Back in September, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers announced her decision in the case of Apple vs. Epic Games. Judge Rogers ruled that Apple could no longer forbid developers from redirecting users to third-party payment systems, but Apple is now appealing that ruling – which could delay App Store changes by years.
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Even though the Epic vs. Apple case is likely far from over, software revenue platform Paddle is looking to get in on the fallout early. Following Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ ruling last month that Apple must allow App Store developers to redirect users to other payment systems, Paddle has announced what it is marketing as “the industry’s first alternative In-App Purchasing system for iOS.”
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Earlier this week, App Store users and developers noticed that Apple had quietly started rolling out a new “Report a Problem” link to app listings. Now, Apple has officially confirmed that this feature is available for users in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States – with plans to “expand to other regions over time.”
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The App Store Report a Problem link was removed years ago, but has quietly returned in iOS 15. It is not yet available in all countries.
Apple has also made two significant improvements to the feature …
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A new antitrust law in South Korea will force both Apple and Google to support app store third-party payment options – and the two companies have now been given to the middle of the month to explain their plans to comply.
This could have wide-ranging implications, as similar pressures are being applied in other countries, and Apple is likely to want to adopt a consistent approach around the globe. Whatever the company proposes in October could reveal its third-party payment plans worldwide …
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Apple today notified developers about a change that will impact apps with renewable subscriptions or other recurring transactions in India. Due to a new directive from the Reserve Bank of India, some in-app transactions made with credit and debit cards may be declined by banks or card issuers.
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Apple has reminded developers that StoreKit 2 is now available as part of iOS 15 and the other newly updated Apple platforms. StoreKit 2 improves the way in-app purchases and subscriptions work in apps. Apple has also updated the App Store Server API and added real-time notifications for developers to see purchases as they happen.
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The “H1 2021 Delisted Mobile Apps Report” from Pixalate shows that more than 813,000 apps were delisted in the first half of 2021 across the Google Play Store and Apple App Store with more than 86% of these apps targeting children age 12 and under.
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Apple giving into Russia twice this week on key civil liberties issues proves that the company’s CSAM misuse assurances cannot be trusted, argues a high-profile security expert.
Apple today pulled from the App Store an opposition tactical voting app after the Russian government threatened specific local company employees with “punishment” if they refused. It turns out that Apple also turned off its Private Relay service in Russia just yesterday, likely also in response to government pressure…
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Apple today has announced a handful of new marketing tools for App Store developers looking to promote their applications. The launch of the new marketing tools comes ahead of the release of iOS 15 and watchOS 8 on Monday.
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Following its special event on Tuesday, Apple has just announced that developers can now submit their iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 compatible apps to the App Store. System updates will be released for all users next week.
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Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has finally issued a permanent injunction regarding the Apple vs. Epic Games case, which began in August 2020 after Fortnite was removed from the App Store. However, although Apple has been required to allow alternative payment methods in the App Store, the company will not be forced to let Epic Games bring back Fortnite or other apps to its platforms.
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A new piece summarizing the history of changes to Apple’s App Store rules argues that the company hasn’t changed the strategy it adopted when the store was first launched back in 2008.
The piece echoes my own view that Apple makes the smallest possible changes it believes will deal with each antitrust threat …
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One of Apple’s biggest critics when it comes to the App Store is Spotify. And shortly after the news broke about Apple allowing developers to tell customers about options to sign up and manage subscriptions outside of the App Store, Spotify’s chief legal officer and the founder/CEO have spoken up about their take on the changes set to arrive in 2022.
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Late last night, Apple announced that it’s finally going to let developers redirect users off their apps to sign up for services outside of the App Store. It’s a major shift for “reader” apps that has been long requested by companies like Spotify and Netflix. Reader apps include things like music services, video streaming, digital magazines, newspaper subscriptions, eBook readers, even podcast players. Starting next year, some of your favorite apps will have new ways to manage your account and subscriptions as a result of this new policy.
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A new Apple antitrust case has been opened in India, the day after another one ended in Japan. Both cases relate to Apple’s cut of App Store sales.
Apple made a fairly major concession in order to close out the Japanese investigation, albeit one that will apply to a limited number of developers, but the Indian case poses a bigger challenge …
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After several complaints from developers, Apple has just made a major announcement in which the company confirms that it will finally let developers redirect users to sign up for services on websites instead of using the App Store’s in-app purchases system.
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Apple’s App Store payment platform monopoly is ending in South Korea after an antitrust law was passed, affecting both the iPhone maker and Google. This is expected to encourage other countries to enact similar laws.
Currently, the App Store is the only way for developers to sell iOS apps, and they are not allowed to direct users to any third-party payment platform within their apps. That will now change …
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China has announced sweeping new rules for online video games, and the changes could have implications for Apple and the App Store. China’s National Press and Publication Administration says that with these new rules, kids under 18 years old will be limited to playing online video games for just three hours per week.
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A new study reveals that consumers globally spent $41.5 billion on the App Store in the first half of 2021, which is almost double that of the Google Play Store.
According to data acquired by Finbold, consumers spent an estimated $41.5 billion on apps from the Apple App Store during the first six months of 2021, which is almost double compared to $23.4 billion spent by Android consumers.
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Update: Bloomberg tech reporter Sohee Kim tweeted that the vote has been postponed due to extra time needed for a separate bill designed to tackle ‘fake news.’
Apple’s App Store commission is under threat from a new antitrust law in Korea that is “almost certain” to get the necessary votes today.
It would allow developers to choose their own payment platforms, and avoid the 15% or 30% cut they currently have to pay to Apple for app sales and in-app purchases.
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Apple’s App Store changes, announced yesterday, succeeded in settling a lawsuit – but do nothing to offer the company any protection against the far bigger threat of antitrust legislation.
Apple wants to give the impression that it has addressed one of the key antitrust concerns, something known as anti-steering, but it hasn’t really. The company literally did the absolute least it could have done …
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Apple announced on Thursday some changes coming to the App Store after a class-action lawsuit from US developers. In addition to these changes, the company also announced a Small Developer Assistance Fund that will pay up to $30,000 to some developers. Read on as we detail how to check if you are eligible for this new program.
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Apple has released a nice update for developers today with App Store Connect on iOS now allowing the creation of multiple TestFlight groups including the ability to configure build access for each group.
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