Items tagged with App Store
Christmas has come and gone, but there's a good chance that many Americans received some form of Amazon Echo device under the tree. With so many new Echo owners joining the fray for the first time, they are inevitably heading to the iOS App Store to download the companion app so that they can get started with the setup process on their iPhone. However, an unofficial app has somehow made it near the top of the charts in the App Store, and it is by no means harmless. The app is called "Setup for Amazon Alexa" and was first spotted by 9to5Mac earlier this morning. As of this writing, the...
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Apple is about to have its day in court; but we're not talking about a federal circuit court due to its long-standing battle with Qualcomm. Instead, Apple is set to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court over antitrust allegations stemming from its popular App Store. If regular consumers want to install software on their iPhones or iPads (without jailbreaking, of course), the only way that this is permitted is via Apple’s App Store. This is Apple's curated walled garden for apps and games, and is strictly controlled. Developers must submit their apps to Apple for approval, and if they meet...
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If you're a developer thinking of a way to slip a cryptocurrency mining app into the iOS App Store to make a quick buck, Apple is putting stop to that. The company has updated its developer guideline to explicitly ban cryptocurrency mining on the iPhone and the iPad. The updated rules can be found in Apple's App Store Review Guidelines under the "Hardware Compatibility" heading. Apple clearly states that power efficiency should be a clear goal for developers, given the battery constraints of a portable device like an iPad or iPhone (but especially the iPhone). "Apps should not rapidly...
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Apple has revised its App Store rules and policies with slightly looser restrictions that could pave the way for Valve's Steam Link streaming app to take residence on iOS devices, after it was previously blocked. The relevant wording in the revised rules has to do with how remote mirroring apps like the Steam Link are handled. Depending on Apple's reviews process going forward, the change means that Valve's app could end up on iPhone and iPad devices, after all. First, a little background on the topic. Last month, Valve launched its Steam Link app in beta for Android devices. It works similar to...
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Valve launched the Steam Link app in beta on Google Play earlier this month and planned to bring the app to iOS as well. Initially, Apple approved the app for launch only to turn around a couple days later and pull that approval leaving Valve with no way to get the app onto iOS. At the time the denial was issued, all Apple said was that the Steam Link app violated App Store terms. Valve had said that it hoped Apple would reconsider. It appears that Apple is reconsidering with Phil Schiller having sent out emails to some Apple users who cried foul over the Steam Link app rejection. Reports...
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Technology companies that collect any sort of data are scrambling to be sure that they are being as careful in the wake of Facebook's Cambridge Analytica privacy problems. The latest tech firm to take a hard look at user privacy is Apple, with reports that it is cracking down on apps that share location data with third-party companies. Apple has begun removing the apps in question from the App Store if it finds that data is being shared and notifying the developers of the app that they have violated two different listing guidelines (sections are 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 of the App Store Review Guidelines)....
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Last Friday mobile gamers got a surprise when PUBG Mobile launched in Canada. At the time the game launched in The Great White North, the only way for U.S. gamers to partake in the fun was to change their region and download the game. PUBG Mobile has now officially landed in the U.S. and the game is available on both Android and iOS platforms. The game is said to be an accurate and faithful reproduction of gameplay currently available on PC and console systems, and promises high-quality graphics thanks to Unreal Engine 4 along with HD audio. Perhaps the best news about PUBG Mobile is that...
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Apple has done something that iPhone users in Iran won't be happy about. As of about noon GMT on Thursday, it appears that Apple has implemented a countrywide IP ban that has blocked all iPhone users in Iran from accessing the App Store. When an Iranian user attempts to access the App Store, they receive a message that says "The App Store is unavailable in the country or region you're in." Some users in Iran have been able to get around the IP ban by using a VPN even if their account has Iranian details in it. As for why the ban has taken place, Apple has given no official word. However, Apple...
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There is a security flaw in the most recent edition of macOS High Sierra, version 10.13.2, that allows users to unlock the App Store menu in System Preferences without knowing the password. The only caveat is that the exploit seems to only work on administrative-level accounts—attempts to reproduce the buggy behavior on standard accounts have not been successful. In addition, a fix is on the way. For now, however, the steps to reproduce the bug on administrative-level account are pretty easy, as outlined by a bug report on Open Radar. They are as follows: Log in as a local admin Open the...
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Amazon is the king of AI smart speakers. The company arguably created the category with the release of the Echo in 2014, and expanded it greatly with the introduction of the cheaper Echo Dot and a host of other Echo-branded devices. The 2017 holiday shopping season was the biggest yet for Amazon, and devices like the Echo Dot once again proved to be hot items with customers. In fact, the Echo Dot was the best-selling Amazon-branded hardware device during the holiday season, with Amazon going to state that it was "the best-selling product from any manufacturer in any category across all of Amazon,...
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It is an understatement to say the mobile app market is lucrative. According to a new report, consumer spending on apps is projected to reach $139 billion in revenue by 2021 as maturing markets see strong growth in gross app store spend per device. Increases spending on in-app purchases will also help drive up the total. The bulk of that revenue will come from Android, as all Android stores combined will leapfrog Apple's App Store. App Annie's App Store Forecast Report says that will happen sooner than later. "For 2017, consumer spend in Android stores is forecasted to surpass the App Store. This...
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Though Apple is making a killing on mobile app sales, that is not stopping the company from raising prices in several regions overseas. In the United Kingdom, one of Apple's biggest and most lucrative markets, app prices and in-app purchases are jumping up more than 25 percent. So for an app that might have sold for $0.99 in the United States, it will now sell for £0.99 in the U.K. instead of £0.79.The price hike is a result of a weak pound exchange rate following the Brexit vote. It's not just £0.79 apps that are going up by 25 percent or more, either. Similar price hikes will hit every price...
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Tired of hearing about Pokemon Go yet? The attention it's receiving is the direct result of the enormous number of people who rushed the App Store and Google Play to download the title and never looked back (and sometimes don't look up from their smartphones, but that's another topic). Impressively, Pokemon Go saw more downloads in the App Store during its first week of availability than any other app in the history. Apple confirmed that tidbit and what makes it an especially notable feat is that Pokemon Go had a limited debut, launching initially in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States....
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App developers have been complaining for years that the App Store has become an untenable place for them make money. Selling an app for 99 cents and then never seeing any subsequent revenue from the users (who of course expect free updates) is not profitable, some say. Developers have leaned on in-app purchases to make up the difference, but Apple is instituting two big changes to help level the playing field for developers and put more money in their pockets at the same time. In a rare sit-down interview with The Verge, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller explained that developers will now have...
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