Apple removed more than 47,000 outdated apps from App Store in October

Apple removed about 47,300 outdated apps from the App Store in October. Apps from all categories were deleted but most of them were mobile games.

The app removal in October increased 238%, according to data shared by app intelligence firm Sensor Tower (via TechCrunch). Apple deletes outdated apps on a regular basis, but the latest figure is about 3.4 times higher than the monthly average of 14,000.

Earlier, Apple had announced that starting 7 September it would implement an ongoing process of evaluating and removing apps that no longer function or don't follow the review guidelines or the ones that are outdated. The move was aimed at making it easier for the customers to find apps that fit their need and to ensure apps available in the App Store are functional and up-to-date.

However, the company did not remove apps in large scale in September. According to Sensor Tower, 28% of the total 47,300 apps that were removed in October were games. Entertainment, Books, Education and Lifestyle apps followed the list.

Data shared by Adjust suggests 50% of all the apps have not been updated since May 2015, and 25.6% apps have not been updated since November 2013.

Despite apps being removed, the App Store still continues to grow. Sensor Tower earlier reported that there were more than 5,000 active apps in the App Store at the end of 2008, which grew to 1.75 million towards 2015 end. The firm believes the figure will further grow to 2.93 million by 2016 end and it would be more than five million by 2020.