App Store

BlueMail cofounder Ben Volach says that Apple blocked a ChatGPT-powered feature included in an update to the iOS app.

He said that the company told him the inclusion of AI-generated content required the use of a 17+ age restriction, to guard against minors being exposed to inappropriate content…

Update: Apple comment added at end

Some four years after the Apple/Spotify battle began back in 2019, we may have the first indication of how the European Union will resolve the antitrust dispute.

Reading between the lines of a brief report today, it appears that the European Commission may be heading toward a compromise ruling, which would mirror that made in the Apple vs. Epic Games case in the US …

Update: Apple has now removed the scam authenticator apps from the App Store – see end of piece.

Twitter’s latest bonehead move has led to a flurry of scam authenticator apps, with at least one of them using App Store advertising to figure prominently in search results – and then sending all scanned QR codes to the developer’s analytics service.

There’s a whole array of others that appear to be free but then require in-app purchases in order to scan QR codes …

As part of privacy concerns over TikTok, Florida’s Attorney General is pushing Apple and Google to warn customers when they are about to download an app that is “foreign developed and owned.” In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Attorney General Ashely Moore said Apple needs to take “take immediate action” on this matter.

Starting this month and throughout the weeks ahead, Apple is hosting a new round of free sessions with experts to help creators who are working on apps and podcasts. Registration is open now for support with discovery and marketing, optimizing subscriptions, and more.

The Japanese antitrust regulator has completed its study of the mobile app market, and concluded that it is dominated by an Apple and Google duopoly.

It says that while it hopes the two companies will make changes voluntarily, and that existing antitrust regulation can be used to apply pressure, new legislation would be the most reliable way of ensuring fairness …

President Biden’s second State of the Union address called on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation on both antitrust and data privacy issues.

His comments on the antitrust issue specifically referenced the need to prevent tech companies favoring their own products, an accusation frequently levelled at Apple …

Apple pulled Damus from the App Store yesterday, with the developers being informed that the Nostr app “includes content that is illegal in China.”

Apple had previously rejected the app from all its App Stores, and for the same nonsensical reason …

A new report commissioned by the White House has further added to the App Store antitrust pressure, concluding that the control exerted by both Apple and Google results in inflated prices for apps, as well as potentially diminishing innovation.

It effectively backs the changes introduced in proposed antitrust legislation that saw bipartisan support in Congress, but not enough to make it into law …

Apple announced on Friday that it will soon change App Store prices in multiple countries, including Colombia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The price increases will take effect on both App Store apps and in-app purchases starting in February.

Heat was added to the Spotify vs. Apple battle today, when seven other companies and organizations co-signed a letter calling for “swift and decisive” regulatory action to be taken against the Cupertino company.

Spotify told the European Commission that it has been almost four years since the company filed an antitrust complaint against Apple, and accused the commission’s executive VP and former competition regulator of “failing to act decisively” …

Apple’s App Store has very strict guidelines, and this results in many apps being banned there for breaking these rules. However, the company also bans apps from its store at the request of some governments – and this has concerned activists. But according to some Apple investors, the company has agreed to share more details about why certain apps are removed from the App Store.

Apple is facing another class action lawsuit over its practice of allegedly collecting and sending analytics data from iPhone users, regardless of whether or not the user gave consent. This lawsuit was filed last week in the Pennsylvania Eastern District Court, and it follows a separate class action suit filed in November.

Apple on Monday was fined €1 million in France by the Paris Commercial Court. The court accused the company of imposing abusive commercial clauses on developers who distribute their apps on the App Store.

In a response to the looming regulations in the European Union, Apple is reportedly working on deep changes to how iOS and the App Store work. According to Bloomberg, the company is even considering allowing alternative app stores on its devices. Now developer Riley Testut, who created AltStore, has shared his thoughts on iOS having official support for third-party app stores.

One of the many antitrust investigations into Apple seems set to mandate alternative app stores, and it was yesterday reported that the Cupertino company is making plans to bow to the inevitable.

While there will be the usual chorus about politicians interfering in the way that companies operate, this change will be a win for all Apple users, even if we have no plans to go anywhere near a third-party app store …

After a lot of pressure from the European Union and other governments around the world, it seems that Apple is for the first time considering making deep changes to iOS and the App Store. According to a Bloomberg report, the company is planning to open up even more iOS functionality to third-party apps, including the browser engine and NFC.

Apple is set to make a monumental change to the App Store on the iPhone. In response to looming regulations in the European Union, Apple has software engineers and services employees working on a project to “allow alternative app stores” on the iPhone and iPad. This change could launch as soon as iOS 17 next year.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is doubling down on his battle against Apple and the App Store. In a new interview with The Verge, Sweeney threatened to take the long-running lawsuit between Epic and Apple to the Supreme Court, while saying that “every politician should fear the rise of corporate power that Apple is creating.”