UPDATE 17/6/25: Following developer Santa Ragione’s claims earlier this week that Apple is removing the studio’s 2016 visual novel Wheels of Aurelia from the App Store without “clear justification”, the iPhone maker has responded to Eurogamer’s request for comment by drawing attention to the App Store Improvements section of its developer support website.
The page in question discusses Apple’s policy of removing apps that “no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated”, and the company highlighted one particular paragraph in its communication with Eurogamer:
“Developers of apps that have not been updated within the last three years and fail to meet a minimal download threshold – meaning the app has not been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period – receive an email notifying them that their app has been identified for possible removal from the App Store.”
Apple, which did not discuss Santa Ragione’s case directly in its response, also noted developers can resubmit an update for a delisted app at any time. If that update is approved, the company added, it will be restored in all countries where it was previously available.