Apple’s often baffling App Store ban hammer has fallen again.
Developer Rusty Lake has had all of its games pulled for supposedly being spam and “looking identical” — despite the fact that they are genuine (and popular) games. It has told fans that it hopes this is an automated removal and that its titles will be back soon.
You know what the New Year means? New devices, and the need for new apps to fill them. Only you’re all spent out, and instead of buying you an iTunes voucher, Auntie and Uncle got you yet another country-themed doll like you used to collect when you were a kid1.
The answer is an App Store Wish List. And in order to save you money that you don;t have, were going to make our own with the Shortcuts app.
Today we’ll make two shortcuts. One will add any app to a list in Reminders. The second will take that list, and show you a beautiful list of links and prices, right there in the Today view. Just tap on an app to see it in the App Store, and maybe even buy it.
Compared to the lawless wilderness that is certain other app stores, Apple’s App Store is a well-regulated place, free from dodgy fake apps masquerading as the real thing.
Clearly someone in Cupertino got a little too merry with the egg nog recently, however, since a phony version of the Amazon Alexa app was recently granted permission to enter the App Store. It even managed to hit the #6 spot in the App Store’s utilities section over the holidays.
Apple has removed a free religious app from the App Store reportedly promoting so-called conversion therapy.
The app was created by Living Hope Ministries, a religious group based in Arlington, Texas. It offered users a “more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ” with the alleged goal of changing a person’s sexual orientation. Apple gave the app the boot following a petition from LGBTQ nonprofit group Truth Wins Out.
The lovable Lemmings are back and better than ever. Help them navigate there way through challenging environments in a brand new game, exclusively for mobile, from Sony PlayStation.
With more levels than every previous Lemmings game combined (literally thousands!), carefully perfected touch controls, and plenty of variety throughout, it’s a must-have for mobile gamers.
Apple has updated its App Store Review Guidelines to allow the gifting of in-app purchases.
Shoppers have long been able to gift apps and games, but Apple’s rules previously prohibited the purchase of in-app items for others. You probably won’t be able to gift in-app purchases in time for the holidays, however.
2018 has been one of the best years ever for Apple. Looking at some of the company’s most popular metric shows that the numbers are up across the board (stock price excepted).
Never before have there been more developers making more money off iOS while Apple extends its ever-growing reach. Revenue hit an all-time high. And the next big thing feels like it’s just on the horizon.
Here’s Apple’s 2018 by the numbers.
Netflix was the biggest earner in non-game apps in the App Store this year. According to data from app analytics company Sensor Tower, the streaming-video powerhouse raked in a massive $790.2 million on iOS during 2018 — or, at least, through November 30.
Here are the other companies that carved out spaces in the top 10 non-game app list.
Apple has released its year-end lists for the best apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and more. Apple’s selections — which it claims “shaped entertainment and culture around the world this year” — are all available to buy via Apple’s platforms.
Here are some of the selections that made the cut.
Tumblr made the shocking announcement today that it is kicking all forms of pornography off its platform and Apple’s strict rules could be to blame.
Starting on December 17, Tumblr will no longer allow porn on its site. Tumblr says the change has come after several months of serious thought on who it wants to be, but its recent ban from the App Store is probably the biggest reason why.
Apple continues to remove third-party applications from the Chinese version of the App Store for violating its terms of service. It reportedly removed 718 apps this week.
This isn’t the first time there’s been a purge from this software store. But this time none of the applications were breaking Chinese law, just Apple’s own rules.
Apple’s legal team could soon be headed to the Supreme Court to face an antitrust case being levied against the company.
U.S. Supreme Court justices heard an hour of arguments for an antitrust lawsuit against Apple today. The nine justices appeared to be open to letting the lawsuit move up to the highest court. If Apple loses, we could see huge changes in the App Store.
Apple rakes in billions of dollars from the App Store. However, its future ability to do so could be challenged if a federal court rules against the company.
On Monday, Apple will defend its app pricing structure in a federal appeals court. The case involves whether customers buy apps directly from Apple, or whether Apple is more like a middleman connecting app makers with users.
Ubisoft’s newest Assassin’s Creed game just landed on iOS. Rebellion is a free-to-play strategy RPG in which players assemble a Brotherhood of powerful assassins to fight back against the Templars and the oppression in Spain.
It boasts more than 40 characters, including legendary ones and some brand new to the Assassin’s Creed series — plus limited-time events and premium access if you want it.
Tumblr is gone from the iOS App Store, but exactly why remains a mystery. Still, there’s speculation that Apple cracked down on the blogging app for being used to disseminate content that violates Apple’s guidelines for third-party software.
Oath, the developer of Tumblr, promises that it’s working on the “issue.”
Apple has removed 11 categories from the Mac App Store. The Categories tab now displays just 10 options as opposed to 21, with Finance, Lifestyle, and Sports among those dropped.
The move is a disappointment to app developers who rely on specific categories for discoverability. Many initially believed that the change was a bug, but Apple has since confirmed that the removal of these items is “expected behavior.”
Apple just had its best September quarter of all-time and CEO Tim Cook couldn’t have sounded happier when he got on the phone with investors today. The company is heading into the holiday season with its best lineup ever and expects to set more records next quarter.
Investors did not seem to be too impressed with the results though. Apple’s stock price dropped from $222.22 to as low as $206 in after-hours training. Despite Wall Street’s worries about Apple, there was plenty of achievements for Tim Cook and Luca Maestri to boast about on today’s call.
There were the biggest revelations from today’s call:
Analysts are predicting big things for Apple’s App Store business ahead of the company’s Q4 2018 earnings report coming on November 1.
Search ads from the App Store could generate over $500 million in revenue during all of 2018, according to Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi. Even better, Sacconahi thinks the App Store ad business could be worth a whopping $2 billion by the end of 2020.
Apple is seeming cracking down on some of the dodgier subscription apps in the App Store, following reports highlighting the actions of certain unscrupulous apps and app-makers.
Out of the 17 apps mentioned in a recent Forbes report on these practices, 11 have now been removed from the App Store. Similarly, QR Code Reader and Weather Alarms — two problematic apps highlighted by TechCrunch — have also vanished.
Subscriptions mean big business for app developers, but this success has ushered supposed bad actors into the App Store. A new article by TechCrunch shines a light on some of these apparent scam tactics, which could cause a headache for Apple.
Dragalia Lost, the latest mobile game from Nintendo, has been killing it during its first two weeks of availability — despite being available only in a handful of markets.
New data reveals the action RPG pulled in an estimated $3.5 million during the first five days alone, making it more successful than the beloved Animal Crossing: Fire Camp. More than half of its players are on iOS.
Popular indie farming simulator Stardew Valley is finally making the leap to iPhone and iPad.
The game has proven a smash hit on Mac and PC, selling over 400,000 copies during its first two weeks of availability, and has been well-received on console, with glowing review scores on Metacritic. You’ll be able to play it on iOS later this month.
Minecraft for Apple TV has been scrapped. Users can no longer download the game from the tvOS App Store, while existing players have been informed that the title will no longer receive updates or support.
The game’s removal is being blamed on a lack of players. Developer Mojang explains that it needs to “reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most.”
Dragalia Lost, the newest mobile game from Nintendo, is now available to download on iOS in select markets.
The action-packed RPG, which was first confirmed last month, takes players on a journey of adventure as they fight to save the Kingdom of Alberia. It’s free to download and play.
This post is presented by iMobie.
Last year, iTunes 12.7 launched as a version “focused” on music, TV shows, podcasts and audiobooks. The redesign was aimed at cutting bloat, so functions like the App Store, home screen arrangement, and ringtone editing got nixed. Not everyone was happy about that.