downloaded the app, no action is required to keep it available.” To prevent this, Apple writes, an update for the program must be submitted within the deadline.
On Twitter, Kabwe vented: “I’m feeling sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they are removing my free game Motivoto because it’s more than 2 years old. It’s Part of their app improvement system. That’s not cool. Console games from 2000 are still available for sale. It’s an unfair obstacle for indie developers.” He later corrects himself, stating that the app hasn’t received an update for three years – the last changes in the App Store are dated March 21, 2019.
What is happening to your apps?
But what does that mean for users? The good news: if you have an affected app installed on your smartphone, it stays there. Apple does not delete installed apps from devices, but only removes the software from the store. The bad news: If you change your smartphone or reinstall it from scratch, the app you installed and maybe even bought cannot be transferred directly.
In such a case, only the use of backup programs like “iMazing“, “AnyTrans” or “AppTrans“, which are able to back up and install apps from devices individually. This no longer works with “iTunes” since version 12.7.
From the customer’s point of view, however, it is actually an important matter of maintenance: some old programs are not adapted to newer devices, the resolution is too low or crashes occur during use. Of course, also because iOS has changed in the meantime. So when apps no longer work as intended, it probably casts a bad light on Apple at first, since the manufacturer has been committed to fairly strict quality controls since the app store began.
A little more consistency required
On the web, Apple is also gaining understanding for the spring cleaning, apart from the affected developers. After all, it is in the interest of users that apps work smoothly on all current devices and that you do not have to find out when an app was last revised before making a purchase. The only accusation that both developers and users make to Apple is a lack of consistency in the selection. For example, it is not clear why the “Pocket God” app has been allowed to mold in the App Store since August 20, 2015, but the much “younger” game “Motivoto” is no longer.