In brief
Apple removed nearly 50,000 apps in October 2016, a 238% increase over the monthly average for the first nine months. The ongoing clean-up targets outdated or non-compliant apps, while the App Store continues to grow.
Apple is currently carrying out a large-scale clean-up of the App Store.
According to figures from a third-party market research company, Apple removed nearly 50,000 apps this past October. The number of removals in October was 3.4 times the monthly average for the first nine months of the year, a substantial increase of 238%.
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Games accounted for 28% of the mobile apps removed. Entertainment and books were the next two categories, each accounting for nearly 9%. Education apps accounted for 7% of removals.
Apple previously cleaned up its app marketplace without a transparent process. This time, however, Apple said it had notified developers that two categories of apps would be targeted: apps that had gone a long time without updates; and apps that were incompatible with the latest iPhone and iPad products, or that did not comply with the updated App Store guidelines.
It should be noted that even when there are no issues with the quality of third-party software, Apple's increasingly broad range of mobile devices in recent years has brought frequent changes to screen sizes, interfaces and other features. As a result, even simply to maintain compatibility with new devices, developersneed to release software updates regularly.
Apple's App Store clean-up is still ongoing, and more apps that have not been updated for a long time are expected to be removed.
The figures suggest that this move will not seriously affect users' experience. The App Store currently has more than two million apps, and around 100,000 new and updated apps are submitted for review every week. In other words, despite Apple removing many apps, the App Store continues to grow.
Also of note, last month Apple introduced search ads to its app marketplace for the first time, with placement determined by bidding. Third-party developers can pay for keywords to secure better positions in search results and increase installations. Developers have reportedly already been buying competitors' keywords, resulting in a competitor appearing first when users search for a well-known app. However, this policy has not yet been implemented in the App Store in mainland China.
http://www.hksilicon.com/articles/1221953