App Store - page 18

App Store rakes in 80% more than Google Play in 2019 so far

By

Apple removes 17 malware apps which secretly clicked on ads
The App Store is ridiculously successful.
Photo: Apple

Customers spent a massive $25.5 billion globally in the iOS App Store during the first half of 2019. That represents an increase of 13.2% compared to the same period one year ago.

While Android devices considerably outnumber iOS handsets, Apple still raked in the majority of profit. Total app spending through Google Play hit just $14.2 billion. That means that the amount generated by Apple’s App Store was around 80% greater than Google Play’s estimated gross revenue.

Today in Apple history: iPad surpasses 100,000 exclusive apps

By

iPad
The iPad got developers excited from day one!
Photo: Apple

June 30: Today in Apple history: iPad surpasses 100,000 exclusive apps June 30, 2011: A little more than a year after the iPad goes on sale, the number of iPad-exclusive apps in the App Store passes 100,000.

The milestone caps a brilliant first year for Apple’s long-awaited tablet. And the amazing breadth of iPad-only apps proves the device is much more than just a bigger iPhone.

Acclaimed 2D action RPG Hyper Light Drifter coming to iOS

By

Hyper Light Drifter
This game was a big hit on Mac, PC and consoles when it launched in 2016.
Photo: Abylight Studios

Heart Machine’s acclaimed 2D action RPG Hyper Light Drifter won hearts and minds when it launched on Mac, PC, and consoles back in 2016.

Now, three years later, it’s finally coming to the iOS App Store. And, fortunately, fans don’t have too much longer to wait.

Lovable platformer Human: Fall Flat crashes into the App Store

By

Human-Fall-Flat
Everyone should play Human: Fall Flat.
Photo: 505 Games

Human: Fall Flat, the wonderful puzzle platformer from 505 Games, has made the leap to the App Store.

This unique title lets you play as a wobbly human who gets stuck inside surreal dreams and has to find the exit. You have no superpowers or special abilities, which makes the open-ended, physics-based gameplay all the more fun.

iWork apps for iOS and Mac get a massive update

By

iWork
iWork could expose user data to U.S. authorities.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s suite of iWork productivity apps received a big batch of updates today for both the Mac and iOS versions.

Keynote, Numbers and Pages for the two platforms added a bunch of new features. The biggest addition is some new outline styles. There are also a couple of new customization options for Apple Pencil and a face detection feature that intelligently positions people in placeholders and objects.

Apple’s not making much money off Spotify

By

Spotify Premium update October 2018
Anyone paying for a Spotify subscription probably isn’t also sending money to Apple.
Photo: Spotify

Only a small percentage of Spotify subscribers pay a portion of their monthly fees to the Apple Store. This weakens Spotify’s argument that Apple is using required revenue sharing to stifle its rival’s ability to compete in the music streaming business.

App Store testers plow through up to 100 apps per day

By

Apple removes 17 malware apps which secretly clicked on ads
Nothing makes it onto an Apple App Store without a human looking at it. That takes less time than you might think.
Photo: Apple

With close to two million applications in its software stores, Apple reportedly doesn’t have much time to devote to testing most new submissions. Details leaking out about the process show that a typical app either gets approved or blocked in 5 or 10 minutes.

A lot of them get blocked.

Adobe Lightroom hits the Mac App Store and you can try it out for free

By

Adobe-Lightroom-Mac
Try it for 7 days before signing up.
Photo: Adobe

Adobe has brought its professional photo editing software to the Mac App Store.

Lightroom for macOS is available now as a free download, and you can try it for seven days before deciding whether or not you want to cough up for it. This is the full version of Lightroom — just like you would get from Adobe.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is a great puzzle game for iOS

By

Diabolical Box
This title originally appeared on the Nintendo DS.
Image: Level-5

The classic Nintendo DS puzzle game franchise Professor Layton continues to roll out on iOS.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, the second game in the series, was first released in Japan back in 2007. An English language version showed up in North America in 2009. A decade later, and you can finally play it on your iPhone or iPad.

Unbroken Soul looks like the best action platformer the ’90s never gave us

By

Unbroken Soul1
Coming to iOS at the end of June. By way of 1991.
Photo: Chorrus Games

For all the cool AR-based games and AAA-quality titles you’ll find in the App Store, a big part of me hankers after some good, old-fashioned retro gaming fun.

The upcoming action platformer Unbroken Soul hits that sweet spot perfectly. No, it’s not a classic game port like Golden Axe, but it sure looks like it could have sat happily alongside it. Check out the trailer below.

Top iPhone apps still pull in vastly more money than Android‘s best sellers

By

iPhone App Store
The Apple App Store brings in much more revenue than its Android rival.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The 100 biggest software developers on the Apple App Store took in a whopping 64 percent more than the highest-earning Android app makers during the first the first three months of this year.

And the iPhone devs saw a 12 percent average year-over-year increase in revenue during Q1, according to a market research firm.

Call of Duty: Mobile quietly hits the App Store in Australia

By

Call of Duty: Mobile
It should be arriving in other markets very soon.
Photo: Activision

The wait for Call of Duty: Mobile on iOS is almost over.

Activision’s newest title has quietly launched in Australia, where iPhone and iPad users can now get their hands on it for free. It shouldn’t be too long before the first true Call of Duty game for mobile goes global.

You can now preorder the amazing Dead Cells on iOS

By

Dead Cells
Excited yet?
Photo: Motion Twin

Dead Cells, the brutal 2D action-platformer that has been a huge success on consoles and PC, is now available to preorder on iOS.

It’s not a free-to-play game like most of the titles you’ll see in 2019, but it’s well worth its price tag. And if you get your order in early ahead of its launch next month, you’ll save yourself a cool $2.

iOS and Mac apps no longer part of iTunes URL

By

Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
The App Store is striking out on its own!
Photo: Apple

In a subtle, but significant, change, iOS and Mac app listings on the web now direct users to a URL at apps.apple.com, instead of itunes.apple.com.

This follows WWDC, where Apple shared details of a world beyond iTunes. Apple is breaking up the iTunes app into Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. While you don’t need to worry about your iTunes content, this is the latest example of Apple shifting away from that branding.

The antitrust arguments that could hobble the tech giants

By

Apple adds 5 new vice presidents to its executive lineup
Apple could be the potential recipient of an antitrust investigation.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim has laid out some of the potential antitrust arguments that could be made against tech giants.

Delrahim’s office is reportedly in charge of investigating Google parent company Alphabet, as well as a potential investigation into Apple.

PBS president says new App Store rules will hurt its educational app

By

Recode PBS president 1
PBS's Paula Kerger and Yamiche Alcindor.
Screenshot: Recode

Apple’s efforts to limit data sharing on kids’ apps will hurt one of PBS’s educational apps, the broadcaster’s president and CEO has revealed.

Speaking at Recode‘s Code Conference 2019, PBS’s Paula Kerger said the company’s PBS Kids steaming app will be affected by new Apple restrictions. These stop developers of kids’ apps from including third-party ads and analytics tools. These rules will go into effect on September 3.

Ethereal fantasy game Sky will finally soar onto iOS in July

By

Sky game
Could this be the year's most beautiful iOS game?
Photo: Thatgamecompany

Thatgamecompany’s eagerly anticipated Sky: Children of the Light is coming exclusively to iOS next month.

The ethereal social exploration game, which takes place across seven different dream-like worlds, is its developers’ first title since 2012’s Journey. Check out the new E3 2019 trailer below.

Deleting unused apps is even easier in iOS 13

By

App delete
There’s a new way to delete apps in iOS 13.
Photo: Cult of Mac

You know how when you go to the updates section in the App Store and you see that it’s taking forever for one app to download even though you never use it?

The days of that happening are finally going to be over once iOS 13. An unmentioned feature in iOS 13 lets users delete apps right from the App Store section so you don’t have to go hunt down the app icon.

Check it out in action: