developers

Apple’s App Store ecosystem reached a milestone in 2024, facilitating $406 billion in developer billings and sales in the United States alone, according to a new study Apple commissioned. And over the past 5 years, App Store sales growth means U.S. developers’ earnings more than doubled, the iPhone giant said.

“For more than 15 years, the App Store has created incredible opportunity for app developers, entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a press release Thursday. “That includes the many U.S. developers who are innovating, building their businesses and finding exceptional success on the App Store.

“We’ll continue to invest in powerful tools, technology, and resources to help developers in the U.S. and around the world take their apps to new heights and create transformative experiences for users,” he added.

Developers who visited Apple’s special labs to test their Vision Pro apps on the upcoming headset came away impressed, according to a cheery new Apple press release. The labs, which let devs test third-party apps on the AR headset Apple plans to release next year, are reportedly not well-attended. So, Apple seems intent on drumming up interest.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, developers who went to Apple’s labs offered some very positive comments about the hardware and software.

The first screenshots and videos of apps being built for Vision Pro show just how easy it is to port iOS apps to Apple’s upcoming augmented reality headset.

Apple just released the visionOS software development kit last Wednesday, and already people are refitting their iPhone apps for Apple’s new mixed-reality platform and sharing the results online.

The apps include Broadcasts, which lets you tune in to internet radio and livestreams — and leave a little Now Playing window anywhere in your virtual space. With cooking app Crouton in visionOS, you can place timers all around your kitchen. And Tasks, a powerful to-do app, works exactly as it does on your Mac and iPhone.

In my opinion, this is what will ultimately make visionOS succeed where similar mixed-reality platforms failed: It builds heavily on the same technologies that underpin iOS. If you can build an iPhone app, you can build a Vision Pro app.

Here’s a gallery of what some popular indie apps look like running on Vision Pro.

Small developers around the world saw revenue from Apple’s App Store grow 71% between 2020 and 2022, according to researchers.

Revenue growth over that span for small devs in the United States was even higher: 83%.

In addition to promoting the new #WWDC22 hashtag this week, Apple has made a special webpage highlighting community-hosted events set to happen during or after its Worldwide Developers Conference next week.

The events are a good opportunity for “learning, networking, and fun,” Apple said.

Apple distributed a new set of fraud analysis data Wednesday. It indicated the App Store prevented 1.6 million “risky” and “untrustworthy” apps from defrauding users in 2021, stopping “nearly $1.5 billion in fraudulent transactions.”

As with other recent data compilations, Cupertino released the news at a time when the App Store’s strict policies have come under fire.

App Store revenue for smaller developers increased by 113% over the past two years – more than double the growth of large developers, according to a study financed by Apple.

And the iPhone app economy supported more than 2.2 million jobs in the U.S. in 2021.

This post on World of Warcraft is brought to you by MmoGah.

Since its debut nearly two decades ago, World of Warcraft has claimed its place at the top of the gaming industry. This massively multiplayer online roleplaying game is probably the most successful video game ever created.

More than 100 million World of Warcraft accounts have been created since the game’s inception in 2004. Additionally, the game has grossed more than $9 billion, making it the highest-earning video game of all time. While its subscription numbers have fallen over the years, WoW offers plenty of lessons for developers and gamers.

One of the main reasons World of Warcraft remained popular all this time is because it equips players with skills and lessons that they can apply in real life. And it’s not only players who can learn from this game. Game developers, especially up-and-coming ones, can pick up a few notes on how to improve their creative output.

Let’s start with what game devs can learn from World of Warcraft.

As the Russian armed incursion into Ukraine continues, several developers have pulled their apps from the Russian App Store. Companies that have done so to date include Ukraine-based Readdle, MacPaw and Ajax Systems, as well as Grammarly and Epam, sources have told Cult of Mac.

The app makers add their voices to numerous other companies taking their business away from Russia amid the conflict.

Dutch regulators hit Apple with another $5 million fine Monday for not properly complying with new rules that say dating apps should be allowed to accept alternative payment methods. The penalty now totals $20 million.

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) dismissed Cupertino’s feeble attempts to satisfy its requirements and said developers should not have to build brand-new apps to offer alternative payments options.

Apple today received its third €5 million (approx. $5.7 million) fine from Dutch regulators for failing to comply with new legislation that allows dating apps to accept payments outside of the App Store.

The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) warned Cupertino that it could have to pay up to €50 million (approx. $57 million) for not abiding by the new rules. “ACM is disappointed in Apple’s behavior and actions,” it said Monday.

Apple on Thursday confirmed it will charge developers in the Netherlands a 27% cut of sales revenue when they use third-party payment systems. And, just as expected, that has not gone down well with developers.

Steve Troughton-Smith, creator of apps like Broadcasts and Pastel for iOS, called the move “absolutely vile” and said Apple executives “should be ashamed.” Here’s what others are saying.

Apple on Thursday published new details on how it plans to handle third-party payments for dating apps in the Netherlands. The document confirms that Apple will continue to take a cut of all net revenues at a “reduced” rate of 27%.

It also states that developers must provide Cupertino with a report of all transactions each month so that they can be invoiced for the commission. Apple says it has the right to carry out audits to ensure accurate reporting.

Apple has confirmed that developers can now release unlisted apps on iPhone, iPad and Mac that cannot be found without a direct link.

Unlisted apps — which do not appear in App Store search results, categories, recommendations, or other listings — will developers to distribute their titles to limited audiences, such as employees and students.

A growing number of developers report persistent CloudKit connectivity issues that break iCloud syncing inside their apps.

It seems the problem has been ongoing since at least November. Many developers say they reported the situation to Apple but have yet to see improvements — or even a response in some cases.

Apple will be fined up to €50 million (approx. $57 million) by Dutch regulators for its rather pathetic attempt at allowing third-party payments for apps and subscriptions in the Netherlands.

Although Cupertino took half-hearted steps to comply with new legislation, it ensured that it was incredibly difficult for developers to implement third-party payment systems. It also demanded fees for payments it wasn’t processing.

Apple will provide one-on-one guidance to developers in a series of online events dubbed Tech Talks 2021. There will be presentations from Apple experts, each followed by a Q&A session. Plus experts will open their virtual doors in “office hours” meetings.

The free series will include more than 100 live sessions and 1,500 office hours. All coming from Apple locations around the world in multiple time zones.

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Apple rejects a large percentage of App Store submissions, CEO Tim Cook said Monday, arguing that the company’s strict oversight is necessary to keep iPhones secure.

He was responding to questions about moves by government regulators around the world that might result on Apple being forced to allow rival iPhone software stores.

Developers have updated instructions for filling out the privacy “nutrition labels” shown in the App Store. There are additions and clarifications.

Apple asks developers to submit the information for these privacy labels shown to users. There’ve been questions about how accurate the devs’ responses are — including some from a Congressional committee — and the new instructions might be part of Apple’s response.

Women are underrepresented in tech, but Apple hopes to change that. On Monday, it began taking applications for an Entrepreneur Camp for female founders and developers to be held summer of 2021.

Previous such camps have been in Apple’s home town of Cupertino, but this one will be online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple told developers on Wednesday that they are expected to soon return the Mac mini that they used to test macOS Big Sur running on Apple Silicon. This is less time than the one-year lease of the Developer Transition Kit was supposed to last.

The devs paid $500 to lease the specially modified desktops in 2020. They aren‘t getting that money back, but Apple will compensate them for returning the unit. Still, some developers are peeved.

Apple on Wednesday confirmed plans to cut App Store fees to just 15% for many of its developers.

The lower rate, which comes into effect in January as part of the new App Store Small Business Program, applies to those who earn less than $1 million a year in app revenue and in-app purchases.

Apple instituted new policies to make the App Store a bit friendlier for developers. On Monday, it stopped blocking “bug fix” updates because of minor violations of its rules.

Also, when an application is accused of violating the guidelines, developers have the option to suggest a change to the rules.

Apple has made plenty of public-facing moves to show its push for diversity in tech. But it’s making some behind-the-scenes changes, too — like tweaking the terms in its developer ecosystem to remove words the company no longer considers appropriate.

Examples include switching “master” code repository to “main” code repository, and changing “blacklist” to “deny list.” Here’s what Apple had to say in its announcement:

Sam Rosenthal held onto his determination to make Where Cards Fall for almost a decade. And it’s paid off, as the game garnered a 2020 Apple Design Award.

In a lengthy interview with Apple, the developer shared insights into the design process for this title. Including how he tends to think of games as buildings the players move around in.

Aspiring developers might learn from his experiences.