Starting in March 2020, universal app purchases are coming to iOS and macOS. Apps bought on one platform will be unlocked on the other.
App Store
Restrictions for Kids Apps, HTML5 Apps Go Into Effect March 3
Apple is reminding developers that new restrictions for kids apps and HTML5 apps go into effect on March 3, 2020.
The ‘Cult’ of Apple, Ranking No. 6 on an Evil List
Writing for Slate, Cory Doctorow criticizes Apple, calling its customers a cult and Apple a monopoly. I don’t plan to pick apart his article and defend Apple, but I do particularly disagree with this quote:
When it comes to Apple, even if you’re paying for the product, you’re still the product: sold to app programmers as a captive market, or gouged on parts and service by official Apple depots.
I guess consumers can’t do anything right. Not only are we a cult, but we don’t even have the power of the free market, instead we’re “sold” to developers.
There Were 7.8 Billion App Store Downloads in Q4 2019
There were 7.8 billion downloads from the App Store in the last quarter of 2019, a 7.9 percent increase from the same time the year before.
App Store Offering Free Treats From Christmas Eve
Apple will give free gifts to users via the App Store between December 24 and December 29, with a new present to unwrap each day.
Apple Announces Best Apps and Games of 2019
Apple unveiled the best Apps and Games of 2019, including an Ai-powered camera tool, a sketching app for the iPad, and a wide range of games.
iOS Developers Get Detailed Subscription Notifications
iOS developers get detailed subscription notifications that would let them send customers notifications with billing issues.
After CDC Report Apple Removes 181 Vaping Apps
A recent report from the CDC showed that 42 people have died from vaping-related lung illnesses. Now, Apple has removed all 181 vaping apps.
20 Million App Store Ratings Were Just Wiped Out
An accident at Apple recently wiped out over 20 million App Store ratings including popular ones like Hulu, Google, Microsoft, and more.
Clicker Malware Found in 17 iOS Apps
17 apps from iOS developer AppAspect Technologies Pvt. Ltd. were found to contain clicker malware that automatically clicked on ads.
Apple Schedules 8 Hour Downtime for App Store Connect on October 20th
The company said the service would be down from 6:00 AM PDT on October 20th, for “up to 8 hours.”
Apple vs China Over Hong Kong – TMO Daily Observations 2019-10-11
Charlotte Henry and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple’s recent decision to pull an app used by Hong Kong protestors.
Amazon Prime Video Will Return to the App Store Soon
Amazon Prime Video was removed from the App Store today due to some kind of technical issue. But it will return soon.
Amazon Prime Video is currently unavailable in the App Store across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Amazon had updated the iOS version of the app shortly before it was removed from the App Store, but it is unclear why the app was pulled or whether this is a temporary move.
Update: MacRumors has been informed this was a technical issue and the app should be back up shortly.
Tech vs Governments, Siri Learning and Unlearning – TMO Daily Observations 2019-10-03
Dave Hamilton and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss apps vanishing from App Stores, and how Siri can now use third party apps.
Did China Ask Apple to Remove This Hong Kong Protest App?
Apple recently removed a Hong Kong protest app from the App Store, saying that it encouraged users to break the law.
App Store Prices Will Increase in Kazakhstan, Sweden
Apple released developer news today saying that due to changes in foreign exchange rates, App Store prices will increase in Kazakhstan and Sweden.
Once this change goes into effect, the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps will be updated. You can change the price of your apps and in-app purchases (including auto-renewable subscriptions) at any time in App Store Connect. For subscriptions, you have the option to preserve prices for existing subscribers.
See this PDF for a list of updated App Store pricing for these regions.
Be Cautious of AltStore, the New Alternative App Store
There are reports of an alternative App Store that doesn’t require jailbreaking. It’s called AltStore, and it lets you download these alternative apps via a server you install on your Mac. While the developer says that the code for AltStore is open source, that doesn’t mean the apps within are. I urge caution about installing unknown apps outside of the App Store. If they can’t make it through the app review team, there’s probably a reason for that. For example, this quote from the blog:
From the beginning, AltStore was intended to serve as a way for developers to distribute entirely new apps that push the boundaries of iOS in ways not possible with Apple’s app review system.
Hopefully, “pushing the boundaries” doesn’t include apps full of malware.
Apple Releases watchOS 6 Featuring Exercise Trends, Cycle Tracking, New Watch Faces, More
Apple released watchOS 6 Thursday, one day ahead of the release of Apple Watch Series 5. watchOS 6 includes Exercise Trends, Cycle Tracking, new Watch Faces, enhanced Siri support, an onboard App Store for watchOS apps, support for Animoji in Messages, and more.
App Store Guidelines Modified for Kids Apps, Sign In With Apple
Apple has updated its App Store Review Guidelines for kids apps and its new Sign In with Apple technology, giving developers more time.
Apple's Billing Grace Period Should Give You Peace of Mind
Apple is introducing Billing Grace Period as a way to improve the customer experience surrounding subscriptions.
Apple Changes App Store Algorithm to Address Antitrust Complaint
Apple is tweaking the App Store algorithm to make Apple apps less likely to appear in search results. This seeks to address complaints that the company unfairly uses the App Store to promote its own apps in favor of competition.
Mr. Schiller and Mr. Cue said the algorithm had been working properly. They simply decided to handicap themselves to help other developers.
“We make mistakes all the time,” Mr. Cue said.
“We’re happy to admit when we do,” Mr. Schiller said. “This wasn’t a mistake.”
I think the antitrust concerns about Apple have valid arguments, and I think this is a good move by Apple. Notice Phil Schiller gently correct Eddy.
Apple Card Privacy, App Store Download Stats – TMO Daily Observations 2019-08-27
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to talk about Apple Card’s relative privacy and App Store download statistics.
It's Easier for Apps to Rank No. 1 in the App Store
It’s now easier for app developers to have their app ranked number 1 in the App Store. The number of downloads to achieve this has dropped.
App Store Today Stories Now on the Web
App Store Today editorials from Apple are now available on the web, with full imagery, app lists, and text.
To find a link for an App Store story, open the App Store on your iOS device or Mac. Open a story article in the Today view and scroll to the bottom. There will be a ‘Share Story’ button which lets you copy the URL or send it on using the share sheet.