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Apple removes all 181 vaping apps from the App Store

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Apple removes all 181 vape-related apps from the App Store
Apple doesn't want your vaping apps.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC

Apple is removing all 181 vaping-related apps from the App Store. This is the result of mounting health concerns about the impact of e-cigarettes.

At least 42 people have died as the result of vaping-related lung illnesses. Apple, it seems, does not want to be in any way responsible for contributing to any more.

Disney+ is live and ready to download from the App Store

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Disney+ is live and ready to download from the App Store
Disney+ has the potential to be a leviathan in the streaming game.
Image: Disney

The Disney+ app is officially available to download through the App Store. The subscription service features an extensive back catalog plus new shows, including the Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian.

And, just like that, the streaming war just got a whole lot more intensive!

Everything you need to know before Apple’s last earnings call of 2019

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Earnings call
Get ready for another record breaking quarter.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is ready to unveil its last earnings report of 2019 this week, and investors are anxiously waiting to hear some good news on iPhone sales.

All early indications point to sales of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro performing even better than expected. But because the new devices were only on sale for the very tail end of the quarter, they might not have given Apple the growth Wall Street is desperate to see.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri are set to divulge all the details for Apple’s fiscal Q4 2019 earnings on Wednesday, October 30, at 2 p.m. PDT. Per usual, Cult of Mac will be analyzing all the data right when it drops and there are a couple of areas and metrics that are key to keeping Apple’s stock price soaring.

Apple removes 17 malware apps that secretly clicked on ads

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Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
Apple has given malware apps the boot.
Photo: Apple

Apple quietly removed 17 sketchy apps from the App Store for delivering malware. All made by one developer based in India, the apps secretly generated money by clicking ad links and opening background windows without users’ knowledge.

Although less malicious than some other malware, the apps still threatened to slow down devices or drain batteries.

Judge Dredd: Crime Files brings lawman of the future to App Store

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Judge Dredd: Crime Files brings lawman of the future to App Store
It's like a comic book experience bought to your iPhone!
Photo: No Yetis Allowed

Famed 2000AD lawman Judge Dredd has arrived in the App Store. Get ready for Judge Dredd: Crime Files: a collectible card-based strategy adventure RPG.

Boasting all your favorite Dredd characters and a story written by current writers of the comic, this should be a hit with anyone looking for a zarjaz gaming experience!

Heads up: Apple Arcade free trial subscriptions expire soon

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Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a great deal, but it might be time to drop out if it’s not right for you.
Photo: Apple

Everyone who signed up for a free trial of Apple Arcade when this gaming service launched is about to be charged for their first month. The 80+ titles currently available give plenty of options, but anyone who hasn’t warmed up to it should drop out before they get their first bill.

Fortunately, iOS makes this a snap.

Apple pulls two apps from China App Store due to government demands

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Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices
Apple is one of a number of multinationals who face challenges in China.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly removed the Quartz news app from the Chinese App Store by request of the China government. According to Quartz‘ investigations editor, this is due to their, “excellent coverage of ongoing Hong Kong protests.”

The company also banned an app that let Hong Kong protesters track Hong Kong police. This came one day after Chinese state media blasted Apple for not getting rid of it.

China state media slams Apple for app used by Hong Kong protesters

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China state media slams Apple for app used by Hong Kong protestors
App helps protesters track police presence in Hong Kong.
Photo: HKMap Live

China’s state media took a swipe at Apple for allowing an app that let Hong Kong protesters track the location of police back into the App Store. The app, called Hkmap Live, uses reports from a Telegram group to share information about things like arrests and the use of weapons such as tear gas.

Apple originally booted the app from the App Store, but apparently reversed its decision.

Apple removes app used by Hong Kong protesters from the App Store

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China state media slams Apple for app used by Hong Kong protestors
App shows the location of police activity.
Photo: Hkmap Live

Apple has booted an app used by protesters in Hong Kong out of the App Store. Called Hkmap Live, the crowdsourced app uses reports from a Telegram group that tracks the whereabouts of police and protesters. It also contains information about things like arrests of people wearing protest-related paraphernalia and the use of weapons like tear gas.

“Your app contains content – or facilitates, enables, and encourages an activity – that is not legal,” Apple told the app makers. “Specifically, the app allowed users to evade law enforcement.”

Access your App Store updates from the iOS 13 Home screen [Pro Tip]

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iOS 13 app updates
The quickest way to see your app updates in iOS 13.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Pro Tip: This to-do list hack turns your tasks into questions iOS 13 did away with the old Updates tab in the App Store, and replaced it with Apple Arcade. That’s pretty bad news if you don’t want to use Apple Arcade. But on the plus side, you can access your app updates from the Home screen using 3D Touch. And the good news is that, in iOS 13, you can also use this trick on the iPad.

App Store prices climb in Japan as tax increases

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iOS 11 iPad Pro
Look out for the changes next month.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will raise App Store pricing in Japan next month in line with an update to Japan Consumption Tax (JCT).

The increase will affect sales and in-app purchases, but not auto-renewable subscriptions. Only the most affordable tier priced at ¥120 will avoid the change.

Can’t figure out how to update apps in iOS 13? Here’s how.

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iOS 13 app store
App Store updates are still open for business.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

In all versions of the App Store up until iOS 13, there has been an Update tab — a whole page of the store dedicated to showing you the latest updates to your installed apps. In iOS 13, that’s gone, replaced by Apple Arcade, whether you subscribe to the new gaming service or not.

So, how do you update your apps in iOS 13? And if you have auto-update switched on, then how do you even see which apps have been updated, and read their release notes? Fear not. Manual update is still there. It’s just hidden.

Elizabeth Warren blasts Apple for having ‘too much power’

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Elizabeth Warren chimes in on allegedly discriminatory Apple Card algorithm
Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has taken shots at Apple in the past.
Photo: elizabethwarren.com

Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren thinks Apple exerts “too much power” through its operation of the App Store, and uses this to stifle competition.

Warren tweeted the message Tuesday, complete with the hashtag #BreakUpBigTech. That’s probably not great news for Apple!

Former Mac boss thinks App Store antitrust complaints are off-target

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Apple removes 17 malware apps which secretly clicked on ads
Former Apple boss doesn't buy all the antitrust complaints.
Photo: Apple

With the looming shadow of antitrust, plenty of folks are talking about whether or not Apple is abusing its position. Specifically, they claim that Apple has a conflict of interests by running the App Store and also creating its own software tools.

Former Macintosh division boss Jean-Louis Gassée is now wading into the argument. Gassée says that people calling antitrust on Apple haven’t considered the number of jobs Apple has created through the App Store.

Apple’s adjusted App Store algorithm handicaps its own apps

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App Store
Apple apps no longer dominate App Store search results.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s recently-adjusted App Store algorithm prevents too many of its own apps from dominating search results.

The change, which followed Spotify’s complaint regarding “unfair” App Store practices several months, handicaps Apple titles and has had a huge impact since being introduced.

Stranger Things 3 recreates Netflix hit as an isometric actioner

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Stranger Things 3
A retro nod to the past -- by which I mean the show released last month.
Photo: BonusXP/Netflix

Movie and TV show video game tie-ins still have a pretty poor reputation dating back to the rushed-out titles that proliferated in the 1980s and 90s. Fortunately, Stranger Things hasn’t taken this as part of its meta homage to all things retro.

Instead, it’s had fun with fan service by recreating its Netflix series in the form of surprisingly good, retro-style games. Now developers BonusXP have recreated the third season of the show in a new isometric action game. Welcome to Stranger Things 3: The Game on iOS…

Punishingly great platformer Dead Cells lands in the App Store

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Dead Cells screenshot
It looks like the greatest Sega Saturn game the Saturn never got.
Photo: Motion Twin

Motion Twin’s celebrated game Dead Cells has finally landed on the App Store. In the process, it gives iPhone and iPad gamers the chance to play one of the most fun indie releases of recent times.

For the uninitiated, Dead Cells combines Castlevania-inspired side-scrolling action with some beautiful graphics and terrific gameplay. The results are an undisputed “must download.” Check out the trailer below.

Apple delays rule change barring kids’ apps from using analytics

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App-Store-Today
Changes have been criticized by some developers.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is delaying a change in rules for kids apps, banning them from using external analytics software and their ability to sell ads.

While Apple still believes the decision is the right one, it is pushing back its implementation. That’s to give time to developers to make the necessary changes.

Apple takes gambling apps off the table for kids

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iPhone slots gambling
Kids can now play iPhone gambling apps, but not for much longer.
Photo: Hot Vegas Slot Machine Games!

Apple will soon allow parents to block children’s access to all games that include “Frequent/Intense Simulated Gambling” no matter where they are in the world. As it stands now, not all gambling applications are currently rated as 17+. That’s apparently about to change.

Cat-heavy puzzle game will take you to A.I. school

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Machine learning game while True: learn() comes to iOS this week.
An oddly named game about cats and machine learning lands on iOS this week.
Screenshot: Nival

Do you want a fun iPhone game that combines cats with a stealth lesson in artificial intelligence and machine learning?

Of course you do. And thanks to the oddly titled while True: learn(), you’re about to get your chance. Check out the game’s new trailer, which landed ahead of this week’s release of while True: learn() on iOS.

Apple supports more than 325,000 jobs in South Korea

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Apple-Garosugil-Seoul
The Apple Store in Garosugil, Seoul.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s impact on South Korea is much larger than most fans will have anticipated.

Cupertino directly employs 500 workers of its own, and has created hundreds of thousands of jobs on Samsung’s home turf. Local App Store developers have earned a whopping 4.7 trillion won.

Apple faces unfair competition investigation in Russia

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Apple in Russia
Investigators will look at whether Apple abused its position as controller of the App Store.
Photo: Caviar

Apple is being investigated for suspected unfair competition in Russia, following a complaint from a Moscow cybersecurity company.

Kaspersky Lab says that Apple declined one of its parental control apps, prior to releasing its own Screen Time service. Russia’s anti-monopoly watchdog has now announced that it will look into Apple’s behavior.