How to remove an iOS app from the App Store

Question

I want to remove my app, which is currently marked "Ready for sale", from the App Store. I could not find any documentation on this, and there is no "Remove from Sale" option in the "Manage Your Apps" section of iTunes Connect. Can anyone guide me on how I can remove my app from the App Store?

Gunter

What happens to the downloaded apps on devices, are they removed when syncing with the App Store? – Antonelli

“Users with previous versions of the app can’t update the app, but they can still download the latest available version or restore the app to a new device, as long as you have an active contract." - help.apple.com/app-store-connect/#/dev7013b314c – Constant

Answer 1

What you need to do is this.

1. Go to “Manage Your Applications” and select the app.
2. Click “Rights and Pricing” (blue button at the top right.
3. Below the availability date and price tier section, you should see a grid of checkboxes for the various countries your app is available in. Click the blue “Deselect All” button.
4. Click “Save Changes” at the bottom.

Your app's state will then be “Developer Removed From Sale”, and it will no longer be available on the App Store in any country.

Atli

Sometimes this grid doesnt show up... if so click the link inside of "Unless you select specific stores, your app will be for sale in all App Stores worldwide." and the grid will appear for you to deselect all the stores effectively removing your app. – Horned

Would this make the app on users devices, that already downloaded it not to work? – Payment

No. That would only occur if the app was dependent on some web service of yours that you were able to shut down at your end. There’s no other way to “revoke” an app from your customers’ devices. – Atli

Will this also prevent users with an older version of the app from upgrading to the newest (possibly faulty) version? I would like to temporarily prevent users with version 1 from upgrading to the faulty version 2 until a fixed version 3 has been approved by Apple. – Bratton

It would also be worthwhile to point out that even when an app is listed as "Developer Removed From Sale", a user that has previously downloaded the app, can re-download the app from the App Store, under the "Purchased" section As shown here. I believe the only way to resolve this would be to delete the binary from iTunes Connect. See here for instructions. – Triplex

Is this operation reversible? – Dewayne

Sorry to bother you, @NoahWitherspoon, but can an app that is available in no countries be updated normally? I think so. – Conney

Even though these are Apple's own official instructions for temporarily removing an app from sale, I have a warning for all here... IF you are removing an app from sale due to an issue with that version, and submit a hotfix version to be reviewed, the updated binary WILL BE REJECTED if there are no countries ticked in Rights & Pricing, due to "Incomplete Metadata". We have now had to re-tick the country to adhere with the Resolution Center, which also means our old broken version of the app is now back on the store live. I don't believe there's anything we can do about this! – Adeno

@AndyShephard If we delete the binary from iTunes Connect, will it allow existing user to use it? If yes, is there anyway existing user cannot use the app? – Etiolate

@Etiolate I believe if the user has the app installed on their device already, there wouldn't be a way to prevent the user from launching it as there is no way to remove an app from a user's device remotely. – Triplex

@AndyShephard I believe so too. Do you know if there is any supporting article to this? – Etiolate

Is BundleId available for reuse when app is removed from the Store? – Widener

You can't remove an app from a user's device. That would be a security risk if a developer could remotely manage a users device without being given explicit permission to do so. There are ways to remotely manage and wipe a device, but they won't be allowed by the stores on apps that aren't created for the explicit purpose of MDM or like solutions for workplace management of mobile devices. Do I have documentation stating this, no, but it is a default of how iOS and Android work and it also just makes sense IMO. Imagine if Google and Apple allowed remote device app management to apps. Ha! – Godwit

Answer 2

For permanently delete your app follow below steps.

Step 1 :- GO to My Apps App in iTunes Connect

Here you can see your all app which are currently on Appstore.

Step 2 :- Select your app which you want to delete.(click on app-name)

Step 3 :- Select Pricing and Availability Tab.

Step 4 :- Select Remove from sale option.

Step 5 :- Click on save Button.

Now you will see below your app like , Developer Removed it from sale in Red Symbol in place of Green.

Step 6 :- Now again Select your app and Go to App information Tab. you will see Delete App option. (need to scroll bit bottom)

Step 7 :- After clicking on Delete button you will get warning like this ,

Step 8 :- Click on Delete button.

Congratulation , You have Permanently deleted your app successfully from appstore. Now , you cant able to see app on appstore aswellas in your developer account.

Note :-

When you have selected only Remove from sale option you have not deleted app permanently. You can able to make your app live again by clicking on Available in all territories option Again.

Factotum

How much time will it take to effect on appstore. I did "Remove from sale", it is still visible on appstore. – Munday

@Munday please how long it takes? – Lamonicalamont

Within 1 to 2 hours, it will be removed. – Munday

Answer 3

You can "Deselect All" to remove the app (temporarily) from all App Stores, as Noah mentioned.

And you can "Select All" to get the App back to all App Stores.

You can find it in: iTunes Connect Link

Riata

Current link is developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/… (9/12) – Hyp

Answer 4

Steps to Remove app from App Store

1. Click the My Apps section.
2. Select the app you'd like to remove.
3. Click the Pricing tab from the app listing page.
4. Click the "specific territories" link.
5. In the drop-down section that appears below, click "Deselect All' at the top right. This will uncheck every territory below.
6. A confirmation message will appear at the top of the screen.
7. Return to the My Apps section by clicking the navigation button at the top left.
8. The application status has changed to "Developer Removed From Sale."
9. Within 24 hours (though usually less) your app will no longer appear in the App Store.

Pickled

Answer 5

Minor change in iTunes Connect,

• Login to iTunes Connect
• Select your app from My Apps section
• Select App Store tab, Then select Pricing & Availability section
• Under Availability section you will see two options 1) Available in all territories 2) Remove from sale, Kindly refer below screenshot for the same.
• Select remove from sale if you would like to remove from all territories, if you would like to remove from specific territory then click on edit & remove from selected territory.

Koziol

Answer 6

For those who remove app from sale, keep following in mind:

• In app purchase items will NOT be removed automatically, user still can buy them, you have to change each item status.
• Users who've downloaded the app before still can restore/redownload app.

See details: Removing and app from sale.

If you want to completely remove your App, you should delete your app.

Braud

Answer 7

To remove an app from the App Store, deselect all territories in your app's Rights and Pricing section on the App Summary page accessible from the Manage Your Applications module. Your app status will change to Developer Removed from Sale and will be removed from the App Store until you make it available again using the Rights and Pricing section.

Ofris

if I remove all country like this, do I need to pass the manual review again from the apple if I select a country again later? – Newby

@Alexa289 no you don't need to – Ofris

Answer 8

I just changed availability date to a future date. After doing that, I received following message -

You have selected an Available Date in the future. This will remove your currently live version from the App Store until the new date. Changing Available Date affects all versions of the application, both Ready For Sale and In Review.

Which means that the app is removed and no longer available.

Pusillanimous

Answer 9

Since itunesconnect has been changed i am updating with the new steps here.

You have to follow through these steps

1. Login to itunesconnect
2. Choose your app in My Apps section
3. Under Appstore tab choose "Pricing and Availability"
4. Under Availability section click edit will open a popup listing the territories
5. Uncheck all the territories and click Done

Conah

if I remove all country like this, do I need to pass the manual review again from the apple if I select a country again later? – Newby

Answer 10

Today, I tried a lot and I couldn't delete live app so what I follow.

1. I created a new version ex. 1.1 (which was actually not needed)
2. Go to -> Pricing and Availability
3. Scroll to the bottom
4. Availability -> Click On Remove from Sale.
5. Click on Yes on pop and that will removed with Status "Developer removed from Sale"

Note: Make sure you have rights like Admin/Manager to delete that App.

Lenard

How long do I have to wait for changes to be visible in App Store? – Undesirable

@Undesirable probably 10-15 minutes. – Vilberg