wp-plugin-hostgator domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home4/scienrds/scienceandnerds/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114ol-scrapes domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home4/scienrds/scienceandnerds/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/4\/23\/23038870\/apple-app-store-widely-remove-outdated-apps-developers<\/a> Apple may be cracking down on apps that no longer receive updates. In a screenshotted email<\/a> sent to affected developers, titled \u201cApp Improvement Notice,\u201d Apple warns it will remove apps from the App Store that haven\u2019t been \u201cupdated in a significant amount of time\u201d and gives developers just 30 days to update them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store by submitting an update for review in 30 days,\u201d Apple writes in the email. \u201cIf no update is submitted in 30 days, the app will be removed from sale.\u201d While Apple will remove the outdated apps from the App Store, any previously downloaded apps will remain on users\u2019 devices.<\/p>\n I feel sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they’re removing my free game Motivoto because its more than 2 years old.<\/p>\n It’s part of their App improvement system.<\/p>\n This is not cool. Console games from 2000 are still available for sale.<\/p>\n This is an unfair barrier to indie devs. pic.twitter.com\/7XNcLfiEcR<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Protopop Games (@protopop) April 23, 2022<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n A number of app makers, like Protopop Games developer Robert Kabwe, have expressed their concerns about the change. Kabwe says on Twitter<\/a> that Apple is threatening to remove his fully-functional game, Motivoto, because it hasn\u2019t been updated since March 2019.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Kosta Eleftheriou, the developer of the FlickType Apple Watch keyboard, says Apple<\/a> took down a version of his app made specifically for the visually impaired because it hasn’t been updated in two years. As Eleftheriou points out in his tweet, the once-super-popular Pocket God<\/em><\/a> app still remains on the App Store even though it received its last update in 2015. Developer Emilia Lazer-Walker also reported<\/a> that Apple is removing \u201ca few\u201d of her older games from the App Store. Several<\/a> other<\/a> developers<\/a> share the same experience, noting that they just haven\u2019t had the time to update their apps.<\/p>\n .@apple<\/a> is removing a few of my old games b\/c they have \u201cnot been updated in a significant amount of time\u201d<\/p>\n Games can exist as completed objects! These free projects aren\u2019t suitable for updates or a live service model, they\u2019re finished artworks from years ago. pic.twitter.com\/iflH70j7q4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 emilia \u2728 (@lazerwalker) April 23, 2022<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n On Apple\u2019s App Store Improvements page<\/a>, the company says: \u201cWe are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don\u2019t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated.\u201d There isn\u2019t a time stamp on the page, so it\u2019s not immediately clear when Apple published or last updated the post. Apple didn’t immediately respond to The Verge<\/em>\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n In 2016, Apple said it would start removing abandoned apps<\/a> from the App Store. At the time, it also warned developers that they would have 30 days to update their app before it got taken down. That said, it\u2019s unclear whether Apple has continuously been enforcing this rule over the years, or if it recently started conducting a wider sweep. Apple also doesn\u2019t clearly outline what it considers to be \u201coutdated\u201d \u2014 whether it’s based on the time that has elapsed since an app was last updated, or if it concerns compatibility with the most recent version of iOS.<\/p>\n Critics<\/a> of this policy argue that mobile apps should remain available no matter their age, much like old video games remain playable on consoles. Others say<\/a> the policy is unnecessarily tough on developers, and claim<\/a> Apple doesn\u2019t fully respect the work that goes into indie games.<\/p>\n
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