Another regulatory brick in the wall for Apple: The iPhone maker agreed this weekend to changes to its App Store in the Netherlands focused on dating apps, agreeing to allow local developers of dating apps to be able to offer non-Apple based payments (via Reuters). In December, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) […]
Apple paid out around $60 billion to App Store developers in 2021
Despite facing numerous antitrust lawsuits and tighter regulations in certain markets, Apple today reported new figures indicating record App Store growth in 2021. The company in a press release said it has now paid out more than $260 billion to app developers since the App Store first launched in 2008, a number that’s up from […]
How the mobile app ecosystem adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the mobile app ecosystem, according to an annual retrospective released today by app intelligence firm Sensor Tower. In the early days of the pandemic, a number of apps saw rapidly increased usage — like that focused on online shopping, entertainment, business and education, for example. Though much of the […]
You Died of Dysentery: 50 Years of Traveling The Oregon Trail
In 1991, I pulled a chair up to an Apple II in my first-grade class and inserted a floppy disk with a faded, fraying label: The Oregon Trail.Read more…
Disney+ rolls out support for Apple’s SharePlay co-viewing experience over FaceTime
Disney+ is the latest streaming app to add support for Apple’s SharePlay, the iOS 15 feature that offers a co-viewing experience over FaceTime video calls on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV devices. First announced during Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June, SharePlay rolled out with the iOS 15.1 update, soon offering co-viewing experiences […]
Apple quietly pulls references to its CSAM detection tech after privacy fears
Apple has quietly removed all references to its child sexual abuse scanning feature from its website, months after announcing that the new technology would be baked into iOS 15 and macOS Monterey. Back in August, Apple announced that it would introduce the feature to allow the company to detect and report known child sexual abuse […]
Facebook’s new website lets fans buy ‘Stars’ without paying the app stores’ commissions
Meta (formerly Facebook) has found a new way to avoid the app stores’ commissions on in-app purchases with the launch of a new website where people can buy “Stars” — the virtual items that allow fans to express their support for favorite creators during Facebook videos and livestreams. Typically, Stars are bought as in-app purchases […]
Facebook launches Shops in Groups and Live Shopping for Creators
Facebook announced today that it’s rolling out new shopping features: Shops in Groups, product recommendations and a test of Live Shopping for Creators. Shops in Groups enables admins of Facebook groups to set up an online store on their associated Facebook Page. It’s up to the admins where this money goes — in the case […]
Apple says App Store won’t close to developers over holidays, as in previous years
Apple says it won’t be closing down the App Store to developer submissions over the holidays, as it has in previous years. The policy change will be welcomed by developers who often fear that they’ll be blocked from being able to issue emergency bug fixes or other critical updates during one of the busiest seasons […]
Mark Zuckerberg takes thinly veiled shots at Apple for ‘stifling innovation’ via its platform policies
Facebook (aka “Meta”) CEO Mark Zuckerberg today took several thinly veiled shots at Apple and the overall app ecosystem when detailing his plans for the metaverse during today’s keynote speech at the company’s Facebook Connect 2021 event. Specifically, he called out app platforms and their associated fees for “stifling innovation,” while simultaneously justifying Facebook’s plans […]