I doubt those areas make up very many sales of iOS devices to start with. For every company not using iOS for warehouse management, field servicing and process manufacturing, there are hundreds of thousands of everyday users just enjoying their devices.
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Apple Gives Developers More Time to Update 'Outdated' Apps Before Removal
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Epic is worst. Their review system doesn't even have an appeal option and often ban foreigners from their platform (3D assets).
Late last week, controversy erupted after Apple began notifying some developers that their apps that had not been updated in some time would be removed from the App Store as part of an "App Store Improvements" project to clean up "outdated" apps.
Many of the affected developers objected to Apple's policy, noting that their apps continued to function just fine despite a lack of updates, highlighting the amount of work that might be needed to submit even a minor update, and pointing out that many apps can exist as finished works without a need for continual updates.
Apple has now shared a new developer update clarifying its App Store Improvements policies and extending the amount of time it is giving developers to update their affected apps from 30 days to 90 days.
Apple says that apps that have not been updated within the past three years and which do not meet a minimum threshold for downloads ("not been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period") are subject to the policy, with developers receiving notices via email.Developers can either appeal the pending removal or submit an update within 90 days in order to keep their apps live on the App Store. Apps that are removed will continue to function normally for users who previously downloaded them.
Article Link: Apple Gives Developers More Time to Update 'Outdated' Apps Before Removal
This is wrong in many aspects:
1) An App can have ZERO downloads and still be used by hundreds of subscribers. This simply means it reach it's market cap over the years.
2) Many Apps are finish projects and don't need updates (mostly Games developed in Unity or UE).
3) Apps that don't offer subscriptions should not be forced to update. That is blatant bully move by Apple.
Actually, this is frustrating. Both my DOD apps have been removed. In fact, most of the recent DOD apps have disappeared from the App Store. The DOD is not known for updating Apps regularly. Both Apps are important too. Army PRT gave the Soldier information about PRT exercises and ACFT requirements. The National Guard apps had the promotion board info.
There are Sony apps that have been updated merely twice since their release twelve years ago, and one of those updates was an admin update by Apple. They still use the iOS 4 design language from 2011.
I sure hope Apple is going to be culling these apps, more so than some indie developers who might not have updated their app in a couple years because it's already well-designed, or perhaps a game.
But no, I'll bet this sort of drek stays on while the little guys suffer. Ain't that the way of the world?
I sure hope Apple is going to be culling these apps, more so than some indie developers who might not have updated their app in a couple years because it's already well-designed, or perhaps a game.
But no, I'll bet this sort of drek stays on while the little guys suffer. Ain't that the way of the world?
To be perfectly frank with you, Apple and others like it , starting appstores with beneficial rates and a ready made market place were instrumental in making ‘little guys’ able to even release apps with no budget let alone compete with big app development houses.
Unfortunately many of these the ‘little guys’ are now so entitled they think they deserve everything for free - and in this case even without doing anything to help with the upkeep of their very own products. It’s embarrassing.
By the letter of the law, yes it's illegal to distribute abandonware. But it has been shown to be de-facto legal in that nobody is enforcing the law in this situation.
I don't think most software companies from back then that are still around today want the bad press from pushing prosecution of copyright infringement for stuff they don't sell anymore, and a few companies have even admitted to being okay with it.
END APPLE’S MONOPOLY APP STORE FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!
multiple stores allows MORE end user and developer freedom, options, choice and competition.
If developers don’t like Apple’s terms of agreement they can just LEAVE and have the option to sell their software on another store or other means of distribution.
If end users want an app not being provided by Apple’s App Store, they can go to another App Store or purchase download directly with out the need for Apple‘s App Store I.e. Sideloading
IF end users and developers like Apple’s App Store they can use it, if not then there ought to be freedom and alternatives.
multiple stores allows MORE end user and developer freedom, options, choice and competition.
If developers don’t like Apple’s terms of agreement they can just LEAVE and have the option to sell their software on another store or other means of distribution.
If end users want an app not being provided by Apple’s App Store, they can go to another App Store or purchase download directly with out the need for Apple‘s App Store I.e. Sideloading
IF end users and developers like Apple’s App Store they can use it, if not then there ought to be freedom and alternatives.
Those may have been removed by the developer. Check in your “purchased” apps list, do you see them there still?
Then make it easier to update apps. iPhone app dev is already the most annoying thing there is without additional policies.
You have to update Xcode for 2 hours, update macOS after realizing it's 0.0001 versions too old, fix whatever broke in your code (maybe cause Apple changed how you get the length of a string in Swift again), "archive" your app for like an hour, go through some manual steps, upload your bundle for another hour, probably fix random certs and stuff that expired, try again, 2FA into the dev portal cause it never remembers you, accept the new Apple dev license agreement cause last time you did that was a day ago, fill out app info, send it for review, and hope it's accepted.
All that for something that is probably just a React Native app doing everything in Javascript with a glorified web UI. And you're better off that way since you can push remote JS updates to fix bugs instead of doing all the above. If it were easy, everything would be updated all the time.
You have to update Xcode for 2 hours, update macOS after realizing it's 0.0001 versions too old, fix whatever broke in your code (maybe cause Apple changed how you get the length of a string in Swift again), "archive" your app for like an hour, go through some manual steps, upload your bundle for another hour, probably fix random certs and stuff that expired, try again, 2FA into the dev portal cause it never remembers you, accept the new Apple dev license agreement cause last time you did that was a day ago, fill out app info, send it for review, and hope it's accepted.
All that for something that is probably just a React Native app doing everything in Javascript with a glorified web UI. And you're better off that way since you can push remote JS updates to fix bugs instead of doing all the above. If it were easy, everything would be updated all the time.
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It takes a pretty old Mac to be unable to run the latest Xcode, or at least a fairly recent one.
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They don't have a monopoly. I used to develop for iPhone, and I stopped cause I was sick of Apple's nonsense. There's my freedom at work. Feel bad for anyone still bothering with that.
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That's not what Apple says. If it's what they mean, sounds like they have a really poor search feature if they feel the need to erase apps just to reduce clutter.
Also, App Store is the only way to distribute apps at all, outside of dev exceptions that are hard to set up. So of course it's going to have random stuff on it.
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Or the app can just be rebuilt against current SDK and that's it. No download counts or search ads needed.
You're commenting on an article discussing a prior notice.
Then apple should provide a way to install apps outside of the store.
If I have a niche app that is only useful to me and family. Then the only way to distribute it is via the App Store.
Pretty obviously because it's a new incentive, and they've already said they're giving time for devs to comply. They're not going to immediately remove all apps on the day they announce it. Besides, the cut off is three years.
Good that you were able to get away from it and find something you enjoy more.
Apple should just pull out of the EU with its 500,000,000+ people and single market which collectively amounts to the worlds largest market by GDP. That’ll show ‘em! /s
Amateurs should stay away or accept that their apps will be removed when no one is using them and they are not updated to support the latest.
As a developer they is no excuse not to do what Apple is asking for, if any software has not been updated within 2 years, seriously needs updating as many of the APIs have change.
Its good practice to maintain code and tweak it a bit every so often to make sure it’s still working fine on the latest OS not just sit back and let the code rot.
Its good practice to maintain code and tweak it a bit every so often to make sure it’s still working fine on the latest OS not just sit back and let the code rot.