Two proposed US antitrust laws should be put to a vote sometime in the next few weeks, say Democratic members of Congress.
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, they express concerns that time is running out to approve the laws before the end of the year …
Expand Expanding Close
Russia says it will fine Apple for violating the country’s antitrust laws and abusing its “dominant position in the app store market” as “Apple prohibits iOS app developers from telling clients inside the app about the possibility of paying for purchases outside the App Store or using alternative payment methods.”
Expand Expanding Close
Europe’s Digital Markets Act has been approved by the EU parliament, opening the door to Apple being required to allow competing iOS app stores.
The antitrust legislation will also oblige Apple to allow developers to use third-party payment platforms when apps are sold through Apple’s own App Store, and could require it to make iMessage talk to competing messenger apps …
Expand Expanding Close
Earlier this week, an FCC commissioner in the United States called on both Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their respective apps stores. Now, TikTok parent company ByteDance has responded to the situation and confirmed that some China-based employees can access data of TikTok users in the United States.
Expand Expanding Close
The Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) claims that the majority of Americans want to see App Store competition, alongside other antitrust legislation.
CAF commissioned two polls which show strong support for antitrust bills, one of which would mean opening up Apple and Google app stores to third-party competitors and/or sideloading …
Expand Expanding Close
Earlier this year, Apple announced that it would comply with a new law in South Korea that required the company to allow third-party payment providers in App Store apps. Starting today, developers can finally apply to use other payment methods besides Apple’s in their apps distributed in South Korea’s App Store.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple has launched a new way to support European developers in its App Store. Called Founders, it’s a new campaign aiming to spotlight smaller developers and their apps through editorials.
Expand Expanding Close
Developers working on VR apps for Meta’s headsets have accused the Facebook owner of hypocrisy over commissions.
They say company founder Mark Zuckerberg described Apple’s 15-30% commissions as “monopoly rents,” yet Meta will take the exact same cuts from them for virtual reality apps …
Expand Expanding Close
An FCC commissioner has called on both Apple and Google to delete TikTok from their respective app stores, giving the companies until July 8 to respond. It is not clear what measures the Federal Communications Commission might take if the companies do not comply.
The lengthy four-page letter says that TikTok is not a video-sharing app, but a “sophisticated surveillance tool” for the Chinese government …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple has made an important update on the Apple Developer Program. Starting today, the company lets apps that use iCloud to be transferred to another developer. Here’s how it works.
Expand Expanding Close
Today, the Dutch watchdog said Apple will allow alternative payment methods in the App Store for dating apps in the Netherlands. The statement from the Authority for Consumers and Markets comes after Apple announced on Friday that it was again updating App Store guidelines to comply with the Dutch government’s requirements.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple on Friday once again updated App Store guidelines following complaints from the Dutch government, which claimed last month that the company’s actions to allow dating apps to use alternative payment methods on the App Store were “insufficient.” However, despite the changes, the company criticized the decision by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM).
Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s ban on cloud gaming services in the App Store, and its insistence that all iOS browser apps must use its own WebKit browser engine, have both been declared to be anticompetitive by the UK competition watchdog.
The announcement follows a year-long investigation …
Expand Expanding Close
An Apple developer lawsuit filed back in 2019 has been settled after the Cupertino company agreed to pay $100M in compensation, and the court approved the deal – but the judge in the case has asked the lawyers to justify their $27M cut.
The antitrust case was brought by a number of small iOS developers, on the same basis as the separate case brought by Epic Games: that Apple has a monopoly on the sale of iOS apps, leaving them forced to give the iPhone maker a 30% cut …
Expand Expanding Close
If you’re a developer who’s ever dreamed of hitting the top of the App Store rankings, the good news is that a new analysis shows roughly how many daily downloads it takes.
The bad news is that the number is always increasing and Apple applies additional criteria, which means that downloads alone won’t do it. There are six other things to worry about …
Expand Expanding Close
Apple is out with yet another press release today in which it attempted to defend its strict (and oftentimes controversial) App Store policies. According to Apple, the App Store stopped “nearly $1.5 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2021.” Apple said this was made possible by a combination of App Store review, strict in-app payment requirements, and more.
Expand Expanding Close
Five senators are urging Apple and Google to prohibit apps from gathering data that could target those seeking abortions. According to CNET, the group of senators are worried the data could end up in the hands of authorities.
Expand Expanding Close
The American Innovation and Choice Online Act could ban major tech firms like Apple from favoring their products over competitors. Aimed to shake up the competition, tech lobbyists claim the bill, which allows sideloading, could harm popular consumer products.
Expand Expanding Close
In 19 pages of comments for a federal agency’s report on the app ecosystem, Meta is once again slamming Apple’s overwhelming market power. These comments are to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in a report on competition in the mobile app ecosystem. This report is part of the Biden Administration’s effort to crack down on tech giants’ power.
Expand Expanding Close
Apple last year announced a change in the App Store guidelines that would require all apps that support account creation to offer an in-app option for letting users delete their accounts. However, this requirement has been delayed twice. Now the company has set a new deadline for developers to update their apps according to the new guideline.
Expand Expanding Close
The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) details monopolistic practices from Apple and Google app stores in a new study. The report, Towards Regulating App Stores, from ADIF and The Quantum Hub, mentions global regulatory actions targeting both tech giants control over the mobile app ecosystem.
Expand Expanding Close
Earlier this year, Apple had been testing a new feature to let developers charge increased prices for auto-renewable subscriptions. Although this “pilot program” was restricted to selected developers, Apple is now rolling out these changes to everyone – although it has some limits.
Expand Expanding Close
It seems scarcely a week goes by without a new antitrust threat to Apple, and the latest is a proposed federal Digital Platform Commission. Its remit would include addressing anti-competitive behaviors by digital stores, which would include the App Store.
US Senator Michael Bennet argues that although the DoJ and FTC already do “admirable work,” they don’t have the tech expertise required to offer robust oversight …
Expand Expanding Close
The “‘abandoned apps” crackdown last month announced by Apple – and a similar move by Google – could see a total of 1.5 million apps removed across the two app stores.
That would, according to a new report, amount to around a third of all available apps …
Expand Expanding Close