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UK regulator investigates accusation of collusion between Apple and Google

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Apple Google
Google and Apple are accused of colluding with one another.
Photo: Apple/Google

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority is looking into accusations of “collusion at a very senior level” against Apple and Google.

Online campaign group Marketers for an Open Web made the complaint. It says the two tech behemoths are “not competing head to head,” but rather working together when it comes to search.

The group points to documents uncovered in a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit, including a 2018 internal email in which Apple and Google staffers discussed how they “work as if we are one company.”

iPhone loyalty soars as Samsung’s takes a nosedive

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Apple vs Samsung
iPhone loyalty is strong. The same can‘t be said for users of Samsung handsets.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Apple users are more likely than ever to buy a new iPhone, according to survey results released Tuesday. Nearly 92% of current iOS users intend to stick with the platform.

But the situation isn’t so rosy for archrival Samsung, as 26% of Galaxy smartphone users plan to switch to another platform. And most of these switchers have their eye on an iPhone.

Australian antitrust committee eyes Apple’s lucrative Google search deal

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Is Apple’s deal to make Google Safari’s default search engine anticompetitive?
An Australian government agency is probing Apple and Google for anticompetitive practices.
Photo: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels CC

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is gathering data for a report on whether Google and Apple abuse their ability to pick default web browsers and search engines in their operating systems to squeeze out smaller competitors.

And Australia is just one of many countries probing the business practices of big tech companies. These investigations might eventually be followed by lawsuits or legislation that forces Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. to change the way they do business.

How to transfer iCloud Photos to Google Photos

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How to transfer iCloud Photos to Google Photos
Copying images and videos from iCloud Photos to Google Photos is surprisingly easy.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Apple now makes it easy to copy the pictures and videos you have stored in iCloud Photos over to Google Photos. The process is straightforward, but there are a few hoops to jump through.

Here’s what you need to know.

New app brings Apple TV+ original shows to Chromecast with Google TV

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Google Chromecast and Apple TV may see like an odd combination. But they do mix.
Chromecast with Google TV is getting a version of the Apple TV app.
Photo: Google

It’s now possible to watch Apple’s streaming service on the Chromecast with Google TV, a redesigned model of this video dongle that debuted in 2020. A version of the free Apple TV application launched Thursday for this accessory. It brings access to series like Ted Lasso and movies like Wolfwalkers.

Google’s Chrome OS proves more popular than macOS in 2020

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Chrome OS image
Move over Mac!
Photo: Google

According to new figures by IDC, 2020 is the first year in which Google’s Chrome OS was found on more new computers sold than macOS.

That’s due to the success of Chromebooks made by the likes of Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. While no figures are given, it seems likely that these now outsell Macs.

Google takes top spot as January’s biggest iOS developer

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Apple Google
Google is Apple's biggest developer.
Photo: Apple/Google

Google and Facebook are rivals of Apple, but they also rely on it a whole lot — as a new report by app analytics platform Sensor Tower makes clear. It highlights how Google and Facebook were two of the top three publishers on the iOS App Store in January, with Google holding the top spot.

It’s the perfect illustration of the “coopetition” relationship that exists between the tech giants.

Apple forces Google’s iPhone apps to stop tracking users online

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Google
Millions in Britain wants $1000 each because they claim Google invaded their privacy
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google’s iOS applications will comply with Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy, according to a blog post from the company on Wednesday. That means these applications won‘t have to specifically ask users to permit the app to track them online.

Apple’s ATT policy hasn’t gone into effect yet, but it’ll give iPhone and iPad users more privacy. And it’s expected to cost advertisers billions.

Apple joins other tech giants in banning Parler

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Google, Apple and Amazon exercise their rights as private companies to refuse to do business with Parler.
Google, Apple and Amazon exercise their rights as private companies to refuse to do business with Parler.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Apple followed though on its warning to remove Parler from the App Store this weekend. Google already banned the social-networking app from the Android software store, and Amazon is cutting off Parler’s cloud-hosting service.

The bans follow accusations that rioters used Parler to plan the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.

iPhone and iPad can finally play Google Stadia games

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Google Stadia for iOS is going into public beta testing soon.
Google bypassed the App Store to make a version of Stadia that’ll run on an iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Google/Cult of Mac

Google followed through with a promise to make its Stadia cloud-gaming service available for iPhone and iPad. On Wednesday, the company starting the process of giving Apple mobile devices access to console-quality games, including Cyberpunk 2077.

But don’t look to the Stadia application in the App Store — the subscription service must be played through a web app.

Google Chrome finally supports multiple windows on iPad

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Chrome for iPad got a major update.
Chrome for iPad can finally show two web pages at the same time.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A fresh update to Google Chrome for iPad lets users open multiple browser windows side-by-side. This long-overdue feature enables tablet users see two web pages simultaneously.

Google also released Gmail and Google Drive Home screen widgets.

Google Stadia cloud gaming service coming to iPhone and iPad at last

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Google Stadia for iOS is going into public beta testing soon.
Google bypassed the App Store to make a version of Stadia that’ll run on an iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Google/Cult of Mac

Add Google Stadia to the list of cloud-gaming services that’ll soon be available for iOS and iPadOS. But all the action won’t be in the App Store — iPhone users will access Stadia though a web browser.

This is the same route other online-gaming services are also having to take because of Apple rules restricting cloud gaming.

Feeling lucky? Google was the top iOS developer in October

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Apple Google
Google and Apple are both friends and rivals.
Photo: Apple/Google

Like most tech giants, Apple and Google have a strange “coopetition” relationship, whereby they simultaneously compete and work together.

The latest example? Google, the company that spawned the rival Android mobile operating system, was the top developer in Apple’s iOS App Store last month.

Lack of COVID-19 contact-tracing apps shows limits of Apple’s power

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iOS 13.7 contact tracing feature: Life-saver, or NSA spy tool?
It's not Apple's fault. But it's certainly frustrating.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Apple and Google moved fast to develop a COVID-19 contact-tracing solution that was both smart and privacy conscious. Unfortunately, more than six months after the companies announced the cross-platform approach to contact tracing, few places in the United States use it.

It’s a tough lesson for the world’s biggest tech company. And one that everyone is a little bit poorer for having learned.

Apple needs a ‘don’t be evil’ policy (and here’s what that might look like)

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Apple, just ‘Don’t be evil.’
In general, Apple is good company. But some policies make it look a bit malevolent. These need to go.
Composite: Cult of Mac/Mitja Juraja/Pexels CC

Apple must avoid following a path blazed by Google. Years ago, the search giant touted its “don’t be evil” policy. But somewhere along the line, Google lost track of that — and ended up getting sued Tuesday by the Justice Department.

Apple, which faces similar scrutiny by a variety of governmental bodies, has a chance now to drop some of its questionable policies. If it doesn’t, Cupertino could end up facing its own lawsuit(s).

The encouraging news is, Apple is mostly a good company, so a few tweaks now could easily head off much larger adjustments down the line. Court-ordered changes — like a forced sale of the App Store — could prove painful.

Here’s why Apple needs its own “don’t be evil” policy, along with some concrete steps Cupertino can take to prove that it’s actually a force for good in the world.

House antitrust report calls to ‘break up’ tech giants

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Should Apple take over the White House?
Could the U.S. government break up Big Tech?
Photo: MattCC716/Flickr CC

The U.S. House of Representatives antitrust report on Big Tech reportedly includes a “thinly veiled call to break up” the tech giants, according to a report by Reuters.

The House antitrust subcommittee could publish its report on Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Alphabet this week. However, while it’s not been published yet, it’s already causing controversy.

Apple requires streaming games to be listed individually in App Store [Updated]

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Apple’s App Store will stay empty of streaming games services for now.
New rules don’t seem intended to bring the Google Stadia cloud gaming service to iPad any time soon.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple laid out new rules for streaming games services hoping to be listed the App Store. But it’s not clear if the changes will result in Microsoft, Google Facebook and others actually introducing iPhone and iPad versions of their services, which are already available for other platforms.

Save $60 on the Google Nest Wi-Fi router 2-pack

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Google Nest Wi-Fi router
Don't suffer spotty Wi-Fi connectivity.
Photo: Google

Sick of spotty Wi-Fi connectivity around your home? Fix it with the excellent Google Nest Wi-Fi router. It blankets your home with mesh Wi-Fi coverage, ensuring you get the best connection everywhere.

Order a Nest Wi-Fi two-pack on Amazon today and save $60.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Google was the No. 1 developer in the App Store last month

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Google
Google was a big winner on iOS in July.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

As the company behind Android, Google is frequently positioned as one of Apple’s biggest enemy when it comes to smartphones. But it’s actually doing incredibly well thanks to iOS — as a new Sensor Tower report makes clear.

Published Monday, the report notes that Google was the no. 1 mobile publisher in the App Store for July 2020, based on total number of installs. Google’s top apps include YouTube, Google Hangouts, Gmail, Google Calendar, and others.

Google Maps finds its way to Apple Watch

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Google Maps on an Apple Watch
Google Maps fans can now get turn-by-turn directions on their Apple Watch.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Google

A version of Google Maps for the Apple Watch starts rolling on Monday. The goal of this app is to allow users to navigate by car, bike, public transit or on foot, without having to look at an iPhone.

Also, Google Maps for Apple’s CarPlay Dashboard got some convenient new features today.