Apple Quietly Removed Free App Of The Week Section From App Store

Apple’s iOS 11 surely came with a lot of changes and improvements. However, the new software update also removed something from the App Store, and it’s none other than the Free App of the Week section. Thus, iPhone and iPad users can no longer take advantage of the feature that allowed them to get certain paid apps for free.

When Apple introduced iOS 11 at the Worldwide Developers Conference this past June, it teased what the new mobile operating system could do that its predecessors couldn’t. What the Cupertino giant forgot to tell attendees at the time was that the update will be getting rid of a user-favorite feature of the App Store.

Apple officially rolled out iOS 11 last Sept. 19, so it’s already been more than two weeks since the update became public. What many failed to notice these past weeks though is the absence of the Free App of the Week section in the App Store.

Gadget Hacks, who was the first to spot the absence of the feature, reports that the section only went missing following the release of iOS 11. Apple’s main goal with iOS 11 was to deliver a more coherent user experience, so it does not really make sense why the feature was killed off much like the headphone jack of the newer iPhones.

Apple has yet to make an official statement regarding the deletion of the Free App of the Week feature. Based on its track record though, the company is unlikely to comment on this issue. Still, there could be hope for users who religiously checked the section every week. Apple is after all known for removing some features from its mobile operating system only to promise their return at a later time.

Replacing the Free App of the Week section in the App Store is the new Today tab. Unfortunately, this is nothing similar to the previous feature. It just presents an article that features a certain app. If it’s a paid app, there won’t be any change to its pricing. Thus, it’s just like purchasing the said app at any other time.

The only advantage of the Today tab is it provides a more organized way of viewing the trendiest apps in the app market on a daily basis. Users could also go back to the previous week to check the past featured apps of the new section.

There’s also a new Game of the Day tab in the updated App Store. Sadly, this is no different from the Today tab; it also presents a daily article discussing the featured gaming app of the day, as pointed out by Phone Arena.

Apart from the revamped App Store, iOS 11 also introduced subtle design changes to the user interface of the operating system. In addition, the update made the Control Center customizable and merged the Lock screen with the Notification Center. Other changes it brought with it included a more natural voice for Siri, a persistent Dock at the bottom of the display and a new App Switcher, as per MacRumors.