Earlier today, we shared a report about the record spend on apps during the pandemic, and now a Sensor Tower research shows that iPhone users really have been spending more than ever in the App Store ecosystem. iPhone users in the US spent an average of $138 on apps in 2020, which is 38% more than in 2019.
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The pandemic saw a record spend on apps last year, and App Annie reports that this has continued into the first quarter of this year.
The analytics firm says that demand for entertainment during lockdown saw developers enjoy the biggest quarter since records began…
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced today that it’s going to launch a COVID passport for test results and vaccine certificates for the iPhone in mid-April, reports Reuters.
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An Arizona app store antitrust bill has been officially withdrawn, following lobbying by Apple and Google. The bill would have allowed developers in the state to bypass app store payment systems, and thus avoid the 15% or 30% commission the companies charge.
The bill was narrowly passed in the Arizona House of Representatives, but a planned vote in the state Senate did not take place, and it now appears that the bill is dead …
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Update: Apple’s System Status website now indicates that services are back to normal.
Apple has updated its System Status webpage this afternoon to note that a variety of its services are experiencing issues and downtime today. The company says the App Store may be “slow or unavailable” for some users, while other services such as iCloud Mail and iMessage are also down.
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While you wait for the Apple Arcade original Fantasian, by the Final Fantasy’s creator, Square Enix has brought Final Fantasy VIII Remastered to the iPhone and the iPad for the first time ever.
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A new report from The Information this morning highlights that Apple is hosting a number of apps on the App Store made by a Chinese paramilitary group that’s been blacklisted by the US government. Apple says that it’s complying with US law but the news comes as the company is facing more pressure to cut any possible ties to abuse and genocide against the Uyghur Muslim people in the Xinjiang region.
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Apple has responded to an Australian antitrust complaint by claiming that it is already possible for iOS developers to bypass the App Store.
The company says developers can use the web to sell services like subscriptions. Amusingly, the company goes on to suggest that progressive web applications are a viable alternative to iOS apps …
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Apple has been accused of doing some kind of backroom deal to prevent a vote on an Arizona App Store bill that was scheduled to happen yesterday. The vote failed to happen, despite being listed as the first item on yesterday’s Arizona State Senate agenda.
Had the bill passed, it would have made it legal in the state for developers to bypass the app stores of both Apple and Google …
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Researchers at Avast discovered a total of 204 fleeceware apps with over a billion downloads and over $400 million in revenue on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This comes as Apple faces increased scrutiny over scam apps in the App Store.
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The Epic Games versus Apple dispute is not the David versus Goliath battle the game developer wants people to believe, said the Cupertino company: It is instead a battle of two Goliaths.
Apple asked an Australian court to rule against a trial in the country, arguing that Epic agreed to terms that clearly state that any legal challenges need to be made in California …
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Apple’s executive responsible for the App Store developer relations has retired after two decades at the company, according to a new report by Bloomberg. The role is being handed over to a veteran Apple marketing executive.
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Apple has defended the App Store app review process following formal complaints lodged by Epic Games and other developers to the Australian antitrust watchdog.
In addition to complaining about Apple’s 30% cut, Epic had told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that the app review process could delay the launch and update of apps; apps could be rejected by Apple without proper cause; and that it was hard to engage with the company when this happened …
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Last month, we saw FlickType developer Kosta Eleftheriou take to Twitter to call out App Store scams with some reportedly lasting years and making millions of dollars. He later shared a detailed thread on how some developers abuse and game the App Store with fake ratings and reviews. Now Eleftheriou has filed a lawsuit with the claim that “Apple systematically flexes its monopoly muscle against potential competition through the App Store,” has breached its contract with developers, and more.
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The developer behind the Twitter client Aviary is launching a new app today. Vinyls is a minimalist app that displays a spinning vinyl when playing a song, and it’s built for Apple Music subscribers.
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Google has copied Apple’s 15% commission level for smaller developers in the App Store, offering almost exactly the same deal in the Play Store.
However, the way Google has done it is actually fairer, and is how Apple should have implemented the program in the first place …
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Apple announced the App Store Small Business Program last year, which allows small developers to pay a reduced commission for each sale made through the App Store. While it may seem like the company is giving up a significant amount of money, new estimates from analyst firm Sensor Tower show that Apple’s revenue is expected to decrease by only 5% with the program.
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iPhone app privacy labels have been a real eye-opener in showing just how much of our personal data is accessed by certain apps. If you’ve ever wondered which apps collect and share the most data, cloud storage company pCloud did the legwork.
The company examined app privacy labels in the App Store, and compiled a ranking of apps by the percentage of personal data collected, as well as the amount of it passed to third parties…
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ByteDance, TikTok’s owner; Tencent; and other tech giants in China are testing a tool to bypass Apple’s new privacy rules and continue to track iPhone users without their consent. The feature in question here is the App Tracking Transparency privacy protection capability.
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Google is slowly updating its many iOS applications with App Store privacy labels, detailing the type of data it collects from users. The Google and Chrome applications were recently updated with these new labels, and DuckDuckGo is already using them to its advantage.
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According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Apple and Google have been hiring local lobbyists and immersing themselves in proposed legislation in Arizona, Maryland, and Virginia. In Apple’s case, the legislation often targets the App Store.
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Apple announced last year the new App Store Small Business Program, which allows small developers to pay a reduced commission to Apple for sales made through the App Store. However, developer Sean Harding shared his story on Twitter about how he became ineligible for this program even though he’s an independent, small developer.
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In January, following the insurrection at the US Capital, Apple kicked the social media network Parler off the App Store, citing its lack of moderation. After a recent review, Apple has apparently declined Parler’s request to come back to the App Store.
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If you can’t wait to play League of Legends (LoL) on your iPhone, Wild Rift is set to start open beta later this month in North America. Riot Games has also announced that since the game has been delayed, it’s going to give exclusive items in the future to gamers…
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