Apple has been highlighting loads of iOS games created by independent developers this week on the App Store. The promotion includes a special section at the top of the App Store where new apps and updates are usually promoted, several new indie game launches, and even discounts on a handful of popular indie titles.
As it continues to expand its reach, Snapchat today is rolling out a new widget to its iOS and Android applications. The new widget allows users to instantly start chatting with a Snapchat fried by simply tapping on their Bitmoji. The move comes as Snapchat puts an increased focus on private messaging, as noted by TechCrunch.
Update: This change appears to have been reverted; editing of description and what’s new fields is now possible again outside of app review. As Apple never officially acknowledged the change, it is possible that this was a temporary bug that was never intended to go into effect in the first place. Original story below …
Overnight, developers have noticed a silent policy change to iTunes Connect interface which does not seem to have been formally announced by Apple.
Developers are no longer able to edit descriptions, update notes or any other metadata for their apps without making a new version, which must be submitted to App Review for approval …
Yesterday evening, Apple started cracking down on apps that use third-party services to update without App Store approval. The majority of the affected apps seemed to use Rollout.io, an SDK that allows developers to modify their app in “real-time.”
Now, Rollout’s CEO and co-founder, Erez Rusovsky, has issued a statement on Apple’s policy shift…
Update: Rollout has responded with a statement.
Apple today has started informing developers that use “hot code push” SDKs that it will soon start rejecting their applications. In a thread on the Apple Developer Forums, developers are reporting that they have started receiving messages from the company explaining that the code must be removed before any further updates will be approved.
Apple has slowly been expanding mobile phone billing (or carrier billing) to additional countries, and three more have been added to the short list of supported countries this week. Customers in Austria, Italy, and Singapore can now use mobile phone billing with select carriers where available.
The average U.S. iPhone user spent $40 on apps & in-app purchases last year, according to research by Sensor Tower. This was up from $35 the previous year.
Unsurprisingly, games account for by far the biggest chunk of this – some $27 of the $40 total – but it was another category that saw the largest percentage increase …
When Apple released iOS 10 last September, they pushed in a small change when connecting to wireless networks. Tucked away under the Wi-Fi settings, iOS now warns users when connecting to insecure networks that it exposes a user’s network traffic. The easy answer to this is to simply not connect to public wireless networks, but that’s something that most people will just ignore. If users won’t stop connecting to insecure public networks, they could at least start using VPNs and Apple could make it easy to do that.
Starbucks is rolling out a new feature in its iPhone app called My Starbucks barista that will let customers order drinks with voice commands by speaking to a virtual AI barista, the company announced today in a press release.
On top of speaking to the virtual barista to order drinks by voice, users can also send text messages to the AI and order that way if preferred:
Apple has allegedly started removing apps originating in Iran from the App Store. According to Techrasa, Apple removed the app of Digikala, the biggest Iranian e-commerce service, a few days ago. Apple has yet to comment on the procedure but it seems to stem from international trade laws (via TechCrunch).
Apple is extending the introductory offer for App Store Search Ads until March 30, for developers who have yet to use the program. Search Ads launched in October last year, promoting apps above organic listings in the search result, with a $100 promo code for app makers who began an ad campaign.
This $100 credit offer was originally set to expire on December 31st, at the end of 2016. Apple has today announced that it is keeping the offer running for another three months.
The Pokémon Company is today releasing its latest offering for mobile devices with Pokémon Duel, a strategy board game that lets you grow a team of six Pokemon characters and fight against others. The game was previously available in Japan but today is launching in the US and elsewhere internationally.
App analytics company App Annie is today out with its newest report, a retrospective look back at the industry during 2016. The report claims that the total number of app downloads, across both Android and iOS, increased to over 90 billion during the year, an increase of 13 billion compared to downloads during 2015.
Roku is today launching an updated mobile app that introduces a redesigned user interface to make content easier to access alongside a new ‘What’s On’ guide that serves up recommendations on what to watch.
Roku says the aim of the redesign is to provide easier one-tap access to the most commonly used features. That includes the ability to start a stream with one tap of a channel from the app’s main screen, and a new navigation bar will let you pull up other features you might need quick access to including search, the remote control, and options for sending content to your TV. There’s also a redesigned remote control feature included.
There will be a lot of people complaining about price rises Apple just announced for apps and in-app purchases in the UK (along with India and Turkey). Once the price rises kick in over the next week, App Store prices will be literally pound for dollar.
But while some are complaining that Apple is price-gouging Brits, this isn’t actually the case …
According to Reuters, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled that users have the right to sue Apple over allegations that the company has created a monopoly in the app industry by only allowing iOS users to install applications from the first-party App Store.
The ruling is a reversal of the decision reached by a lower court in 2013, which sided with Apple.
Not even a week after being requested to pull The New York Times app from the Chinese Apple App Store, both Apple and Google will have to pull the LinkedIn app from their respective app stores. According to The New York Times, the removal comes after a court ruled that LinkedIn had violated Russia’s data protection laws.
Towards the beginning of last year, Apple’s iBooks and iTunes Movies services in China were shut down by a government agency. Now, Apple is again facing problems in the country, this time due to third-party applications by The New York Times. According to a report from the publication, Apple has removed the NYT news apps from the App Store…
Apple’s SVP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller has tweeted that November has set an all-time record for App Store sales.
https://twitter.com/pschiller/status/806510676147507200
As it does every year, Apple today has put together its end-of-the-year “Best of” sections on the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store. The sections are meant to highlight the best content of the year across various categories. For instance, Apple has named photo editing app “Prisma” as the iPhone App of the Year.
Netflix has long been one of the most popular iOS apps, but over recent months, the company has seen its revenue from the mobile increase exponentially. As noted in the latest data from analytics firm SensorTower, Netflix recently cracked the number spot on the Top Grossing charts in the United States for the first time ever.
Games developers say they have detected significant abuse of Apple’s refund policy on apps, and are being forced to take their own steps to hit back after Apple refused to help.
At least four developers cited in The Korea Times say that the problem is that people are repeatedly purchasing games and in-app content, asking Apple for a refund – which is normally granted without question – and then continuing to use the content. It is not easy for developers to block access to the content because Apple refuses to reveal the identities of those who have been refunded …
Apple confirmed today that iTunes Connect will be unavailable for a five-day period lasting from December 23 to 27. The pre-announced shut down is part of Apple’s annual time off period for app reviewers at the company.
Apple is reportedly planning to change how it handles subscriptions for video streaming services via the App Store. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple will cut the percentage of revenue it takes from streaming video apps in an effort to improve its relationship with those in that industry…