Apple has removed over 135,000 apps from its EU App Store due to non-compliance with the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The enforcement, which came into effect on February 17, 2025, requires app developers to provide their trader status, ensuring consumer protection and accountability. This mass removal marks one of the largest app purges in Apple’s history.
The Digital Services Act and Trader Status
The Digital Services Act (DSA), which provisionally took effect in August 2023, was fully applied to all online platforms in the EU from February 17, 2024. Under Articles 30 and 31, app developers must disclose their trader status before submitting new apps or updates in the EU market.
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A developer is considered a trader if their app earns revenue through downloads, in-app purchases, or ads. To comply, organizations must provide a phone number, email, and address linked to a Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S) number. Individual developers must also share a valid address, phone number, and email.
Apple’s Mass Removal of Non-Compliant Apps
Apple set a deadline for compliance, warning developers that failure to update their trader status by February 17, 2025, would result in app removal. As a result, in just 30 hours, 135,000 apps were taken down across EU App Stores, according to data from Appfigures. By February 19, the number had climbed to 137,000. Apple clarified that affected apps will remain hidden until developers update their trader status via App Store Connect.
Challenges for Small and Independent Developers
While this move impacts all developers who monetize their apps, small independent developers have been hit hardest. Many do not operate formal businesses or maintain traditional office spaces, making compliance difficult.
Some have turned to co-working spaces, virtual offices, PO boxes, or virtual phone numbers to protect their privacy while meeting Apple’s verification standards. However, the requirement to publicly display personal contact details on the App Store has raised privacy concerns among individual developers.
A Shift Towards Transparency or a Privacy Concern?
The DSA aims to increase transparency and accountability in digital services, ensuring consumers have access to verified developer information. However, critics argue that the regulations disproportionately affect small developers who now face exposure of their personal details.
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While large companies can comply with ease, independent developers working from home may feel uncomfortable listing their personal addresses and phone numbers publicly. This has sparked debates over whether the push for consumer protection comes at the cost of developer privacy. For developers who wish to continue distributing their apps in the EU market, the only option is to update their trader status. Apps that remain non-compliant risk permanent removal from the App Store in the region.