[Courtesy of Apple]
Apple notified developers that the company would begin removing outdated apps from its App Store on Thursday.
According to Apple, the major change in App Store will start on September 7. Apps which do not function properly, do not receive compatibility updates, or do not comply with Apple's review guidelines will be removed from the store.
The tech giant said in the letter sent to the developers: "Quality is extremely important to us. We know that many of you work hard to build innovative apps and update your apps on the App Store with new content and features. However, there are also apps on the App Store that no longer function as intended or follow current review guidelines, and others which have not been supported with compatibility updates for a long time. We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps for these issues, notifying their developers, and removing problematic and abandoned apps from the App Store."
Also, Apple plans to limit the numbers of characters used in the naming of an app. Some developers use extremely long app names to affect search results. Starting from September 7, only 50 characters will be allowed in the naming of an app.
"Search is one of the most frequently used methods for customers to discover and download apps from the App Store. In hopes of influencing search results, some developers have used extremely long app names which include descriptions and terms not directly related to their app. These long names are not fully displayed on the App Store and provide no user value. App names you submit in iTunes Connect for new apps and updates will now be limited to no longer than 50 characters," Apple said.
Apple's App Store and Google's counterpart Google Play is the vital part of smartphone ecology, providing app downloads and updates. But it is also a large archive with a large number of useless apps. Some apps are outdated and do not support current operating system (OS), some do not even work properly, and some are used as a phishing tool for hackers. Also, they take up storage space in its app store servers. Many experts agree with Apple's decision, saying this process has to be undertaken at some point.
Aju News Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
