App Store

One of the new features of Apple Intelligence is the summarization of texts and notifications. Now it seems that Apple wants to bring summarization to another place: the App Store. Soon, you’ll be able to see a summary of app reviews made by users before downloading an app.

As a result of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust legislation in the EU, Apple has had to change how iOS and the App Store work for users in European countries. And there are more changes coming with iOS 18.2. More specifically, iPhone and iPad users will soon be able to delete the App Store, Safari, and many other built-in iOS apps.

It’s been a month since Apple released iOS 18 to the public, but the company is already working on future software updates. Interestingly, as Apple has been investing more in gaming, it seems that the company is now working on a new App Store-like app dedicated to games.

In the past, Apple has always required streaming platforms available on the App Store to provide a way for users to subscribe directly through the app using in-app purchases. However, as this is no longer a requirement, many platforms have been ditching Apple’s in-app purchases, and Disney has just done so.

A new survey reveals that almost half of Americans have forgotten to cancel a trial subscription. It also corroborates earlier findings that we’re now spending around $1,000 a year on subscription services.

The survey comes as the FCC announced new rules ensuring that companies can’t use deceptive practices to hook us into taking out subscriptions, nor make it hard to cancel them …

As we reported in August, a change coming to the App Store in the European Union would force developers to provide a public address and phone number that would become visible to customers in the region. As of today, the change has come into effect and developers are required to provide this data to Apple.

Apple’s App Store practices have been under widespread assault in recent years, both in the US and especially abroad. But a new US law has just validated at least one aspect of Apple’s approach with the App Store: its easy subscription management.

Apple isn’t having the best 24 hours for its online services. Last night, we reported that App Store Connect, AppleCare, and other services were experiencing an outage. Now today, many users have reported that the App Store itself is down.

The legal status of the free music streaming app Musi has long been unclear – but the matter may now be settled, thanks to a lawsuit the developer has filed against Apple.

Musi sourced its music from YouTube using a method it claims was perfectly legal, while parent company Google disagreed. When the two sides were unable to reach agreement, Apple pulled Musi from its App Store – a move the developer says lacked good cause …

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I’m in the midst of traveling to Ukraine this week for OFTWv2.0, and I can’t help but think about the comments on last week’s edition of Security Bite defending the VPN apps that still exist on the App Store in Russia. While almost every app from legitimate providers in the country has been removed, Russian users can still find a surplus of VPN options claiming to offer secure encryption and private browsing. The only question being–really?

Apple Search Ads is continuing its expansion into new geographic segments, following a successful rollout to Brazil earlier this year.

Apple announced today that developers will soon be able to start buying Apple Search Ads for placement in Turkey and 20 additional countries.

The Apple versus Epic Games case rumbles on despite the rejection of attempts to appeal by both companies.

Yesterday one of the judges in the case effectively accused Apple of lying, and now the Cupertino company is attempting a new tactic in a bid to have the ruling either thrown out altogether or narrowed so that only Epic Games benefits …

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Since Russia’s full-scale assault on Ukraine, Apple has significantly scaled back its operations in the country. It has since suspended all product sales and limited certain services, such as Apple Pay. Despite this, Apple continues to operate a full-fledged App Store in Russia. However, it’s now facing worthy criticism for complying with Russian government requests to remove VPN apps to adhere to local regulations–censorship.

Apple has created a new way for developers to entice users back to their apps. Soon, you may start seeing special offers from subscription apps whose plans you’ve canceled.

As the official launch of iOS 18 approaches, Apple is now inviting developers to submit their new apps or updates ready for the next versions of the company’s systems. This also includes watchOS 11 and macOS Sequoia, which are coming next week.

Apple has its share of frenemies, and Meta is certainly one of them. Though the two companies have a mutually beneficial relationship, they have often found themselves in deep points of conflict. The latest drama? Per The Wall Street Journal, Meta lobbied to make Apple a responsible party in a child safety bill, but Apple’s own lobbying got it off the hook.

Apple’s App Store vice president is leaving the company in October, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

The structure of the App Store team is also being split into two teams, a change implemented by Phil Schiller in response to the ever-changing App Store policy worldwide.

The Epic Games Store is now available for iPhone users in the European Union, after Apple was forced to allow third-party app marketplaces as part of compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

Most notably, this means Fortnite is now once again available to download on the iPhone … if you are in the European Union. You can get the Epic Games Store by visiting this page on your device. Beyond its own store, Epic is also releasing Fortnite on AltStore PAL.

Apple on Thursday began reminding developers of another change coming to the App Store in the European Union. This one, however, has been considered quite controversial. As of October, developers considered “traders” will have to provide updated address and phone number data, which will now appear to everyone in the EU App Store.

Apple is pushing Tencent and ByteDance to “close loopholes” that currently allow their apps to skirt the App Store’s in-app purchase system, according to a new report from Bloomberg. In new quotes this week, Tencent acknowledged its talks with Apple for the first time, saying it wants terms that it thinks are “economically sustainable” and “fair.”