Apple is warning developers that some apps may never call the App Store home. In its newly updated app review guidelines released this week, the tech giant said it may begin removing apps in certain well-established categories if they fail to “update, improve, or attract customers.” This represents a significant change on Apple’s part, which previously simply rejected copycat apps or apps from saturated categories.
Previously, Apple’s guidelines warned developers not to pile apps into categories that already have a lot of them. The text, somewhat comically, went something like this: “There are already enough fart, burp, flashlight, horoscope, dating, drinking games, Kama Sutra apps, etc. on the App Store. We will reject these apps unless they offer a unique, high-quality experience.”
The updated text, released in conjunction with Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), warns developers against “opportunistically creating variations of existing app categories or popular apps.” The list now includes wallpaper apps, simple timers, and sound effects, in addition to dating apps, flashlights, and horoscope apps.
“If these apps do not update, improve, or fail to attract customers, we may remove them from the App Store in the future,” the guidelines state.
Apple explained that these apps are “well-established on the App Store” and that submissions will no longer be accepted unless they offer a “meaningfully different or improved” experience.
This change comes as Apple focuses on improving app discovery across the App Store. At WWDC, the company introduced custom app recommendation and merchandising tools to help developers grow their businesses and re-engage existing users. Removing low-quality apps reduces clutter in the App Store, making it easier for developers looking for apps to find them.
Apple also labels drinking games, Kama Sutra, farting and burping apps as “low quality,” “mediocre” and “low effort” apps, and warns that developers who repeatedly submit such apps may lose access to Apple’s developer program entirely.
If you purchase through links in our articles, we may receive a small commission. This does not affect our editorial independence.
