In its App Review Guidelines updated this week, Apple stated that for some already very mature app categories, if the relevant apps are not “updated, improved, or attract users,” Apple may begin to clean up such apps. This is a clear step up from Apple’s past practices of mainly rejecting copycat apps or apps in overcrowded categories.
Apple's previous rules have reminded developers not to continue to pile up similar products in categories that already have "many applications." The old version of the language even stated in a rather blunt way that there were "enough fart, burp, flashlight, fortune telling, dating, drinking game and Kama Sutra apps" in the App Store and that unless they provided a unique and high-quality experience, such apps would be rejected.
The new guidance, released during WWDC 2026, includes a new statement saying not to "opportunistically create variations of existing app categories or popular apps." The list now includes not only dating, flashlight, and fortune-telling apps, but also wallpaper apps, simple timers, and sound effects.
Apple clearly wrote that if these apps are not updated, improved, or fail to attract users, they may be removed from the App Store in the future. Apple also said that these apps are in categories that are already "well-established" on the App Store, so new submissions will only be accepted if they provide a "substantially different or improved" experience.
This change is also consistent with Apple's recent direction to improve the efficiency of App Store discovery. At WWDC, Apple launched personalized app recommendations and commercialization tools to help developers expand their business and re-reach existing users. Apple hopes that by cleaning up low-quality apps, it will reduce clutter in the store and make more attentive developers more discoverable by users.
In addition, Apple has labeled drinking games, "Kama Sutra", fart and burping apps as "low quality", "mediocre" and "low investment" products, and warned developers who repeatedly submit such apps may even lose access to the Apple Developer Program.