Among small publishers, notably of games, maintenance is expensive, especially on titles frozen in time. Sometimes the programs are not updated for several years, and struggle to be compatible with the latest iPhone whose screen sizes now scale with almost every iteration. Others use APIs (programming libraries) deemed obsolete by Cupertino, which may discontinue support for them at any time.
Well aware that its customers may be disappointed after purchase, Apple has started a fairly aggressive policy, removing apps that are too old. The developers then receive an ultimatum stating that their program will be retired within 30 days.unless a new iteration is validated by the little elves of Cupertino.
Several publishers, including that of Protopop Games, have complained in the American media in recent days, believing that the cost of adapting their games to Apple’s new APIs, as complained Emilia Lazer-Walkera developer:
Games can exist as completed objects. These free projects do not require updates or a connected model, they are works of art frozen in time.
You can still play games on old iPhones… provided you have kept them on the device!
For its part, Apple explains implement an ongoing app review process, to remove apps that no longer work as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated
but as always, these elements are vague enough to cause controversy at the time of deletion.
Unlike programs developed for Mac (which can be hosted anywhere), the iOS App Store remains under direct Apple control, and downloading a program developed for early versions of iOS is nearly impossible today! Sometimes, if you have old phones/tablets, it is even very difficult to find compatible apps… With all the means implemented on the App Store, it is a shame that Apple does not allow you to keep “vintage” sections of the applications, even if this means informing the customer at the time of downloading.