Apple to delete apps that go three years without updates

Apple has issued warning emails to developers that it will purge apps from its App Store that are outdated, don't follow current review guidelines or are no longer functioning as intended.

Developers have a limited amount of time to prevent their apps from being removed from the App Store. The email, posted to Twitter by an indie dev known as Protopop Games and spotted by The Verge, says devs can "keep [their apps] available for new users to discover and download from the App Store by submitting an update for review in 30 days." Apps created by devs who fail to submit updates for their apps within that 30-day window will be removed from the App Store once time is up.

Developers took to Twitter and other online platforms, claiming that many of the apps in question still work perfectly on modern hardware and should be seen as completed works rather than ongoing services with continual updates. Some also found examples of apps that have not been updated in many years that have apparently not faced removal, suggesting that Apple was inconsistent in how it applies the policy.

Apple isn't the only one making changes. Starting Nov. 1, 2022, the Google Play Store will limit the discovery or installation of existing apps that "don't target an API level within two years of the latest major Android release version."

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