Apple today has made a small but notable change to its App Store Guidelines. The company quietly adjusted section 3.1 of the guidelines, which previously prohibited gifting in-app purchases to other users. With today’s change, however, Apple is permitting developers to add support for gifting in-app purchases.
If you’ve ever owned multiple iOS devices, you’ll know that by default apps downloaded on one device will download to the rest. This can get a bit tricky if you’re intending both devices to have separate app layouts or collections. Follow along to learn how to disable automatic app downloads on iPhone and iPad.
A seeming glitch with the App Store saw many apps lose around half of their ratings – but it seems the position was far, far worse for the most popular apps …
Apple has begun a new promotion in the US encouraging users to add funds to Apple ID accounts with their iPhone for app, music, movie, and game purchases. The new offer is giving up to $20 in bonus credit to users who use the iPhone funding method.
An apparent App Store glitch is resulting in reports of disappearing ratings and reviews. Some developers are reporting that around half their ratings have disappeared.
Different theories have been suggested, but a bug appears most likely …
Subscription apps have become incredibly common on iOS over the last several years. As 2018 comes to a close, app analytics firm Sensor Tower has compiled a list of the highest grossing applications for iPhone and iPad worldwide this year. As you’d expect, subscription applications dominate the list.
Apple has removed game developer Slitherine’s Afghanistan ’11 from the iOS App Store for using a “specific person or real entity” as the enemy of the game, even though it is touted as being entirely historically accurate in depicting the US war in Afghanistan.
As it does at this time every year, Apple today announced its official Best of 2018 lists. These selections highlight the “best” app and game for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac, as well as the top movies, TV shows, Podcasts, and more. Head below for all of the details.
India’s telecom regulator, TRAI, earlier this year threatened to ban iPhones in the country if Apple didn’t approve a government-developed Do Not Disturb app by January of 2019.
[Update: 4:58 ET: The app is no longer available on the App Store.]
Despite Apple’s strict review process for software distributed through the App Store, it’s still possible for malicious actors to take advantage of loop holes in the system to scam customers.
The latest example is a rather sophisticated and devious trick used by an app that claims to read your heart rate through your fingertip using Touch ID. In reality, the app (which is currently on the App Store) uses your fingerprint to authorize a transaction for $89.99 while dramatically dimming the screen to fool you.
Apple continues its crackdown on the App Store in China this week. Citing local reports, The Telegraph today highlights that Apple has removed over 700 apps from the Chinese App Store this week – some those apps coming from large developers.
Developer David Barnard – whose apps have grossed millions of dollars and been featured multiple times by Apple – has written a blog post calling on Apple to take tougher action against rogue developers who game the App Store.
He describes ten methods they use to give their apps an unfair advantage in either visibility or making money from in-app purchases. Some are simple and well-known, like buying fake reviews, while others are more devious – like the ones described below …
As is tradition each year, Apple has announced the downtime window when the App Store review process will not be available.
As we reported over the weekend, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments today for a lawsuit brought against Apple over how it handles App Store sales. So far, Supreme Court justices seem to be leaning in favor of consumers and not Apple.
Update: App Store, iTunes, and Apple Music are back online for most users.
Apple’s iOS App Store and iTunes Store are suffering from widespread downtime this evening. The service is down for multiple members of the 9to5Mac staff, while Twitter is full of complaints from affected users. Apple has yet to acknowledge the issue.
Over the weekend, we reported that Apple had pulled Tumblr’s official iOS app from the App Store. While details were unclear at the time, CNET’s Download.com reports today that the app was removed due to the discovery of child pornography.
We lost Stan Lee at the age of 95 yesterday, and today Apple is honoring the legendary comic book creator with a special story in the App Store. “Storytelling wouldn’t be what it is today without Stan Lee,” reads the opening to the app collection inspired by the late Spider-Man co-creator.
Apple has today started rolling out the App Store Connect API to developers. Promised back in June of this year, the new API will allow developers to automate some TestFlight tasks such as creating groups, managing public links, adding and removing testers, and assigning builds to groups.
You know the ads that you see for apps above search results on the App Store? Apple started rolling out App Store search ads two years ago, and now at least one analyst believes the feature could be a $2 billion business all on its own in two years.
Seemingly in response to a recent spotlight on scammy apps that aim to confuse users in taking up free trials that turn into expensive recurring subscriptions, Apple is reassessing and pulling apps with highly priced subscriptions (via Forbes).
In particular, Apple appears to be rejecting apps that prominently feature buttons to start free trials … which attempt to hide the reality that the free trial will convert into a costly recurring subscription when the trial ends.
Apple has today announced that it will now support app bundles for Mac apps and free apps with subscription. Announced via its Developer Portal, Apple says developers will be able to “create app bundles for Mac apps or free apps that offer an auto-renewable subscription”.
Subscription-based applications have become incredibly popular on iOS over recent years, and TechCrunch is out today with a look at how “sneaking subscriptions” are plaguing some App Store offerings. The report explores the various tactics employed by some developers to seemingly trick users into agreeing to App Store subscription pricing.
It’s no secret that Apple’s App Store makes more than Google’s Play Store when it comes to revenue. However, the latest data recorded by Sensor Tower (via TechCrunch), shows that in Q3 of 2018, Apple widened the gap by a huge amount.
Update 10/01: this bug has been fixed by Apple.
App size has been a controversial topic for a while now, since we’ve been noticing a trend of apps getting larger and larger as time goes by. Larger apps are bad not only because they take a lot of space on your device once installed, but they also consume a lot of bandwidth for downloads and updates, and there is a limit of 150MB which can be downloaded over cellular.
