Sketch Pulled from Mac App Store, Developer Cites Shortcoming in MAS Experience

Bohemian Coding announced Tuesday that it was pulling the Sketch app from the Mac App Store (MAS). In a detailed blog post, the company said the MAS hasn't evolved like its iOS counterpart, and that the limitations imposed by Apple's structure for the MAS don't allow Sketch to be all that it can be.

Sketch Screenshot

Sketch app screenshot

Sketch is a design app for the Mac, and Bohemian Coding has provided a utility that will allow Mac App Store customers to convert their license to a direct sales license for continued support. The company also said that customers who bought Sketch from the Mac App Store can continue using that version, but updates will no longer be delivered through that mechanism.

From Bohemian Coding's blog:

There are a number of reasons for Sketch leaving the Mac App Store—many of which in isolation wouldn't cause us huge concern. However as with all gripes, when compounded they make it hard to justify staying: App Review continues to take at least a week, there are technical limitations imposed by the Mac App Store guidelines (sandboxing and so on) that limit some of the features we want to bring to Sketch, and upgrade pricing remains unavailable.

The company also took the opportunity to specify that the decision to pull Sketch from the MAS was not related to a recent certificate problem that caused some MAS-distributed apps to stop working.

"However," the company said, "in light of what happened, we can't help but feel vindicated in our decision that the Mac App Store is not in our customers' best interests right now."

If you're a Sketch user and want to move to the company's direct sales license, the company provided specific instructions for moving your license.