Apple Freezing Updates for Many iOS Games on China App Store

Apple has frozen updates for thousands of iOS mobile games on the App Store in China, due to these apps lacking an official license from Chinese regulators (via Financial Times). Previously in February, Apple gave app developers a June 30 deadline to prove they had a license for their games.

app store on ios 13
Now that it's July, Apple said that developers would not be able to update their games without a license. The move is said to come from "increasing government pressure" on Apple to comply with local regulations, which have been in place since 2016.

“No one is entirely clear how Apple managed to avoid enforcing the 2016 licensing rule for so long. But considering the US-China trade war began heating up earlier this year, the timing is suspicious,” said Todd Kuhns, marketing manager for the consultancy group App in China, which estimated that the move could cost Apple up to $879m in lost sales.

In total, Apple is estimated to host around 60,000 gaming apps in China that are paid downloads or include in-app purchases. Among that amount, China's regulators have issues just over 43,000 licenses since 2010, while in 2019 about 1,570 licenses were granted to developers.

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Tag: China

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Top Rated Comments

simonmet Avatar
66 months ago
Apple should pull their manufacturing out of China. By manufacturing there they indirectly support the regime.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiVolt Avatar
66 months ago
LOL. I bet the terms of the license are "you oblige to censor and modify anything we deem offensive".
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
66 months ago

LOL. I bet the terms of the license are "you oblige to censor and modify anything we deem offensive".
Didn’t they block Animal Crossing because a random user dared to add a custom Hong Kong flag or something to his island? China is such a whiny B. with no backbone. Imagine a person gets offended by all those minor things, let alone a government
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0924487 Avatar
66 months ago
It's not difficult to apply for a license as long as you have a Chinese partner. If not, ask Mckinsey Shanghai office for help. China probably doesn't want to waste foreign reserves unnecessarily on pointless piles of gems and coins.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dogslobber Avatar
66 months ago
Western companies shouldn't be helping prop up communist regimes like the Chinese government. Every time one of them bows to a communist demand we all lose. Let's start telling them to free Tibet too.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeadeyeM Avatar
66 months ago
I see Apple is still being China's or CCP B***
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)