Apple: Over 15,000 apps can be deleted by Apple and Google, here’s why

Earlier this year, Apple and Google issued a warning to developers about apps that haven’t been updated for a long time. According to multiple reports, Apple had sent notices to some developers and warned them that apps would be removed from App store if they hadn’t been updated for a while. Now, a report from analytics firm Pixalate suggests that nearly 30% of apps on the App Store and play store are at risk of being deleted.
According to the report, 1.5 million apps between the Google Play Store and Apple App Store seem to have been “abandoned”. In other words, they haven’t been updated in over two years. The report further states that “the app categories most likely to be abandoned: education, reference, and games, which are often popular with children.”
Pixalate’s report also revealed that there are over 314,000 “super-abandoned” apps, meaning they haven’t been updated in over five years. Of these, 58% are on the Apple App Store (184,000 apps) and 42% on the Google Play Store (130,000 apps).
Many developers heeded the warning from Apple and Google. The report suggests that 1.3 million apps in Google and Apple app stores were updated in the past six months, as of the end of the first quarter of 2022.
Apple had said it would remove the apps from the App Store, but users who downloaded the apps will not be affected as they will remain on their devices.
On its app improvement page, Apple mentioned that “we implement an ongoing app evaluation process, removing apps that no longer work as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated.”
Google also did something similar last month. Google said it was expanding the Play Store’s Target Level API requirements. This means that new apps and updates must already “target a android at the API level within one year of the latest major version of the Android operating system”, or they cannot be published.
Why will “abandoned” apps be removed?
There are several reasons why these apps might get deleted from both app stores. With apps that haven’t been updated, there’s always a security risk. If apps aren’t updated, they don’t get security patches and will also have bugs that can be problematic. Additionally, if a developer is looking to generate revenue from advertisers, the app will need to be updated regularly.
When should apps be removed?
In its warning email to developers, Apple said it gave them 30 days to update apps or they would disappear from the App Store. So it’s unclear how and when Apple will remove the apps. Google, on the other hand, has clearly stated that “As of November 1, 2022, existing apps that do not target an API level within two years of the last major Android release will not be available for the discovery or installation for new users with devices running Android OS versions higher than the apps target API level. »