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Apple to cull App Store’s most unwanted as abandoned apps face abyss

As well as launching a season of new products on September 7, Apple will begin eradicating some deadwood, namely the App Store’s most unloved and unused applications.

In a note to developers on Thursday, Apple informed the community it will remove abandoned and problematic applications.

The idea is to make it easier for iOS and macOS users to find what they’re looking for.

The review process, which will be ongoing, will see apps that crash upon launch removed from the store immediately.

Apple is giving developers whose apps require a little love and attention 30 days to bring them up the required standard.

In a post on the developer website Apple wrote: “To make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs, we want to ensure that apps available on the App Store are functional and up-to-date.

“We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated.”

The apps that suffer deletion will still be available to existing users.

As part of the change, Apple is also encouraging devs to choose shorter names for their apps. They’ll now be limited to 50 characters.

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