Apple to clean up its App Store
Apple is about to clean house. In an announcement on its developer website, the tech giant announced that it’s undertaking a broad review of apps in its App Store and will promptly remove those that might not work or that don’t comply with content guidelines.
The housecleaning effort kicks off September 7, the same day Apple is holding a big press event where it’s expected to introduce the next generation of iPhone.
The news should be welcome for Apple users who might find out-of-date apps that are in the sea of more than 2 million apps currently available in the App Store. Developers will be given a heads up -- Apple will give them 30 days to release an updated version of an app before removing it completely from the store.
For developers concerned about the future of their apps, Apple made it clear that ousted apps could still have a life later on.
“When apps are removed from the App Store, they are not deleted from your account,” Apple told developers.
Similarly, current users who already downloaded the apps will “experience no interruption to services and will still be able to buy in-app purchases,” the company said.
That being said, Apple stressed that it is crucial that developers update their apps so that they can remain in the App Store and attract new users.
In its most recent App Store guidelines, Apple also made it clear it’s taking steps to combat app spammers.
Apple hopes to crack down on apps with names that contain deceptive keywords, like when you search for Snapchat or Instagram and the search turns up a number of other apps that use “Instagram” or “photo-sharing” in their titles.
“App names must be limited to 50 characters and should not include terms or descriptions that are not the name of the app. Apple may modify inappropriate keywords at any time,” the company outlined.