With the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU, Apple was forced to allow developers to distribute their apps through alternative app stores (or App Marketplace) in member countries. However, these developers are required to pay Apple a Core Technology Fee after they reach a certain number of downloads. To make things easier for small developers, AltStore will offer Patreon-backed apps.
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As Apple continues to face App Store battles around the world, it’s leaning heavily on Phil Schiller, its former Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. A new report from The Wall Street Journal gives an interesting look at how Schiller, who now holds the title of Apple Fellow, is still working 80-hour weeks to defend the App Store against antitrust allegations and developer criticism.
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The EU has today announced that it is not satisfied that Apple’s App Store changes comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the company is now officially under investigation for non-compliance.
If that investigation confirms that Apple failed to comply with the antitrust law, then the iPhone maker could be fined up to 10% of its worldwide turnover – increasing to 20% for repeat infringements …
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Apple has responded to the Department of Justice lawsuit that has been expected for some time now. In the statement, Apple says the lawsuit threatens its identity and it will vigorously defend itself from it:
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The Parler app – which was removed by Apple after accusations that it was used to plan and facilitate the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 – is now back in the App Store. The Android version of the social media app has not yet been accepted back into the Google Play Store.
The company’s new CEO says that the app’s focus on completely unmoderated posts has now changed, though it’s unclear who actually owns and controls the business now …
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Following the release of iOS 17.4 a few weeks ago, iOS users have been noticing a discreet change when it comes to the App Store. More specifically, Apple has redesigned the App Store’s Purchase History page, which now provides more details about each purchase and also introduces new filters.
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It was already clear that Apple’s Core Technology Fee would come in for close scrutiny by the EU, but an interview with the bloc’s antitrust chief has revealed that the company could also be headed for trouble with its security warnings about alternative app stores.
While Apple was not directly named, there was little doubt who Margrethe Vestager was referencing when she described such warnings as “unwise” …
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During a workshop event in the European Union today, Apple shed new light on how the Core Technology Fee plays into its compliance with the Digital Markets Act. In particular, the company acknowledged concerns that the CTF could ultimately end up bankrupting small developers who have a free app go viral.
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If you’ve got big dreams about earning a living from creating iPhone apps, a new report makes for some sobering reading. The median monthly revenue generated by an app after a year on the App Store is less than $50 per month.
There is some encouraging news, though: There seems to be a tipping point if you can get an app to the point where it’s earning $1,000 per month …
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Last week, Apple released iOS 17.4 with big changes to the iPhone and App Store ecosystem to comply with the Digital Markets Act in the European Union. This includes things like support for alternative app marketplaces, new business terms and in-app purchase options, and more.
Now, Apple has announced a few additional changes in response to feedback it’s received from developers so far. Most notably, Apple will launch a new Web Distribution feature later this spring that lets developers offer their apps for download directly from their website.
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Apple is said to be testing an AI-powered ads platform with a select group of partners, via Business Insider.
The AI tool chooses where to place ads in the various App Store promoted ad placement slots. Right now, this is seemingly being used to improve advertiser campaign performance for App Store Search Ads. However, Business Insider speculates the technology could eventually be used elsewhere as Apple gradually expands its offering of ad-supported services.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has argued that for age-restricted apps, age verification should be Apple’s job. He’s now been joined in this view by the new head of trust and safety at Match, the company behind leading dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish.
Yoel Roth – who formerly had the same role in Twitter – said that Apple and Google are in a better position to accurately assess the age of their smartphone users …
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Apple appeared to threaten Epic Games, when the company cancelled its developer account for the second time, and cited the developer’s public criticisms of the iPhone maker as one of the reasons.
The European Commissioner, who heads up the executive branch of the European Union, has now suggested that this breaks the law …
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Apple’s Epic ban – which saw the iPhone maker again terminate a developer account used by the games company – is being questioned by EU antitrust regulators.
More details also emerged of follow-ups to Phil Schiller’s demand for written assurances of good faith by both Epic CEO Tim Sweeney and Apple’s lawyers …
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In the latest installment of Things No One Should Lose Sleep Over, Epic Games says Apple has taken down its newly reinstated developer account in the EU. In a blog post, Epic partially blames a tweet as Apple’s reason for doing so. Epic says this hinders its plans to launch a competing app marketplace in the EU.
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Campaign groups say that if the EU lets Apple get away with its response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), then the law will be rendered toothless.
Apple, Amazon, Google, and Meta have all taken the same approach to the antitrust law, say the groups: to seek technical compliance while ensuring that their market dominance remains protected …
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Today’s release of iOS 17.4 comes with big changes for the iPhone and App Store in the European Union, including alternative app marketplaces. In a new developer update, Apple has the details on three changes it is making to alternative app distribution in response to feedback it’s received over the last several weeks.
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Apple is about to release iOS 17.4, which introduces App Marketplaces – a new way to install third-party apps outside the App Store for users in the EU. And mobivention, a company focused on providing IT solutions, has just announced that it will be launching its own App Marketplace for iOS.
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Apple will soon roll out major changes to iOS users in the EU as part of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust legislation. However, many developers have been unhappy with Apple’s proposals to comply with the DMA. Because of this, Spotify and dozens of other companies have now shared a letter to the European Commission complaining about “Apple’s lack of DMA compliance.”
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Last month, Apple confirmed that iOS 17.4 would remove support for Home Screen web apps in the European Union. At the time, Apple said this decision was due to requirements under the Digital Markets Act related to support for alternative browser engines on iPhone.
Apple is now walking back that decision and says it will “continue to offer the existing Home Screen web apps capability in the EU.”
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Ahead of iOS 17.4 being released in March, MacPaw has announced its plans to offer an alternative app marketplace in the EU. According to the company, it will launch a beta version of Setapp Mobile in the EU in April.
The move makes MacPaw the first company to announce its detailed plans to take advantage of iOS 17.4’s support for alternative app marketplaces in the EU.
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Apple lawyers reportedly met with the Department of Justice last week, to make a last-minute plea for the agency not to file a US antitrust suit against the company.
Neither Apple nor the DOJ commented on the meeting, which follows the iPhone maker being accused of “malicious compliance” in its response to both the Supreme Court decision on the App Store, and European antitrust legislation taking effect next month …
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Update (Feb. 27 at 5:53 p.m. ET): Netflix says that this change impacts subscribers of the Basic plan in certain countries, including the United States and Canada.
Netflix is severing ties with Apple’s App Store billing system for good. Netflix stopped allowing new and rejoining subscribers to sign up with App Store billing back in 2018, but Netflix subscribers who were paying through Apple at the time were allowed to continue doing so. Now, that’s finally about to change.
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Apple Search Ads is launching soon in more countries, expanding into the Latin America region. Ads will soon start appearing in the App Store for Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Paraguay.
That means app developers will be able to market in more than 70 countries through Apple Search ads. With “Search Ads”, ads can be targeted to show up in the Today app, at the bottom of app product pages, at the top of search results and in the Search tab’s “Suggested” section.
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