Apple and Microsoft want to get rid of apps from their stores which do not provide a high quality user experience or have not been updated for a long time.

Microsoft quietly deleted some apps from Windows Store for not providing users with a “valuable and quality” experience.

It said apps must have a name that is not similar to another service, with a unique icon, a clear and accurate description and screenshots, and should “provide additional value compared to other apps”.

Meanwhile Apple said that to make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs, it wants to ensure that apps are functional and up-to-date.

“We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated,” it said.

Apps on the App Store that crash when users try to open them will be removed immediately, while others will be given 30 days to sort out issues.

Apple explained that because so many new and updated apps are submitted each week, it was necessary to become stricter on quality control. It also implemented a 50 character limit for app names.

According to business intelligence firm Adjust,  25.6 per cent of all iOS apps haven’t been updated since November 2013 and and only 20 percent have been updated in the last three months.

Sensor Tower had earlier forecast there will be more than 5 million active apps on the App Store by the end of 2020, adding that Apple needs to take steps to improve discoverability, which it described as an evolving challenge as even more titles become available.

This included changes to the “navigation, curation and overall presentation of the App Store” to support an ecosystem that’s “twice the size just four years from now”.

Apple has been rolling out changes to improve this, such as implementing ads in its search, as well as adding new categories, and now cleaning up the catalogue.