Google, Apple to Cull Outdated Apps from Stores

Google and Apple have both said they will be cutting down on outdated apps in their app stores, Ars Technica reports, and the plan now reveals that they plan to cut around a third of their total app selection.

The numbers would see Google Play going from 2.6 million apps to 1.7 million, and Apple will go from 1.95 million to 1.3 million, according to an estimate from analyst firm Pialate.

In April, Google said there would be a two-year cutoff plan that would start in November. The report says Apple came out with a similar announcement later in the month, saying they had 30 days to update their apps if they wanted to keep them there.

The companies’ reasons for doing this is because old apps are reportedly lower quality and more prone to exploits.

Ars Technica writes that developers have said this approach could result in collateral damage because not every older app is broken, nor is a live service meant to be updated indefinitely.

And the model doesn’t work for a free project.

PYMNTS wrote that Google has recently stopped offering paid apps and updates for Russian users due to the war the government there has been waging in Ukraine. The company had a support page recently saying it was “blocking the downloading of paid apps and updates to paid apps in Russia starting May 5, 2022.”

See also: With No Credit Card Processing, Google Stops Paid App Sales in Russia

However, that is only because Google is trying to meet “compliance efforts,” not because the company had chosen to do that.

After the big four credit card companies pulled out there in Russia, Google couldn’t offer paid apps anymore.

According to the tech giant, users won’t be able to buy apps, make subscription payments or buy anything in-app using Google Play.