[mvelie]

It's not just that the software has gone years without updates, but also if there have been no or very few downloads. Reading the actual update from Apple: https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=gi6npkmf it states specifically "minimal download threshold — meaning the app has not been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period "

[zinekeller]

I have many problems with this definition, especially that they haven't explained what counts as "download". Are re-installations counted as downloads? Plus, what is the threshold of "very few"? What if the application is geographically specific that it isn't downloaded very often (usually government or local apps), but isn't qualified for enterprise distribution? Unless Apple has expounded on what counts as "download" and give even an approximate count of what they consider as "very few", that caveat basically excludes approximately no non-updated apps.

[rasz]

>minimal download threshold

Limited number, Extremely Small Number, very small number, a very small percentage. Those are all direct quotes of standard Apple PR language used when announcing recalls for

iphone 5 battery

iphone 6 battery/throttling

iPhone 12 sound

MacBook, Air Pro keyboards

etc etc. Its always minimal threshold, extremely small number, very small percentage, even when they recall 50% of released products (keyboards).

[Tagbert]

Apple also said that the developer can also contest the removal by reaching out to ask for an exception.

[frumper]

Honestly, this sounds like a black hole of never working out in your favor. Their standard practices are very ambiguous and it often depends on the staff member. There is little consistency. I wouldn't expect this new exception to be any different. If you're hoping for an exception you're already fighting Apple's way of doing it.

[ferdowsi]

The Register fulfills its role as a beacon of misleading tech sharebait.

[drcongo]

The only reason I can think that you could be getting downvotes for this, is that you left out the bit about them also being weeks late with the "news". As usual.

[crtasm]

It mentions downloads at the beginning of the second paragraph - the same quote as given above. The first paragraph is a single sentence.

Anyone who stops reading that early into a post is going to be mislead by a lot of other news sources as well.