In brief
Apple removed nearly 50,000 apps in October 2016, targeting apps that had not been updated for a long time, were incompatible with its latest devices or failed to follow updated guidelines. The cleanup was still underway, while the App Store continued to grow.
Apple is currently carrying out a major cleanup of the App Store.
According to figures from third-party market research firm Sensor Tower, Apple removed nearly 50,000 apps in October. The number of removals was 3.4 times the monthly average for the first nine months of the year, representing a sharp increase of 238%.
。
Games accounted for 28% of the mobile apps removed. Entertainment and books were the next two largest categories, each accounting for nearly 9%. Education apps accounted for 7% of removals.
Apple had previously cleaned up its app store without much transparency. This time, however, Apple said it had notified developers and identified two categories of apps for removal: those that had gone a long time without updates; and those that were not compatible with the latest iPhone and iPad products, or did not comply with the updated App Store guidelines.
It should be noted that even if software quality is not an issue for third-party apps, Apple has been expanding its range of mobile devices in recent years, with frequent changes to screen sizes, interfaces and other features. As a result, even just to maintain compatibility with new devices, developers need to release software updates regularly.
Apple's App Store cleanup is still underway, and more apps that have not been updated for a long time are expected to be removed.
The figures suggest that this action will not seriously affect users' experience. The App Store currently has more than two million apps, and approximately 100,000 new and updated apps are submitted for review each week. In other words, despite Apple removing many apps, the App Store continues to grow.
Apple also introduced search ads (paid search rankings) in its app store for the first time last month. Third-party developers can pay for keywords to secure better positions in search results and increase installs. There have reportedly already been cases of developers buying competitors' keywords, so that a search for a well-known app places a competitor first in the results. However, this policy has not yet been implemented in the App Store in China.
http://www.hksilicon.com/articles/1221953