Apple removes over 700 apps from App Store in China

“Apple has removed hundreds of iPhone apps from its App Store in China, in the company’s latest crackdown in one of its biggest markets,” James Titcomb reports for The Telegraph. “More than 700 apps have been removed from the Chinese App Store in recent days, according to local reports. They include apps developed by Sogou, a Chinese alternative to Google, and Pinduodo, an online retail app.”
“The apps have been banned for flouting App Store rules that prohibit companies from installing software updates on their apps without Apple’s permission, it is understood,” Titcomb reports. “Apple requires that app updates, such as new features or security improvements, are downloaded via the App Store itself, so that the company can approve them. The company warned developers of the new rule two years ago, but appears to have removed the Chinese apps this week.”
“Chinese state media has previously demanded that Apple control the App Store in China more effectively,” Titcomb reports. “Other apps, such as those for Western news organisations and virtual private networks, which allow citizens to skirt China’s internet controls, have also been removed from the Chinese App Store in recent years.”
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MacDailyNews Take: Follow the App Store guidelines or face the consequences. Due to the obvious security concerns, this batch of apps should have been pulled even sooner!