Scott Forstall, a former senior vice president at Apple, allegedly encouraged Pandora to jailbreak the original iPhone so it could get a head start on building a native music streaming app, according to a new report.
Forstall met with Pandora co-founder and CEO Tim Westergren during iPhone’s early days — before it had an official App Store — and encouraged the company to use “back door toolkits” while “we get our act together at Apple.”
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday that claimed Apple has a monopoly over app distribution on iOS.
The makers of Coronavirus Reporter sued Cupertino for rejecting their title from the App Store. But U.S. District Judge Edward Chen published a 34-page ruling that says the developers’ arguments “failed to pass muster.”
Carrot Weather, LumaFusion, and Apple Arcade hit Fantasian are some of the titles recognized in the 2021 App Store Awards, announced on Thursday.
Apple also identified “Connection” as the Trend of the Year, thanks to games like Among Us! and apps like Bumble, which “brought people together in meaningful ways — while meeting social, personal, and professional needs.”
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney renewed his attack on the App Store, telling a conference in South Korea that “Apple must be stopped.”
Sweeney, who spoke Tuesday at the Global Conference for Mobile Application Ecosystem Fairness, accused Apple of complying with “oppressive foreign laws.” He also called for “a single store that works with all platforms.”
Netflix Games is now available on iPhone and iPad, just over one week after making its debut on Android. Users can access all titles through the main Netflix app, but — as expected — they must be downloaded individually.
The service offers five games to begin with, including the two Stranger Things titles that were already available on iOS, and is available at no extra cost to those who already have a Netflix subscription.
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Apple to add third-party payment options to the App Store by December 9, after denying the company’s motion for a stay in Fortnite developer Epic Games’ case against Cupertino.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said the motion, which argued that Apple needed time to implement the changes, was based on “a selective reading of the Court’s findings” and “ignores everything” in favor of an injunction.
Apple today confirmed that it will continue to accept App Store submissions over the holiday period for the first time.
The company usually takes a short break in December, during which App Store submissions are closed and developers must scramble to get their updates out. That changes this year, but Apple warns that reviews may be delayed.
Netflix may be forced to release its subscription games as individual downloads on the App Store to comply with Apple’s rules. Other subscription services, such as GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming, aren’t allowed on the App Store.
It is believed users will still be able to discover and launch titles through the main Netflix app, but they’ll need to download each one first.
Add Russia to the list of countries investigating the App Store. It is reportedly looking into whether Apple’s policy forbidding iPhone developers from telling customers about alternate — and possibly cheaper — payment options is a violation of its antitrust laws.
The U.S. and other countries are asking that same question.
iOS is safer than Android because you cannot sideload apps onto an iPhone, Apple says. The company this week published a document in response to the European Commission’s proposal that could force Apple to allow third-party app marketplaces, which points out the many risks (as Apple sees it) with that plan.
Titled “Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps,” the 31-page PDF argues that allowing the sideloading of apps on iPhone “would cripple the privacy and security protections that have made iPhone so secure.”
Apple has appealed the September ruling of its lengthy legal battle against Epic Games, despite spinning it as a significant win for the company. It has also asked to delay changes to the App Store while the appeal is ongoing.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in Apple’s favor in nine out of ten counts against its App Store policies, but sided with Epic on one very important one: That third-party app-makers should be allowed to offer other payment systems.
Apple SVP and General Counsel Kate Adams said the company was “very pleased with the ruling” and called it “a huge win for Apple.” It seems, however, that maybe Cupertino wasn’t quite as pleased as it claimed.
Antitrust investigators in the Netherlands are the latest to determine that Apple’s App Store rules over in-app payments are anti-competitive. Authorities ordered Cupertino to make changes, sources say, but did not issue fines.
The decision follows a similar ruling in South Korea in late August. It became the first country to tell Apple (and Google) that they must accept third-party payment systems in their app marketplaces.
If you’re having trouble with one of your favorite apps in iOS 15, it’s now possible to “report a problem” through the App Store. Apple removed this feature a couple of years ago but iOS 15 brings it back, and it’s now even better.
Here’s what has changed.
The first phase of the legal war between Apple and Epic Games is over, and a Federal court agreed with the game developer in some of the major points in their lawsuit. But Apple refuses to reinstate Fortnite and other Epic titles to its App Store during the appeals process.
The iPhone maker says this is the result of “Epic’s duplicitous conduct” leading to the lawsuit.
You might think Fortnite creator Epic Games would be pretty ecstatic with the recent ruling that says Apple must allow developers to offer third-party payment methods inside their iOS apps. But that’s not the case.
Epic has expressed its dissatisfaction with the outcome in recent days, and has now confirmed it has filed a notice of appeal against the decision. It seems the company has no plans to bring Fortnite back to iOS just yet.
Apple has been ordered by a federal judge to allow iPhone software developers to point customers to their own websites to make in-app purchases. Previously, Apple required all these transactions to happen through its payment system. The change will prevent the iPhone-maker from collecting 15% to 30% of the revenue from transactions that go through developers’ direct payment systems.
This is the primary result of the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. And it’s exactly what Epic asked for in the first place.
Epic Games has asked Apple to reinstate its developer account so that it can bring Fortnite back to iPhone and iPad in Korea, where a new bill could allow it to offer its own payment system alongside Apple’s for in-app purchases.
But unfortunately for Fortnite fans, Apple isn’t having any of it. Cupertino said in a statement to Cult of Mac that it will only allow Epic to return to the App Store when it agrees “to play by the same rules as everyone else.”
Update: A U.S. judge made her ruling in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit on Friday, and is requiring Apple to allow developers like Epic Games to set up their own direct-payment systems. This could bring Fortnite back to the App Store.
Apple will ask iPhone and iPad users for their permission to show personalized ads within its own apps in iOS and iPadOS 15.
A new popup appears when opening the App Store for the first time after installing one of Apple’s latest betas. It says personalized ads “help you discover apps, products and services that are relevant to you.”
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: It sounds like iPhone 13 will come with a secret satellite trick that will give you signal anywhere on Earth! The feature might not prove as groundbreaking as it initially seemed, but it still sounds like a lifesaver.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
Apple will relax App Store rules for “reader” apps that let users access previously purchased content and subscriptions for books, magazines, music and more, the company said Wednesday.
The move closes an investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, and will apply to all reader apps on the App Store — in all countries. The agreement with the JFTC also paves the way for users to create and manage accounts inside iOS apps.
Developers are seemingly losing interest in bringing their titles to the Mac App Store, with new submissions steadily declining since the beginning of 2021. There were fewer than 300 new releases for the first time ever in July.
And research indicates August could prove even worse for new Mac App Store submissions.
South Korea has become the first country to tell Apple that it must open up the App Store to third-party payment platforms. The same law also applies to Google, and other countries likely will implement similar rules.
The amendment to South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act prevents large app market operators from forcing their own payment systems on users and developers. It also bans unreasonable delays in app approvals.
Apple will make several changes to its App Store policies to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by developers, the company said Thursday. Cupertino also will cough up $100 million to create a “fund” for small app-makers.
As part of the deal, Apple will allow developers to inform customers about alternative payment methods outside of their iOS apps. But they won’t be able to mention those payment methods inside the apps themselves.
Pokémon Unite, the newest mobile release from The Pokémon Company, will make its App Store debut next month. You can preorder the team-based battling game now ahead of its official debut on iPhone and iPad.
Nintendo also confirmed this week that the Pokémon Home app will pick up support for its next-generation Pokémon games — Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus — early next year.
FlickType, maker of the accessible iPhone keyboard that has become popular among those with vision impairment, has confirmed it is discontinuing its app after years of obstacles and “abuse” from Apple’s App Store approval team.
The announcement comes after FlickType last week submitted an update to fix bugs related to iOS 15 and got “incorrectly” rejected by Apple. The team says Apple has ignored repeated requests for clarification and support.
