Apple says it may remove some apps from the App Store if they don’t attract users
Key takeaways
- Apple is warning developers that some of their apps may not be able to call the App Store home forever.
- Previously, Apple s guidelines had cautioned developers not to pile on in categories that already had plenty of apps.
- The updated text, released alongside Apple s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), warns developers against opportunistically creating variants of existing app categories or popular apps.
Apple is warning developers that some of their apps may not be able to call the App Store home forever. In its newly refreshed App Review Guidelines released this week, the tech giant said it may begin removing apps in certain well-established categories if they re not updated, improved, or attracting customers. This marks a significant shift on Apple s part, which earlier used to simply reject copycat apps or those in saturated categories.
Previously, Apple s guidelines had cautioned developers not to pile on in categories that already had plenty of apps. The line, somewhat hilariously, had read: The App Store has enough fart, burp, flashlight, fortune telling, dating, drinking games, and Kama Sutra apps, etc. already. We will reject these apps unless they provide a unique, high-quality experience.
The updated text, released alongside Apple s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), warns developers against opportunistically creating variants of existing app categories or popular apps. The list now includes wallpaper apps, simple timers, and sound effects, in addition to dating apps, flashlight, and fortune-telling apps.