From June 10 to 21, Apple cut around 58,000 Chinese apps from its App Store, a number six to 10 times larger than usual, People.cn reports. Beijing-based data analysis firm ASO 100 noticed the sudden spike, leading to some grumbling that the move could be seen as retaliation against Tencent, owner of the WeChat app at the center of a debate about Apple’s insistence on taking a 30 percent cut of “tips” sent through social media apps in the country. But after looking at the data, ASO 100 claims Apple’s move didn’t seem to target WeChat’s tip service or other apps that allow developers to bypass Apple’s vetting process for sending out patches. While Apple has pulled apps like The New York Times’ at the request of the Chinese government in the past, the latest spike in removals seems to be part of Apple’s greater push to delete duplicate and low-quality apps as reported last week by TechCrunch. Apple also recently stopped returning search results for 32-bit apps in an effort to discourage users from downloading old, out-of-date apps.
