App Store

Previously available on Android only, Google today released its Cardboard Camera app for iPhone and iPad alongside new features for the experience.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple has announced that Super Mario is coming to the iPhone, as part of its iPhone 7 event. The company brought Shigeru Minamoto on stage to announce Apple bringing Nintendo’s top franchise to the iPhone.

Get the new Mario game app later this year in December, but you can go to the App Store today and get it to “Notify” you when the app launches. The game will have some free trial content and one in-app purchase to unlock everything.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple has just published a list of App Store improvements that will begin to go into effect next Wednesday, September 7th. The changes seek to remove broken and forgotten apps from the App Store, apps that are currently breaking App Store review guidelines, and that are just no longer functional.

Expand
Expanding
Close

At WWDC back in June, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased that the company was approaching the $50 billion milestone in money it had paid out to App Store developers. Today, Cook announced on Twitter that Apple has now paid over $50 billion to App Store developers, while also noting that July was a huge month for the platform.

Expand
Expanding
Close

The above concept of how Apple could improve its current iTunes/App Store web view comes from STRV designer Ales Nesetril. It’s not the first time someone has suggested it, but it got me thinking once again about app installs via the web. What is Apple waiting for?

Expand
Expanding
Close

Without giving away official download numbers or stats (or ever featuring the app), Apple has officially shared that Pokémon Go has broken the record for the highest number of downloads during launch week on the App Store. The popular iOS app has ranked #1 on both the Free and Top Grossing Top Charts in the App Store since its launch earlier this month.

Expand
Expanding
Close

App analytics company App Annie is today out with a new report concerning the second quarter of 2016. At the beginning of this year, we covered the firm’s wrap-up report for 2015, noting that Apple’s App Store brought in 75% more revenue than the Play Store, despite a large difference in downloads. Now, the gap has gotten even bigger as the App Store continues to grow.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Update: Netflix has addressed the issue on Twitter:

We are aware of an issue where some users cannot download the latest Netflix version on iOS devices. We are investigating the issue.

— Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) July 14, 2016

According to a variety of posts from Twitter user and confirmed by my own testing, Apple’s App Store appears to be suffering from a handful of issues tonight. Users are unable to update a variety of apps. The issues most notably seems to be affecting Netflix and Snapchat.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple’s new European iOS App Development Center, announced back in January, is about to officially launch as the Università di Napoli Federico II in Italy today confirms it has partnered with Apple on the initiative (via Macerkopf). 

When Apple first announced its plans for the new development center, the first of its kind to offer training for app developers in Europe, it didn’t say which school it would be partnering with to push the specialized curriculum. Today it confirmed the Università di Napoli Federico II will play host to the “iOS Developer Academy” with a dedicated facility that will offer Apple’s specialized app development training to a couple hundred students.

The program will begin in October and last nine months.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Since iOS 10’s first beta hit last week, testers have been seeing signs of Apple’s Search Ads in the App Store. Officially announced a week earlier, Search Ads were marketed as being a way to help customers “discover or reengage” with an application. Something I wondered immediately after the original announcement was how Apple would regulate the Search Ads in a highly competitive market. After having used iOS 10 for over a week now, I’m not any less concerned.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple today released a new version of its iTunes Connect app for iOS during a demo of new features for the iTunes Connect developer portal at the company’s WWDC 2016 conference. 

During its presentation, Apple noted that app review times “have gone way down” and offered a brief overview of changes it made to App Store policies. Apple recently completely revised guidelines to include easier to read language and an overall improved experience. 

Expand
Expanding
Close

Following news of incoming changes to Apple’s App Store that will benefit developers with a new subscription revenue split and paid search result ads, Spotify today outlined to The Verge why the improvements don’t address their issues with Apple’s policies.

Specifically, a Spotify representative noted the company’s inability to offer special deals to customers and lack of access to data into “why customers churn — or who even qualifies as a long-term subscriber.”

Expand
Expanding
Close

It seems Apple isn’t going to be alone in offering a better deal to developers of subscription-based apps. The same day Phil Schiller revealed that developers will receive 85% of subscription revenue from year two, Re/code reports (and TNW confirms) that Google will be offering the same deal to Android developers – but with one big difference …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple’s WWDC event kicks off on Monday, but App Store head Phil Schiller is already sharing some major changes coming to the App Store that will impact developers. The news comes just six months after Schiller added additional App Store responsibilities to his role.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Yahoo is today launching a Yahoo Sports app for Apple TV that lets users access free sports news, live streams, and video highlights that the service already offers via an iOS app and across other platforms.

Expand
Expanding
Close