Here’s why 1.5 million Android and iOS mobile apps may suddenly disappear

Recently, Google has made some changes to Play Store policies. The company recently announced that Android apps would be barred from using the Accessibility API to record phone calls. Google also began rolling out a new data security section to the Play Store that will require app developers to disclose their data collection, sharing and security practices. While developers have until July 20 to comply with this new requirement, another policy change will take effect on November 1st.

Google announced in a post to the Android Developers Blog that users will not be able to detect or install apps in the Play Store that are not targeted at an API level within two years of the latest version of Android. The latest API levels are 31 and 32, which correspond to Android 12 and 12L respectively. To stay within two years of these major releases, developers need to have their apps targeted at API level 29, which is equivalent to Android 10. All apps that do not meet this API level will not be deleted from Play Save or uninstalled from Android users’ devices, but they will be hidden from users who do not already have them installed.

It appears that Apple is working to enforce a similar policy. An app developer recently shared one e-mail he received from Apple informing him that his app is scheduled to be “removed from sale” because it “has not been updated in a significant amount of time.” The email states that the app will continue to be available to users who have already downloaded the app, but that it needs to be updated so that it remains available for iOS users to discover and download.

This message was probably sent as part of Apple’s App Store Improvements system. Apple’s support documentation for this system states that the company is engaged in “an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer work as intended, do not follow current review guidelines, or are outdated.” According to the developer who received the notification, his app is set to be removed from sale because it is more than two years old.

A new report from Pixalate found a total of 1.5 million apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store that have not been updated in over two years. 650,000 of these apps are available in the App Store, while the Play Store has 869,000. According to Pixalate, the App Store and Play Store together offer a total of 5 million apps for download, meaning that 30% of the apps offered have not been updated in two years. If Apple and Google strictly enforce their update requirements policies, 1.5 million apps could be hidden from users who do not already have them installed.

You can find Pixalate’s full report here.