In mid-April, some developers received a “letter of happiness” from Apple, in which she warns: within 30 days your app will be removed from the App Store unless you update it.
A scandal arose, the media supported it, and Apple had to respond – however, this was done in a manner that had already become proprietary.
I tell you what the essence of the latest scandal of the app developer community is, and how it became the next step to support the adoption of the long-discussed law to “de-monopolize” the App Store in iOS.
How Apple handles the situation
Official Press releaseApple’s “response” to the scandal of the week before last.
Apple claims that uninstalling some apps is necessary because they too much outdated. Simply put, supposedly only what works poorly, does not meet modern standards, and is not needed by any of the users is supposedly removed.
This initiative is called “App Store Improvement” (App Store Improvements). It was launched in 2016 after numerous complaints from users and developers about outdated apps cluttering up the App Store and its search.
An example of a game that was actually forgotten by the developer.
Such problematic applications do not appear on their own. They multiply with every yearly iOS update cycle, which in turn leads to higher minimum quality and security standards. Old mechanisms are being replaced by new ones, there is a need to support certain innovations.
Developers must ensure that their software is compatible with the latest version of the system, from fixing “bugs” to adding compatibility with new company devices.
The process is disrupted when the developer completely “scores” on his program or game. After some time (usually after the annual software update), the application will no longer work stably on the newest versions of iOS. In the future, it may stop opening.
There’s nothing worse than when you buy something from the App Store and it’s so outdated that it just doesn’t work and crashes to your desktop. Apple doesn’t want the user’s negativity towards such situations to extend to the App Store brand itself, which is centered on “high standards and quality control” of content.
As Pocket God are still downloaded, the application remains in the App Store – despite the lack of updates for 6 years.
Therefore, within the framework of the same initiative, Apple has already removed 2.6 million such “outdated” applications. According to the latest press release, this is done very selectively:
▸ the application must not be updated for at least 36 months
▸ no one (or almost no one) has downloaded the app in the last 12 months
▸ The developer hasn’t updated the app within 90 days of being warned that it will be removed from the App Store.
Interestingly, we were able to find out the above figures and details only after the indignation of the developers and the media in mid-April 2022. It was to him that Apple responded with a press release, and also (already without being mentioned in the announcement) increased the waiting time for a developer’s response from 30 days to 90 days.
What do developers say about it?
“Apple is about to remove apps from the App Store that have not been updated for three years. This applies to my favorite ZX Spectrums, especially the Spectaculator, which emulates a computer that hasn’t been updated in 40 years. Steve Jobs wouldn’t have done that.”
The position of the developers is twofold. There is an argument in support, but with big “buts”.
On the one hand, they understand why Apple took this step in the first place. Glitchy and broken programs have no place in the App Store.
Initially, it was the developers who “pushed through” the idea of combating outdated applications in the App Store, because they prevented new programs from becoming popular inside the store.
On the other hand, they disagree that the very removal of the application from the App Store is a necessary and correct measure:
▸ this makes the developer hostage to Apple and its initiatives to update iOS standards and App Store terms and conditions
▸ this does not allow the developer to consider his application as truly complete and requires constant monitoring of performance on each new “firmware” and each new device
▸ deletion puts a complete cross on the entire project and divides the developer’s efforts by zero, despite the fact that at the time of release the project could be fully functional and meet all Apple requirements
▸ Deletion leads to the complete disappearance of landmark games and programs, erasing entire pages of the history of the development of the App Store and iOS.
Apple just sent me an email saying they are removing my free game Motivoto because it’s over two years old. It’s part of their app improvement program. Is not cool. Console games from 2000 are still available for sale. This is an unfair barrier for independent developers.
But their main argument rests on a simple fact: disappearance from the App Store is tantamount to a death sentence, because there are no other ways to legally distribute and install on iOS.
Unlike Windows, macOS or Android, on iOS no alternative app stores or even ways to install them from any third party source. The authorities of Europe and the USA, as well as other companies (for example, Epic Games) have been struggling with the status quo and the “monopoly” for placing software for the iPhone and iPad for many years. Apple consistently opposes this with dozens of different arguments.
Now, apparently, the creators of old programs and games have also become “hostages” of the closeness of iOS. Some of them on social media offered a separate store for outdated software, or at least a warning box before buying or downloading such software, which would relieve Apple of any liability and reputational costs. Judging by the latest press release, it doesn’t look like the company welcomes either one or the other.
What’s next?
Perhaps the loneliness of the App Store on iOS will soon come to an end. European authorities are preparing to announce a huge bill that will force (primarily Apple) to allow alternative app stores on any platform.
This initiative differs from many previous ones in both the scale and aggressiveness of penalties in case of non-compliance with a host of obligations, including:
allowed install apps from any sourceincluding just from the Internet
creation, launch and use of third-party app stores on any platform is allowed
it is allowed to remove any built-in applications
it is forbidden to give advantages to built-in and proprietary applications, services and services
Failure to comply with the above requirements will result in the imposition of a turnover penalty of up to 10% on the company. In the case of Apple, this will be astronomical $36.5 billion (almost 3 trillion rubles).
The adoption of the law is expected in October this year. Obviously, Apple will fight it in every possible way. But analysts predict at least a partial defeat for the Cupertinos: European legislators have been much tougher than the American authorities for many years, and the lobby for the company’s interests in Europe is much weaker than in its home region.
So I advise you to follow the situation closer to autumn, because passions are inevitable. The App Store, even in its current form, has a lot of advantages and, in the end, no one will force the user to use other app stores.
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iPhones.ru
In mid-April, some developers received a “letter of happiness” from Apple, in which they warn that within 30 days your application will be removed from the App Store if you do not update it. A scandal arose, the media supported it, and Apple had to respond – however, this was done in a manner that had already become proprietary. I tell you what the essence of the latest scandal is…
Nikita Goryainov
@ngoryainov
Editor-in-Chief iPhones.ru. Thanks for reading us. Have a question, suggestion or something interesting? Write to [email protected]
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The post The developers again had a fight with Apple. There is a new argument in favor of alternative App Stores appeared first on Gamingsym.