The number of apps on Apple’s App Store has shrunk for the first time

05 Apr The number of apps on Apple’s App Store has shrunk for the first time

But that’s a good thing. One of the main reasons for the fewer apps on the App Store is Apple’s crackdown on spam apps, outdated apps, and clone apps, reports TechCrunch, which notes that a survey from App Store analytics firm Appfigures showed there were 2.2 million apps on the App Store at the beginning of 2017, but only 2.1 million on it by the end of the year. The slouch in figures likely results from Apple’s 2016 announcements that it would be purging old or outdated apps from the store that no longer complied with current guidelines. Apple also announced that it would be cracking down on cloned and spam apps, as well as banning virus scanning apps. But during 2017, Appfigures noted, there were also fewer apps submitted to the App Store–just 755,000. That’s down 29% over the previous year. Again, however, it’s likely Apple’s crackdown on low-quality apps attributed to the fall in submissions.

Source: Fast Company