Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to crack down on low-effort software. The company now targets apps in oversaturated categories that fail to attract customers or provide updates. This move targets simple utilities like flashlight or wallpaper apps that offer no meaningful difference from existing options.

Specific rules now label drinking games and burp apps as mediocre and devoid of value. Developers who repeatedly submit these low-quality variants risk removal from the Apple Developer Program. This shift signals a move toward cleaning up store clutter to improve discovery for users and high-quality developers.

New mandates also hold developers accountable for user-generated content. Apps like Grok have already faced threats of removal over content violations. Developers must now provide a compliance plan to remove pornographic material or face immediate expulsion from the store for egregious behavior.

Finally, the company updated rule 4.5.3 to prohibit the use of Live Activities for phishing or sending unsolicited messages. These changes collectively force developers to prioritize quality and safety over opportunistic clones and spam.