Apple has defined the App Store Improvements process, which involves removing old apps from the software marketplace and giving developers more time to avoid this fate.
On April 22, the business began notifying developers that if their programs were not updated within 30 days, they would be removed from the App Store. Developers, especially those working on these projects as a hobby or side job, don't have much time to update their programs in any meaningful way. Apple now appears to have opted to give these developers more leeway.
In an update to its developer website published on April 29, Apple stated, "Apple always wants to help developers get and keep quality apps on the App Store." "As a result, app creators have the right to appeal app removals. Developers, including those who have recently received a notice, will now have up to 90 days to update their apps if necessary."
The business further clarifies that it will only contact developers whose apps "have not been updated in the last three years and fail to achieve a basic download criterion — meaning the app has not been downloaded at all or very few times within a rolling 12-month period." Popular but out-of-date software will continue to be offered until its download numbers begin to decline.
Apple also justifies its choice to remove these apps from the App Store in the first place, claiming that it "assists us in ensuring that apps work for the vast majority of customers and supports our latest breakthroughs in security and privacy." It also notes that this isn't a new development—apparently, since 2016, it's "deleted approximately 2.8 million apps as part of this procedure."
On the one hand, Apple wants to ensure that the App Store isn't clogged with abandoned apps, as this isn't a pleasant user experience. (Or a source of income.) On the other hand, it can't just tell developers that they have 30 days to update their software, because not all developers are capable of making such a promise for their older applications. Now it appears like the corporation is striving for a middle ground.