Apple is warning developers that some of their apps may not be able to call the App Store home forever. In its newly refreshed App Review Guidelines released this week, the tech giant said it may begin removing apps in certain well-established categories if they’re not “updated, improved, or attracting customers.” Previously, the terms said Apple would simply reject copycat apps or those in saturated categories.
The earlier version of Apple’s guidelines had cautioned developers not to pile on in categories that already had plenty of apps. The line, somewhat hilariously, had read: “The App Store has enough fart, burp, flashlight, fortune telling, dating, drinking games, and Kama Sutra apps, etc. already. We will reject these apps unless they provide a unique, high-quality experience.”
The updated text, released alongside Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), warns developers against “opportunistically creating variants of existing app categories or popular apps.” The list now includes wallpaper apps, simple timers, and sound effects, in addition to dating apps, flashlight, and fortune-telling apps.
“We may remove these apps from the App Store going forward if they are not updated, improved, or do not attract customers,” the guidelines state.
These apps, Apple explained, are “well established on the App Store,” and submissions will no longer be accepted unless they offer a “meaningfully different or improved” experience.
The updated terms arrive as Apple focuses on improving app discovery across its App Store. At WWDC, the company introduced personalized app recommendations and merchandising tools to help developers grow their businesses and re-engage existing users. Removing low-quality apps helps the App Store reduce clutter, making it easier for developers who are putting in the effort to have their apps discovered.
In addition, Apple called out apps like drinking games, Kama Sutra, fart and burp apps as “low-quality,” “mediocre,” and “low-effort,” warning that developers who repeatedly submit such apps may lose access to the Apple Developer Program entirely.
Apple told TechCrunch that its existing App Store Improvements process offers developers notice when their apps are out of date or not being downloaded, so they can improve them before risking removal.
In other words, the new language in the App Store Guidelines clarifies that apps meeting the “fart app rule” could risk removal from the App Store, and Apple has given developers fair warning.
Updated after publication with info about Apple’s App Store Improvements process.
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