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Apple has issued an email to its community of developers indicating that it will remove apps that are outdated or no longer work.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of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don't follow current review guidelines, or are outdated," Apple wrote.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