Apple To Remove Abandoned Apps From The App Store (techcrunch.com)

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Apple To Remove Abandoned Apps From The App Store (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Thursday September 1, 2016 @08:50AM from the ghost-town dept.

Apple has issued an email to its community of developers indicating that it will remove apps that are outdated or no longer work. "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of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don't follow current review guidelines, or are outdated," Apple wrote. TechCrunch reports: In addition to search ads and extensions in many different apps in iOS 10, Apple plans to remove all these useless apps that clutter the App Store search pages. And Apple is not going to stop at abandoned apps. The company will also fight spammy app names. For instance, if you search for "Instagram" on the App Store, one of the first results is an app that is called "[app name] Photo Collage, Picture Editor, Pic Grid, F... and then it gets cut off. With this SEO strategy, app developers can trick App Store searches. If you search for "pic collage," chances are you're going to find this app. Apple wants clean names to make App Store searches relevant again. From now on, app names have to be shorter than 50 characters. Apple will start reviewing old apps on September 7. Apps that crash on launch will be removed immediately. Other apps will get a notice from Apple first. And if you don't update over the next 30 days, your app will be removed -- you'll be able to submit your app again though. You can view Apple's FAQ if you have any unanswered questions.

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About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 08:55 · Score: 0

There is a package tracker app that was great 5+ years ago but lack of any update in years made it useless. It's still on the store and charging money for a broken app.
1. Re:About time by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 11:32 · Score: 0
  
  Yawn. So fucking what?1
Better than Android, at least by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 08:55 · Score: 0

Google's store is just as cluttered. Then there are apps that are no longer sold but I've purchased. Nobody is buying the apps because they're not available, but because I purchased them before, they still show up for me in the list of apps I've bought. Many of these, I can't install on my device. They might run or they might not. However, because the developer has decided my device is unsupported, I can't even try to install the app. And I've already paid for the app, so I should be able to at least try to install it. That's bullshit. At least Apple doesn't do that shit.
1. Re:Better than Android, at least by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 10:46 · Score: 0
  
  If a newer version of the app doesn't work, it's because it's targeting a newer version of Android and it has features that your device does not support. This is the same for iOS, it's why my iPad is obsolete. You can still use older versions of the app on your device. You can find older versions of the app for download from other stores, from the developer's website, from a backup( you can backup Android Apps btw. ). You can side-load apps on Android... You can still install the apps, just go outside of Google Play.
2. Re: Better than Android, at least by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-02 17:10 · Score: 0
  
  He's complaining about apps that aren't available any more. Apple doesn't let you install or download apps which have been pulled.
Archives? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 09:00 · Score: 0

Where are they? I have an original iPod Touch and an orignal iPhone, both of which are still functional computers.
1. Re:Archives? by Anubis+IV · 2016-09-01 10:37 · Score: 1
  
  Usually when they talk about removing items, they're really just delisting them from the App Store while still keeping them around for anyone who already has them (though apps with legal issues are sometimes completely removed). I've been able to re-download purchased apps that are no longer available for purchase, such as older games that disappeared after the developer pulled them. Just go into the Purchased tab of the App Store app on your device and you should find them all there, regardless of if they're still listed or not.
2. Re: Archives? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 11:24 · Score: 0
  
  In some cases. I have some applications backed up locally from before Apple introduced the "previous purchases" feature, and many of those don't appear. In particular, the first official version of Tetris appears to be gone.
3. Re: Archives? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 19:00 · Score: 0
  
  There are some cases where an updated version of the app breaks compatibility with something else and there is no way to install an older version. For example the Need for Speed Autolog companion app supports only Need for Speed Rivals in its newest version, whereas the previous version 1.1 supported only Need for Speed Most Wanted. I have the old version app package on my computer, and it still works, but the App Store obviously only offers the latest version.
Apple says "Fuck You" by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 09:01 · Score: 0, Interesting

....to those who run older versions of IOS and have bought an app. But at least it's okay because you can side load the app. Oh wait.
FUCK YOU Apple. Android sucks but not as bad as you do.
1. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by unixisc · 2016-09-01 09:08 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Yeah, I have an iPod from some years ago that stopped at iOS 4.3. Granted that the toy can't have beyond that, but the store should at least have older versions of apps for devices that are stuck on an old version of an OS. After all, it wasn't my decision not to upgrade to iOS 9+ - the device itself won't take it due to its configuration. But I dare not let any change happen on it, lest I lose it.
2. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 09:34 · Score: 0
  
  The App Store already presents the "latest but previous version you can use" to devices on older iOS versions.
  Its speculative that they are turning this off, versus making the App disappear from the store on the latest version of iOS (where its identified to be broken).
3. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by perpenso · 2016-09-01 09:44 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  ... but the store should at least have older versions of apps for devices that are stuck on an old version of an OS ...
  They do. They introduced this behavior to the App Store last year when iOS 9 was introduced. The App Store downloads the most recent version compatible with a device. However the developer can mark specific versions to be excluded so a developer can prevent this.
4. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by Gr8Apes · 2016-09-01 09:58 · Score: 1
  
  ....to those who run older versions of IOS and have bought an app. But at least it's okay because you can side load the app. Oh wait.
  FUCK YOU Apple. Android sucks but not as bad as you do.
  You shouldn’t expect your Android phone to ever get a major OS update. Instead, you get updates to Google Play Services. That sucks, but that’s just how it is, and almost certainly how it always will be. Yep, meanwhile that 4S still gets the latest updates which is 5+ years ago and 4 major upgrades. Man, that REALLY sucks!!!!
  
  --
  The cesspool just got a check and balance.
5. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by Anubis+IV · 2016-09-01 10:47 · Score: 2
  
  ....to those who run older versions of IOS and have bought an app.
  How do you figure? Apps are pulled all the time, but they are still available for download in nearly all circumstances. Just go to the Purchased tab in the App Store app and redownload them from there. Anyone who has been in the Apple ecosystem for more than a few years probably has plenty of delisted apps in there already, so this policy change doesn't really change much at all, other than delisting even more apps so that it's easier to search the App Store.
  Hell, I've even redownloaded apps that Apple itself pulled down within a few hours of launch because they were in violation of the developer terms (e.g. one app appeared to be a flashlight app, but actually allowed you to use your phone as a WiFi hotspot over cellular, years before the feature was permitted by AT&T or baked into iOS). If they let users redownload apps like that, I see no reason why they'd stop doing so now.
6. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by unixisc · 2016-09-01 13:10 · Score: 1
  
  Does that mean that I can get a new version of the app store on iOS 4.3? B'cos that's what I have on the iPod Touch. If I can, I will, and then see what apps can be updated.
7. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by perpenso · 2016-09-01 13:57 · Score: 2
  
  Does that mean that I can get a new version of the app store on iOS 4.3? B'cos that's what I have on the iPod Touch. If I can, I will, and then see what apps can be updated.
  This functionality is server side and transparent to the user. When you download an app it just gives you the compatible version. You don't need a current version of the App Store app. I think I tried it as far back as a 3rd gen iPod touch last year. Did you mean iOS 4.2? That is where the 2nd gen iPod touch is at, the 3rd is at 5.1. So I only tried it as far back as iOS 5 if I am remembering correctly.
8. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by Karlt1 · 2016-09-01 14:55 · Score: 1
  
  I didn't RTFA but in other articles it stated that you would still be able to redownload the app if you had downloaded it previously. For the longest, it's been possible to download an older compatible version of an app if the newest version won't work on your device. I've been able to download older versions of apps on my 1st gen iPad (iOS 5)
9. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 16:14 · Score: 0
  
  Removing an app from the AppStore doesn't remove it from any devices that it's already installed on.
10. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by kwbauer · 2016-09-02 03:27 · Score: 1
  
  My Galaxy S5 has gone through a few rounds of whole OS updates. My wife's Motorola, none. It isn't the OS, it is the manufacturer.
11. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by Gr8Apes · 2016-09-02 09:05 · Score: 1
  
  Galaxy Note 4 - 4.4.4 max (AT&T)
  Galaxy Note 2 - 4.3 max (T-mobile)
  I have others, all similarly EOL'd within 18 months or less of purchase. Yes, if I jail break them, sure, I can move up the release chain, but that doesn't do my particular use cases any good. There are a very small number of Android devices that have seen more than 1 OS upgrade, and you can count them on 1 hand for those that have gone through a major OS upgrade.
  
  --
  The cesspool just got a check and balance.
12. Re:Apple says "Fuck You" by unixisc · 2016-09-06 07:22 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, it could have been 4.2. The iPod Touch that I have is a 2nd gen model - I can't run certain music videos that I bought on the iTunes store on it - I can only run that on my iPad
Update frenzy by srgolwskepg · 2016-09-01 09:02 · Score: 2

Software should be continuously updated, no matter what, else it doesn't deserve to live any more. This is a step in that direction, Apple is doing the right thing here.
1. Re:Update frenzy by unixisc · 2016-09-01 09:10 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Why? If a software has a simple functionality that just works the way it was designed, why should it have to keep getting updated? And if an upgrade to the OS has broken compatibility, how is it the fault of the software in question? Yeah, it shouldn't be listed in the app store for the version where it doesn't work, but why should it be removed from the store altogether?
2. Re:Update frenzy by spire3661 · 2016-09-01 09:15 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  "Software should be continuously updated, no matter what, else it doesn't deserve to live any more. This is a step in that direction, Apple is doing the right thing here."
  
  I believe in the exact opposite. Software should be built like a hammer. If i drop a hammer on the ground, any other human can come along and use it, no matter how much time has passed. A thousand year old hammer is still useful today. Sure a drop-forged, mass produced tool MIGHT be better, but not necessarily so.
  
  --
  Good-bye
3. Re:Update frenzy by houstonbofh · 2016-09-01 09:22 · Score: 2
  
  Why? Change introduces risk, and why have a continuous cycle of risk without reward? Fixing bugs, I get, but introducing them just to keep the upgrade train rolling?
4. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 09:41 · Score: 0
  
  The App Store already presents the "latest version you can use" to older devices.
  There are iOS 2.0 Apps that still run on the beta of iOS 10.
  However, Apple deprecates APIs and releases new ones, with every major version. Usually deprecated APIs work for 2-3 years after they announce deprecation.
  If an App uses a deprecated API, then the developer has a couple of years to work out how to re-implement using the newer replacement API.
  Eventually the old API will not work in the latest release.
  Thats how its the fault of the software in question.
  Even concrete structures require periodic inspection and maintenance - why should an App be any different ?
5. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 09:43 · Score: 0
  
  Why?
  Hipster douchegrammers who can't hack are always looking for ways to hide their mediocrity.
  Throwing away perfectly good software every six months is an awesome method of that.
6. Re: Update frenzy by tysonedwards · 2016-09-01 09:49 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Let's say I bought a piece of software that worked great, the company closes their doors or the developer dies... should I be deprived the use of said application I paid for and still works for what I need because the developer hasn't submitted a bug fix in 12 months?
  
  --
  Thirty four characters live here.
7. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 09:50 · Score: 0
  
  Says the person who's never written a line of code.
8. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 10:00 · Score: 1
  
  Not changing also introduces risk, as the environment a thing exists in changes around it.
  Just ask Blackberry.
  If a civil engineer built something out of a big hunk of steel, or concrete, which aren't things that inherently change quickly, its still accepted there needs to be a inspection and maintenance schedule that validates fitness for purpose, adherence to current safety practices etc.
  The key things are :
  - APIs don't necessarily live forever, they sometimes go away, and get replaced. Apps need to be updated to use current (not necessarily the latest) APIs periodically
  - At a fundamental level, they want the App Store to be high quality. If that means they have to cull things that haven't been updated in 5 years, or pull down a fart app that was allowed in 2008, but opinion has settled in the intervening decade, that its not something they value on the store, then thats really their call. A supermarket doesn't need to keep the same products on the shelf for eternity. (although the lack of ethics in supermarket shelf stocking maybe makes that a bad analogy)
  - Apple has always stated that App Store guidelines are deliberately a "living" document, not the 10 commandments, and are intended to morph over time. Its not unreasonable to set conditions that what is currently on the App Store is aligned to the current App Store guidelines. Every App doesn't meet the current set of rules, that stays up for historical reasons creates confusion and frustration for developers "why can't I release an App that does X - developer Y has one on the store, and I know how to do that task better"
  How reasonable Apple's detailed actions are here really can't be predicted until they are observed, and its certainly possible for them to behave like a bunch of arsehats, but its also possible that there are principled and logical reasons.
9. Re:Update frenzy by Khyber · 2016-09-01 10:13 · Score: 2
  
  " If i drop a hammer on the ground, any other human can come along and use it, no matter how much time has passed."
  No matter how much time has passed? I'm pretty sure that hammer will be practically useless after about 200 years of corrosion and UV exposure if it's made of iron.
  Source: I do a lot of metal detecting and have dug up many things, usually tools from miners from the 1800s. Even in the desert, shit erodes and corrodes.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
10. Re: Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 10:23 · Score: 0
  
  Who says you're going to be deprived of the application? It's still on your phone right? And you have a backup right? So what's the problem? The fact that soon you won't be able to download it again from a third party? That's pretty much par for the course for any software.
11. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 10:24 · Score: 0
  
  Why? If software is written to do x, still does x, and contains no apparent bugs... why on earth would it need to be updated? And what would the updates even do? Mess with the UI for no particular reason? Randomly remove and/or add functionality for no apparent reason? Change the colour scheme?
12. Re:Update frenzy by rasmusbr · 2016-09-01 10:36 · Score: 0
  
  The flat head nails that your hammer interacts with have an interface that is both sufficiently good and sufficiently difficult to reinvent that even the most creative of people and large of firms have been unable to replace it with something incompatible. (I'm sure Apple will eventually move into the carpentry business and invent a new type of nail that requires a special $59.95 Apple hammer and $4.95 a piece Apple nails. But that hasn't happened yet.)
  So in order to make software with longevity you simply need to make sure that your application's components speak with one another and the surrounding world through API:s that are really good and really difficult to reinvent. Like SOAP over HTTP.
13. Re: Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 10:58 · Score: 0
  
  This can, will and does happen all the time. End of story really. That app will keep working on your phone no problem until you upgrade the OS, at which time it's time for a frenzy of app updates and in this case, an app that most likely stops working so you'll now need to find a replacement.
  I've purchased several different apps that perform similar functions over the past couple of decades simply because development of one app stopped and it would no longer function on the version of the OS I upgraded to so I went looking for another app.
  What happens to your car when it stops working? You pay to fix it or get a new one. Same goes for any other item in your life. If your TV dies after working for 10 years, you PAY to get a new one. Same for a piece of software. You cannot expect to pay for something once and have infinite upgrades for life. That's just not reality. But that does seem to be the mindset of the millennials...
  Why don't people think this stuff through?
14. Re: Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 11:12 · Score: 0
  
  Um, wow.
15. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 11:58 · Score: 0
  
  Have you tried to build anything with screws recently? There are half a dozen different screw interfaces, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks (availability of drivers, resistance to stripping, ease of setting the driver into the screw, tolerance for drivers of different sizes/wear).
16. Re:Update frenzy by Etcetera · 2016-09-01 11:59 · Score: 1
  
  " If i drop a hammer on the ground, any other human can come along and use it, no matter how much time has passed."
  No matter how much time has passed? I'm pretty sure that hammer will be practically useless after about 200 years of corrosion and UV exposure if it's made of iron.
  Source: I do a lot of metal detecting and have dug up many things, usually tools from miners from the 1800s. Even in the desert, shit erodes and corrodes.
  Well... then use better alloys. Some cultures built their shit to *last*, and I'm not even just talking about the D'ni.
  
  --
  Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
17. Re:Update frenzy by sims+2 · 2016-09-01 12:11 · Score: 1
  
  Change the database format just enough to be incompatible with the old version fail to convert the old database and delete the old database for good measure. At least IME.
  
  --
  Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
18. Re:Update frenzy by sims+2 · 2016-09-01 12:18 · Score: 1
  
  I like torx (not the tamper resistant kind those are a PITA and strip often)
  Clutch bits are also rather interesting.
  
  --
  Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
19. Re:Update frenzy by SolemnLord · 2016-09-01 13:33 · Score: 0
  
  Software should be built like a hammer.
  Software isn't a hammer. If we're going to find some sort of analogous fit, let me offer: software is a car. It should be rock-steady reliable, it should perform as expected, but it's still a complex piece of machinery that ultimately is going to require tune-ups, overhauls, and replacements if you want to keep it running like new.
  And the world around it is going to change: new fuel types are going to render old ones obsolete, spare parts are going to become increasingly rare and/or expensive, and structural failure is inevitable in the long run without serious care. Some cars are worth that effort, but a lot aren't.
20. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 13:58 · Score: 0
  
  Even concrete structures require periodic inspection and maintenance - why should an App be any different ?
  Concrete structures degrade over time, and can be replaced with the same concrete. Developing and using a new type of concreate every month to work with a new type of wood, because wood is changed every month would be a closer analogy. Note that you may get specifications of the concrete required, but it may not work as expected when made.
  Certainly hardware requires maintenence. Software should only require maintenence when oversight is required, or something is changed. The fact that OS's (and webbrowsers) are changed (updated) every week is the reason why applications need to be changed. However, unless updates are disabled, or you write your own OS, there is little that can be done about it.
21. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 14:44 · Score: 0
  
  don't reply like a double-thumbed redneck teabagger.
22. Re: Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 15:57 · Score: 0
  
  Yes, because you are a terrible person. lol to everyone here two words xsellerize appcake
23. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 17:38 · Score: 0
  
  Analogy time: What if the hammer was made using a bad batch of steel with a known defect that causes it to shatter and injure the user?
  vs.
  What if the app was built with known-vulnerable versions of some library (and the compiler may have helpfully inlined some of those vulns)? If it's more than X months old, then this is almost guaranteed to be true.
24. Re: Update frenzy by tlhIngan · 2016-09-01 19:19 · Score: 2
  
  Let's say I bought a piece of software that worked great, the company closes their doors or the developer dies... should I be deprived the use of said application I paid for and still works for what I need because the developer hasn't submitted a bug fix in 12 months?
  Apple would remove the application in that case - every app in the App Store has had its $99/year fee paid - once a developer stops paying, Apple removes it. This is the way it always worked.
  Now, some developers decide they won't pay anymore, so before they stop, they do one last hurrah and offer it for free. And here's a trick with the Apple App Store - You can keep using an app even after it's removed. In fact, you can even install it on newer hardware long after it's been removed!
  How? Remember an application called iTunes? One of its features is the ability to download apps and install them locally (handy for those 2GB+ apps where you can download it to your PC first and then use USB to transfer it over). And iTunes can both download apps from the App Store while it's still there for local use OR extract the app from a device.
  So as long as you have a copy of that .ipa file on your hard drive (and AppleID associated with the purchase), you're golden - that enables you to keep installing, reinstalling, etc the app on new devices.
  With this, as long as it still works, you can use it. Even if it's removed, you can still reinstall it. (This is true even for apps Apple removed - as long as you have a copy, it is still installable).
25. Re:Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-02 01:04 · Score: 0
  
  No that would be the hardware the software runs on. But even with tune-ups, overhauls and replacements, those are usually intended to restore to original functionality and capabilities. No analogy is perfect but the Hammer or even the car have value. Software can be updated but it should not be required. If an app is functional and does what it is intended to do it shouldn't need updates. All too often those updates are adding bloat and new features that change the purpose and use of the app. Sometimes those are appreciated. But if I have an app to track my fuel mileage, I don't need a chat and messaging function, it doesn't need to integrate with every social media app out there. It needs to record my mileage, the amount of fuel I put into the vehicle and a few details about the vehicle and the fuel source for each purchase. Every time I see an app is demanding I install an update I wonder if the update will be an actual improvement to the functionality, or bloat in the way of new "features" totally irrelevant to the purpose of the app. And such "new features" often introduce "new bugs" that need more updates to fix.
  
  If not for the ever bloating of apps the need for updates should decrease over time not increase.
26. Re: Update frenzy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-04 14:58 · Score: 0
  
  Of course, if you're buying into Apple's whole post-PC world thing where you can get anything you need done on an iPad, you wouldn't have a PC to do the backup on to.
EU Apps by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 09:18 · Score: 0

Obsolete!
Older iOS versions and devices are still supported by perpenso · 2016-09-01 09:40 · Score: 2

....to those who run older versions of IOS and have bought an app
Older iOS versions and older devices are still supported. When you download an iOS app from the App Store it delivers the most recent version of the app that is compatible with your device.
I guess they still haven't learned to handle more by kaybohmont · 2016-09-01 09:53 · Score: 1

Maybe this week eventually work. Maybe Google could even make it actually work. Mostly just further reasons to but a, real version of GNU/Linux or FreeBSD, on all "intent of things devices" (quotes indicate severe sarcasm).
I can see it now... by scdeimos · 2016-09-01 09:54 · Score: 1

Apple's current marketing statement is:

With more than 2 million apps available and around 100,000 new and updated apps submitted each week, there's something for everyone.
After September 7 that will likely change to:

With more than 100,000 apps available and around 100,000 new and updated apps submitted each week, there's something for everyone.
Wish they'd fix the google play store by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 09:59 · Score: 2, Informative

There's so much crap in there, it's crazy. They can just call it their crap store, actually jealous of Iphone users today.
Fart apps? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 10:29 · Score: 0

But I'll still have my choice of fart apps right?
Muchus Crapos Apple Appstoria by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 10:52 · Score: 0

I thought the advantage of Apple Appstore was quality control and that they rigorously vet apps, but I found it was confusing, full of crap and poorly organized. Want Pokemon go? There is so much crap there it's hard to find it. They don't even tell you which one the "official" version is, which is more confusing because the vendor is NOT called Nintendo. Yes, I'm typing this as I'm driving my SUV blindfolded. Some of us just want to watch the world burn.
Isn't it sad? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 10:55 · Score: 0

that we have to bitch about poor quality and service at corporations in forums such as Slashdot, because those megacorporations make so much money they don't give a turd about alienated, screwed around of disappointed customers?

Can't take your business elsewhere. They are all the same. Can't say it'll cost them, because their effective monopolies mean their dominance is assured.
1. Re:Isn't it sad? by JackieBrown · 2016-09-02 02:52 · Score: 1
  
  I know. That is why I get all my software from github and SourceForge. Only current and up-to-date programs there
Wither Slashdot by Etcetera · 2016-09-01 12:02 · Score: 1, Insightful

Look at all the sheep here, meekly accepting this as if OSS didn't exist.
You want to do something worthwhile? Demand that Apple demand of the App developers that if they stop updating their apps (in accordance to whatever the trendy Silicon Valley app-update timeframe is) Apple releases the source code for it that it will have required to be in escrow.
Presto... there you go. No more abandonware; OSS for custom user tweaking; healthier world; user/developer rights. RMS would be proud.

--
Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
1. Re:Wither Slashdot by frnic · 2016-09-01 16:55 · Score: 1
  
  This may come as a shock to you, but there is such a thing as copyright. Apple can not release anyones source code without their permission.
2. Re:Wither Slashdot by david_thornley · 2016-09-02 06:03 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, this wouldn't allow GPLv3 apps on the App Store, so I don't think RMS would be pleased.
  There's possible reasons why it could be wrong to release source. The app may have third-party source code that isn't licensed for public release. The developer may have personal problems (illness, for example) that causes the developer to miss the deadline, but may not want the source released. There could be mix-ups causing Apple to release source incorrectly, whereas if there is no mechanism to release source that isn't going to happen.
  Basically, this would be an additional restriction on developers, and would make the App Store less attractive, and this isn't what Apple wants to do.
  
  --
  "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
I have no problem with this... by mark-t · 2016-09-01 13:46 · Score: 1

... as long as it doesn't uninstall apps from currently working devices that are running an older version of iOS.

--
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
they can demand anything by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-01 18:33 · Score: 0

Except in wall garden Apple can demand anything, copyright, first born son, your users souls. And the developers will happily accept.
It does not seem very onerous to ask for copyright to the source (maybe there will be an exception for game assets) when the company/developer has been shown to be expired, what ever that may mean.
Of course it would just be overhead for Apple, they do not need to make/keep their customers happy.
50-character names? by EdZep · 2016-09-02 01:33 · Score: 2

So, a 50-character name is not 'spammy'?