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

Apple has issued an email to its community of developers indicating that it will remove apps that are outdated or no longer work.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of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don't follow current review guidelines, or are outdated," Apple wrote.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.

Comments

Update frenzy

[srgolwskepg]

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.

Re:Update frenzy

[unixisc]

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?

Re:Update frenzy

[spire3661]

"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.

Re:Update frenzy

[houstonbofh]

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?

Re: Update frenzy

[tysonedwards]

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?

Re:Update frenzy

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Re:Update frenzy

[Khyber]

" 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.

Re:Update frenzy

[Etcetera]

" 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.

Re:Update frenzy

[sims 2]

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.

Re:Update frenzy

[sims 2]

I like torx (not the tamper resistant kind those are a PITA and strip often)

Clutch bits are also rather interesting.

Re: Update frenzy

[tlhIngan]

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).

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[unixisc]

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.

Older iOS versions and devices are still supported

[perpenso]

....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.

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[perpenso]

... 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.

I guess they still haven't learned to handle more

[kaybohmont]

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...

[scdeimos]

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.

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[Gr8Apes]

....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!!!!

Wish they'd fix the google play store

[Anonymous Coward]

There's so much crap in there, it's crazy. They can just call it their crap store, actually jealous of Iphone users today.

Re:Archives?

[Anubis IV]

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.

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[Anubis IV]

....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.

Wither Slashdot

[Etcetera]

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.

Re:Wither Slashdot

[frnic]

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.

Re:Wither Slashdot

[david_thornley]

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.

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[unixisc]

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.

I have no problem with this...

[mark-t]

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

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[perpenso]

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.

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[Karlt1]

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)

50-character names?

[EdZep]

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

Re:Isn't it sad?

[JackieBrown]

I know. That is why I get all my software from github and SourceForge. Only current and up-to-date programs there

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[kwbauer]

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.

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[Gr8Apes]

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.

Re:Apple says "Fuck You"

[unixisc]

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