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.
One of the most underrated, and frankly hidden things from users is the ability to get a refund on iTunes or App Store purchases. This is especially important for games or apps that may be misleading and don’t function the same way the screenshots/description says it does.
In an update on the developer portal today, Apple has started encouraging developers to update their apps for the new iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone XR. The company is also pushing Mac developers to submit their apps to the all-new App Store coming with macOS Mojave, and to the iOS App Store with iOS 12 features.
A month after removing Infowars podcasts from Apple Podcasts, Apple today has removed the Infowars application from the App Store. The company confirmed the decision to BuzzFeed News late on Friday evening.
Up until today, users in the Republic of Korea were being charged with U.S. Dollars, which were then converted back to the Korean Won for its App Store policies.
In an age where developers seem to be abandoning Apple Watch apps left and right, Microsoft of all companies is soon launching its popular Authenticator application for watchOS.
Update: In a statement to TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino, Apple says it is committed to protecting user privacy:
“We work hard to protect user privacy and data security throughout the Apple ecosystem. With the latest update to our guidelines, we made it explicitly clear that apps should not collect information about which other apps are installed on a user’s device for the purposes of analytics or advertising/marketing and must make it clear what user data will be collected and how it will be used.”
Facebook is removing its controversial and spyware-like Onavo Protect application from the App Store. The Wall Street Journal reports today that Apple has ruled the app as being in violation of its data-collection policies.