Updates Required for App Stores
Within the last month, both Apple and Google have announced they will be removing apps which have not been kept up to date.
Many, if not all, PhoneGap projects are old enough that they will be affected. Fixing them is usually not a huge problem - VoltBuilder is designed to help PhoneGap users update their projects.
We have the following resources to help:
Apple
You may have gotten this from Apple:
App Store Improvement Notice
This app has not been updated in a significant amount of time and is scheduled to be removed from sale in 30 days. No action in required for the app to remain available to users who have already download the app.
You can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store by submitting an update for review within 30 days. If no update is submitted within 30 days, the app will be removed from sale.
There is more information on their web site. Apple is not specific as to what they are looking for, but refer you to the App Store Review Guidelines.
Some of the things we know can cause problems are insecure web references, using UIWebView, and using out of date Xcode libraries (PhoneGap ended at 8.0, VoltBuilder is up to date at 13.3). These issues are easily resolved by building with VoltBuilder.
Update: On April 29, 2022, Apple issued this clarification:
As part of the App Store Improvements process, developers of apps that have not been updated within the last three years and fail to meet a minimal download threshold — meaning the app has not been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period — receive an email notifying them that their app has been identified for possible removal from the App Store.
Apple always wants to help developers get and keep quality software on the App Store. That’s why developers can appeal app removals. And developers, including those who recently received a notice, will now be given more time to update their apps if needed — up to 90 days. Apps that are removed will continue to function as normal for users who have already downloaded the app on their device.
From November 1st, 2022, all existing apps in the store must target an API level within two years of the latest major Android OS release. Google will place limits on which users are able to discover or install them if they are not up to date.
Here is the blog post from Google’s developer support group explaining the new policies.
Specifically, your app needs to be built using Android API Level 30. The highest API level available to PhoneGap was 28. VoltBuilder supports API Level 30 now.
What VoltBuilder Does
VoltBuilder converts your web projects into native Android and iOS apps. VoltBuilder is a wrapper for Apache Cordova and Ionic Capacitor, so you can add native features to your apps via Cordova and Capacitor plugins.
VoltBuilder's Key features:
- Produces native executables — for easy testing & app store publishing.
- Publish in minutes — VoltBuilder uploads directly to Google Play and the Apple App Store.
- Easily generate certificates — VoltSigner makes Android and iOS certificates. No Mac needed!
- Nothing to install — just head to the Uploads page to get building.
- Nothing to store — we don't keep your passwords, certs, or code in our cloud.
- Always up-to-date — we install and maintain the latest SDKs and tooling so you don't have to.
How to Use VoltBuilder
It's as simple as Upload, Download, Run. Done.
- Zip your web project.
- Upload it to our platform.
- Download the native app or let us deploy it to stores.
- Run it instantly via QR code or direct link for testing.
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