After a long legal dispute, the US Supreme Court ruled today that Apple will have to relax some of its App Store policies. More specifically, the company now has to let developers offer alternative payment methods. Still, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney isn’t happy with the final terms and says the company will contest Apple’s “bad-faith compliance plan.”
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In light of the US Supreme Court denying to hear Apple’s appeal in its legal battle with Epic Games, Apple has announced a handful of changes coming to the App Store Guidelines. Starting today, Apple is updating the App Store Guidelines to comply with the outcome of the 2021 Apple vs. Epic trial.
The changes reform Apple’s guidelines to relax its anti-steering rules that have previously prohibited developers from linking to alternative payment systems in their apps.
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A few months ago, developers with access to an Apple Vision Pro Developer Kit were given access to the App Store to download compatible iPhone and iPad apps. As Vision Pro arrives in stores in February, Apple has made it possible for developers to submit their apps to the App Store. Starting today, these visionOS apps are now rolling out to users.
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The EU’s Digital Markets Act antitrust legislation passed last year will force Apple to allow users to install third-party apps from outside the iOS App Store, a process known as sideloading. Apple is yet to reveal how exactly it will comply with the legislation, but the company reportedly plans to do so very soon.
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We recently reported that App Store Review rejected HEY Calendar, a new app from Basecamp, for the same reason that led to HEY Email being rejected from the App Store in 2020. This time, to get HEY Calendar approved by Apple, Basecamp has added an unexpected new feature to the app rather than changing how it works.
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While Apple is making behind-the-scenes preparations for allowing third-party app stores to comply with Europe’s antitrust requirements, the company is continuing to make arguments about why it shouldn’t have to.
Latest among these is the suggestion that the App Store shouldn’t be viewed as a ‘platform’ as the company actually operates five different app stores …
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App Store Review is blocking another Basecamp camp, and David Heinemeier Hansson isn’t happy. It happened in 2020 with the iOS app for their Hey email service. This time, it’s the standalone Hey Calendar app that Apple says violates App Store rules.
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We recently learned that Apple is settling a class-action lawsuit over its Family Sharing feature for $25 million. Read along for all the details on who is eligible and how to submit a claim for the Apple Family Sharing lawsuit.
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The US antitrust case against Apple’s App Store exclusivity is “firing on all cylinders” according to the head of the Department of Justice unit responsible for policing breaches of competition law.
The implication is that Apple may soon be forced to allow third-party app stores and/or sideloading in the US as well as in Europe …
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As the Digital Markets Act antitrust law passed in the European Union, Apple has until March 2024 to let users in Europe install iOS apps outside the App Store. Although Apple has yet to say a word about how it will do this, regulators around the world have also been considering applying the same demands to the company – and Japan could be the next country to do so.
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We’re likely less than six months away from the launch of third-party app stores on the iPhone – at least in Europe – and Apple’s plans for this appear to be advancing.
We’ve already noted that most consumers are unlikely to switch from the official App Store, unless they are given good reason to. But Apple also needs to keep developers loyal to the platform, and a seemingly small piece of news over the weekend likely revealed how the company intends to go about this …
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Apple has announced a new “contingent pricing” feature for subscriptions in the App Store. According to the company, this gives developers a new way to “attract and retain subscribers” by offering “a discounted subscription price as long as they’re actively subscribed to a different subscription.”
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We learned yesterday that the European Union looks set to impose an App Store anti-steering ban on Apple. That is, Apple would no longer be allowed to prevent Spotify and other music services from linking to their own company’s website for subscription sign-ups.
The ruling we’re expecting is a narrow one, in response to a complaint filed by Spotify almost four years ago now, and will likely only apply to streaming music services. But the principle is a sound one, and is unlikely to pose any great risk to Apple …
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Following last month’s announcement of the 2023 App Store Award winners, Apple has now shared an in-depth look at the most popular apps for the year. In a press release, Apple recognizes “the most popular apps and games of 2023, with year-end charts localized for users in more than 35 countries and regions.”
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Yesterday saw an Epic Games victory in its court case against Google, a jury finding that the Play Store was indeed operated in an anti-competitive fashion.
This is despite the fact that Epic mostly lost a near-identical case against Apple back in 2021. The differing conclusions in the two cases puts Apple back under pressure …
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It was confirmed back in September that Apple will need to comply with antitrust requirements relating to app sales, and it seems most likely this will require the company to allow third-party app stores on iPhones. Microsoft has now indicated its intention to run one of these.
One key driver for the plan is likely Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of mobile gaming giant Activision Blizzard …
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The ongoing back and forth between Apple and a UK antitrust watchdog will go on, London’s Court of Appeal has decided. For those keeping score at home, this particular antitrust case is over whether Apple should be investigated for two things.
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After teasing the finalists earlier this month, Apple has now unveiled the full list of App Store Award winners for 2023. AllTrails has taken home the iPhone App of the Year crown, while Photomator was crowned the Mac App of the Year. Head below for a full breakdown of the winners across all of Apple’s platforms and categories.
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Apple and Google should be held legally responsible for gatekeeping app downloads by teenagers, suggests Facebook and Instagram developer Meta.
The proposal to shift legal responsibility comes as social media platforms face increasing legal battles from parents and lawmakers alike …
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Apple and Google will be made responsible for paying Japanese sales tax on apps and in-app content sold by developers based outside the country, the government has said.
There are two different routes the companies could take to comply with the new policy …
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Apple has announced the finalists for this year’s App Store Awards, recognizing nearly 40 app and game developers across 10 different categories. These apps, Apple says, “are delivering exceptional experiences and making a profound cultural impact.”
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Apple has been under pressure in the European Union as the Digital Markets Act antitrust legislation requires the company to allow users to sideload apps outside the App Store to increase competition. 9to5Mac has now found evidence in the iOS 17.2 beta code that the company is indeed moving towards enabling sideloading on iOS devices.
Update: Apple has published new documentation for the ManagedAppDistribution API on its website confirming that it is primarily intended as an MDM solution. As we suggested in our report, it could still be used for other purposes. You can read the original article below.
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According to a new report from The Information, Apple recently fired several members of its App Store team in China over “business misconduct.” Through a year-long internal investigation, Apple reportedly uncovered a variety of misdoings, including improper contact with mobile game developers, sexual assault, and more.
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The Chinese developer behind the hugely popular Genshin Impact mobile game has twice tried to evade Apple’s 30% cut on in-app purchases, according to a new report.
This is despite a close relationship between gaming giant miHoYo and Apple, including multiple awards, a personal visit by CEO Tim Cook, and two of the company’s games being featured during the iPhone 15 launch …
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