Apple culling 541697 Apps in Q3 from its App Store – nearly 25% trashed
It is no news that all App Stores are littered with garbage and outdated apps. But Apple culling 541697 Apps in Q3, leaving it with 1,642,759, is big news.
In fact, it is even bigger news as it culled 439,000 in Q2. Now at 1,642,759, Apple is well behind Google Play Story (Android) at 3,553,050 apps.
Why is Apple culling 541697 Apps in Q3
Remember that the Apple App Store started in 2007 with the first iPhone. It badly needed apps to counter what was left of Windows Mobile. It enticed developers to put an app in App Store as a way to cement the iPhone’s lead.
But in that rush, it forgot about quality, and some Apps were shockers. Not only poorly written but data harvesting in disguise. It also created a nightmare for users to find the right app – there was too much choice.
Apple says some 64% of the App Store apps have not been updated for at least two years or more. It’s the same with Google Play and almost every other app store – Amazon et al.
App numbers used to be about bragging rights – mine is bigger than yours. It should be about the quality and usefulness of the app.
Will my culled app stop working?
It has been delisted from the App store. It will still work, but at your next iPhone upgrade, you won’t find or sideload it (you may be able to restore it).
CyberShack’s view – Apple culling 541697 Apps in Q3 is right in so many ways
Let me segue. When Microsoft launched Windows 10, it said that times had changed and it needed an operating system fit for today – more secure, better hardware utilisation etc.
Apps are the same. If not updated regularly, they use older, more insecure languages, APIs and are not hardened to today’s security standards.
Apple warned developers earlier this year, and all a developer had to do was log in and flag it as updated. Most did not.
