MacRumors

As part of the App Store changes being enabled in Europe, Apple is providing all developers worldwide with updated analytics information.

More than 50 new reports are available through the ‌App Store‌ Connect API to help developers analyze their app performance. Some of the new metrics:

• Engagement - Apple is offering additional insight into the number of users on the ‌App Store‌ that interact with a developer's app or share it with other people.
• Commerce - Developers can get more information on downloads, sales and proceeds, pre-orders, and transactions made with the In-App Purchase system.
• App Usage - Apple now provides more information on crashes, active devices, installs, app deletions, and more.
• Frameworks Usage - Developers can get info on their app's interaction with iOS features like Widgets, CarPlay, and PhotoPicker.

As it does with current reports, Apple will anonymize the data that is used in the new report options. Developers will be able to grant third-party access to their performance reports.

More information about report details and access will be provided to developers in March.

Apps that are distributed through alternative app stores in EU countries will need to submit to a notarization process that's similar to the notarization process for Mac apps. According to Apple, Notarization applies to all apps, and it is a process focused on privacy, security, and maintaining device integrity.

Apple is aiming to ensure that apps do not have viruses, malware, or other security threats, and that they function as promised without exposing users to "egregious fraud."

Notarization will check for the following:

• Accuracy - Apps are required to accurately represent the developer, capabilities, and costs to users.
• Functionality - Binaries must be reviewable, free of serious bugs or crashes, and compatible with the current version of iOS. Software or hardware cannot be manipulated in ways that negatively impact the user experience.
• Safety - Apps cannot promote physical harm of the user or public.
• Security - Apps cannot enable distribution of malware, or suspicious or unwanted software. They also cannot download executable code, read outside of the container, or direct users to lower the security on their system or device. Apps also must provide transparency and allow user consent to enable access to the system or device, or to reconfigure the system or other software.
• Privacy - Apps cannot collect or transmit private, sensitive data without a user's knowledge or in a manner contrary to the stated purpose of the software.

The malware and virus portion of the notarization process will be automatic, but there will also be a human review to make sure that apps are functioning as advertised.

Apple plans to encrypt and sign all iOS apps intended for alternative distribution to ensure that users are getting apps from known parties and to protect developers' intellectual property.

Notarized apps will be double checked during installation to ensure that they have not been tampered with and that installation was initiated through an authorized web browser. An iOS app that is found to have known malware after it's been installed will be prevented from launching on a user's device and new installations will be revoked.

Compared to the App Store review process, Notarization will not check apps for quality or content. Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules do not allow for content that is "offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy," and this content guideline will not apply to apps installed through alternative stores.

Information from Notarization will be used for app installation sheets that will be presented to end users. Apple will offer at-a-glance information about apps and their functionality that users can review before deciding to install an app through an alternate app store.

According to Apple, the Notarization system is aimed at providing "basic protections" that will reduce "some of the new risks" that are created by alternative app distribution. Apple says that it will not set the "same high bar for privacy and security" as the ‌App Store‌ review process.

To comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple has introduced a new request form that allows developers of iOS apps distributed in the EU to request additional interoperability with iPhone hardware and software features.

Apple already offers developers more than 250,000 APIs, enabling them to access iPhone features and frameworks such as cameras, microphones, Bluetooth, HealthKit, SiriKit, and much more. Now, developers can request access to additional iPhone features and technologies for use in their apps in the EU, as they see fit.

Apple says it will evaluate interoperability requests on a case-by-case basis, and release additional APIs in future iOS versions as necessary. Apple says requests must be technically feasible and adhere to the Digital Markets Act.

It's unclear how many of these requests Apple will approve, if any.

Apple is already making the NFC chip in iPhones accessible to third-party payment and wallet apps in the EU, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, which will provide users with alternatives to Apple Pay and the Apple Wallet. This change was introduced with iOS 17.4, which is available in beta now and will be released in March.

The request form and additional details can be found on Apple's website.

Apple today completely overhauled its app system, introducing changes that allow developers to distribute their apps through alternative app stores and use alternative methods of payment in iOS 17.4. Unfortunately, these changes are limited to countries that are in the European Union, and they won't be implemented worldwide.

There are 27 EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Options to install apps through alternative app stores will only be available in the countries listed above, and elsewhere in the world, there will be no changes to how apps are installed and distributed.

Apple said that it is limiting these changes to the EU because the company is concerned about how alternative app stores and payment methods will impact user privacy and security. Apple claims that users are now at risk for being exposed to malware, illicit and questionable app content, pirated software, scams, and fraud.

The updates to the iOS app ecosystem were mandated by Europe's Digital Markets Act, which Apple must comply with by March 6, 2024. If Apple did not change its app rules, it could have faced significant fines levied by the European Commission.

Given Apple's concerns over user privacy and security, the company is unlikely to implement similar changes worldwide without being forced to by similar legislation from other countries. Note that these features are tied to the iOS 17.4 beta that was released today. Apple plans to release iOS 17.4 in March.

Epic Games plans to bring its ‌Epic Games‌ Store to the iPhone and the iPad under Apple's new alternative app store policy in the European Union, ‌Epic Games‌ announced today.

The ‌Epic Games‌ Store will include popular game Fortnite, which means ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ users will be able to install and play the title without having to use a cloud gaming service. Fortnite has been banned from the iOS App Store for the last several years due to the legal dispute between Apple and ‌Epic Games‌.

Even as Epic is planning for an ‌Epic Games‌ app store on iOS, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has been criticizing Apple's planned changes. Sweeney said that Apple's ‌App Store‌ changes are a "devious new instance of malicious compliance" and are aimed at thwarting the Digital Markets Act.

Apple is charging an 0.50 euro fee per user per year for apps installed outside of the ‌App Store‌ (and in the ‌App Store‌ for developers who opt in to the new terms and also still choose to use Apple's system), but there are no ‌App Store‌ commissions or in-app fees. While Apple is waiving fees for the first one million installs, the 0.50 per user fee will cost app developers like ‌Epic Games‌ a notable amount of money. Sweeney called Apple's payment "junk fees."

Sweeney also criticizes Apple for the notarization process that will potentially allow it to reject alternative app stores from iOS. He claims that Apple could block Epic from launching an ‌Epic Games‌ Store and distributing Fortnite through it, but there have been no signs that Apple would do so.

‌Epic Games‌ is "determined" to launch on iOS and compete with the ‌App Store‌, said Sweeney, and while ‌Epic Games‌ is planning for a store on iOS, the company says it will continue to "argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law."

Apple's upcoming iPad Pro is likely to include a landscape Face ID camera, according to code in iOS 17.4 discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser.

"During ‌Face ID‌ setup, iPad needs to be in landscape with the camera at the top of the screen," reads the code.

With the 10th-generation ‌iPad‌, Apple relocated the front-facing camera to the side of the device so that it would be usable in landscape mode rather than portrait mode, and it appears that Apple is making this change with future iPads as well.

The ‌iPad Pro‌ is the only ‌iPad‌ model that has ‌Face ID‌ at the current time, so the code suggests that Apple is relocating the front-facing camera from the top of the device to the side. Apple could, however, be adding ‌Face ID‌ to the iPad Air, so it is also possible that this change applies to that device.

Apple has long positioned the ‌iPad Pro‌ as an alternative to the Mac, and as a Mac replacement, it is often used in a horizontal orientation rather than a vertical orientation, so relocating the camera makes sense.

Rumors suggest that Apple will introduce new ‌iPad Air‌ and ‌iPad Pro‌ models as soon as April.

In developer documentation outlining systemwide changes to the App Store in the European Union, Apple explains why alternative app stores, alternative payment options, and other updates are being limited to the EU.

Apple claims that these changes are introducing notable risks for users and developers, introducing "new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content, and other privacy and security threats."

Further, Apple says that the updates compromise its ability to "detect, prevent, and take action" against malicious apps, and also to support users impacted by issues with apps that are downloaded outside of the ‌App Store‌.

"We're limiting these changes to the European Union because we're concerned about their impacts on the privacy and security of our users' experience - which remains our North Star," Apple writes.

To limit risk, Apple is requiring alternative app stores to undergo a notarization process that will check for malware and viruses, but Apple will not evaluate an app's content. Though notarization will add safeguards, Apple says there is risk involved with the alternate app store system.

If not properly managed, alternative distribution poses increased privacy, safety, and security risks for users and developers. This includes risks from installing software from unknown developers that are not subject to the Apple Developer Program requirements, installing software that compromises system integrity with malware or other malicious code, the distribution of pirated software, exposure to illicit, objectionable, and harmful content due to lower content and moderation standards, and increased risks of scams, fraud, and abuse. Apple has less ability to address these risks, and to support and refund customers regarding these issues. Even with safeguards, many of these risks remain.

Going forward, Apple plans to engage with the European Union, developer community, and EU users about the impacts of alternative app stores.

Outside of the EU, app developers must continue to use the ‌App Store‌ and in-app purchase system as usual.

Apple in iOS 17.4 will begin allowing apps in the European Union to be distributed through alternative app stores rather than the iOS App Store, but the Cupertino company warns that this means certain features users have come to rely on will not work as they do for standard ‌App Store‌ apps.

Restrictions on In-App Purchases in Screen Time will not be available, for example, nor will Family Purchase Sharing for apps and subscriptions that are made outside of the ‌App Store‌. Ask to Buy is not a supported feature, and universal purchase, a feature that allows apps to work across all of a user's devices, is not offered.

Apple will not be able to offer these features because it will not be facilitating purchases of apps distributed through alternative app stores.

Screen Time, parental controls, and Spotlight will continue to function, according to Apple, but parents will need to adjust to not having access to purchasing restrictions for apps installed outside of the ‌App Store‌.

Apple also warns that it will not be able to assist users with refunds, purchase history, subscription management and cancelation, violations of user data privacy, abuse, or fraud and manipulations.

Developers or the alternative app marketplace an app was downloaded from will need to handle issues like refunds and subscription cancelations. iPhone and iPad users will be able to choose not to install apps outside of the ‌App Store‌, of course, and these changes are limited to users in the European Union.

The iOS 17.4 beta that was released today introduces new emoji characters, which include lime, an edible brown mushroom, a phoenix, a broken chain, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), and shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake).

These characters are part of the Unicode 15.1 update that was approved in September 2023.

There are also four new family emoji combinations, along with updates to six people emoji that now have direction specifications such as facing right or facing left. The direction options can be used with person walking, person running, person kneeling, person with white cane, person in manual wheelchair, and person in motorized wheelchair.

This is a smaller update than we typically get, with fewer emoji characters, but that is because it is a .1 Unicode Consortium update rather than a major point update.

iOS 17.4 is limited to developers at the current time, but it should soon be coming to public beta testers. It will see an official launch sometime in March.

As part of major changes being made to the app ecosystem in the EU in iOS 17.4, Apple is allowing apps to access and use the iPhone's NFC chip.

Going forward, NFC payments will be available directly in apps without the need for Apple Pay or the Wallet app, paving the way for third-party payment services and banks to offer their own tap-to-pay solutions on Apple devices.

‌iPhone‌ users can set a default app that will be activated when an ‌iPhone‌ is near an NFC terminal or when the side button on the device is double clicked, which means native support for tap-to-pay payments that are not ‌Apple Pay‌ is now available.

Apple will require apps using NFC for payments to confirm to industry security standards, such as having valid agreements with an authorized Payment Service Provider.

This access to NFC technology is limited to banking and wallet apps that are in the European Economic Area, which includes the 27 European Union countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

With the iOS 17.4 update, Apple is making sweeping changes to iOS in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act in the European Union. Apple is opening up the browser engine, and giving users more choice over what apps and services they use as the defaults on their devices.

Users in the EU who update to iOS 17.4 will be presented with a splash screen upon opening Safari that allows them to choose a new default browser. Apple is not providing just the standard browsers that have been options on iOS in the past, but a list of the most downloaded browsers on iOS devices. Some of the options include Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Brave, and Microsoft Edge.

Browser apps can also now use browser engines other than WebKit, both for browser apps and in-app browsing experiences within apps. At the current time, Apple requires all browsers on iOS to use the WebKit engine, including popular options like Chrome and Firefox. Going forward, Chrome will be able to use Blink, for example.

Users will also be able to choose a default app marketplace, thanks to support for alternative marketplaces, and they will be able to select a default contactless app for contactless payments. These changes are limited to iPhone and iPad users in the European Union, and they are being implemented as part of iOS 17.4, which is available to developers as a beta as of today.

Apple today announced that it now allows streaming game apps on the App Store worldwide, in response to feedback from developers. This will pave the way for services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce NOW to be available as standalone iPhone and iPad apps, whereas they were previously only accessible via the web.

These cloud gaming apps will allow iPhone and iPad users to stream games from servers, with the entire selection of games available within a single app.

"Developers can now submit a single app with the capability to stream all of the games offered in their catalog," reads Apple's announcement.

Streaming game apps will need to maintain an age rating of the highest age-rated content included in the app, and the apps will of course also need to respect all of the latest App Store Review Guidelines, according to Apple.

Apple today announced major changes to its app ecosystem in the European Union, implementing updates that will allow iPhone and iPad users to download and install apps outside of the App Store through alternative app marketplaces.

Alternative app marketplaces will function as an iOS app that is able to install other iOS apps on an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Any developer can create an app marketplace, so long as they meet Apple's criteria for customer experience, fraud prevention, customer support, and more. Apple is creating new APIs to build marketplaces on iOS to distribute apps to users.

In the EU, when an app developer submits an app to Apple for distribution, they can choose the ‌App Store‌ or any alternative app marketplaces. This includes distribution through multiple alternative app marketplaces or through both the ‌App Store‌ and an app marketplace.

Apps installed through alternative app stores will need to go through a notarization process that includes safety and security checks, which is how Mac apps work.

Apple will not charge a commission on apps installed through alternative marketplaces, nor will it charge commission for alternative payment systems, which are also allowed under the ‌App Store‌ updates in the European Union. Developers can integrate an alternative payment processor into their app that allows a user to make a purchase and check out entirely in an app, or developers can link out to their websites where users can make a purchase.

While there are no commissions for alternative app marketplaces and alternative payment systems, there is a Core Technology Fee that is .50 euros per install per account on an annual basis. The first 1 million installs are free for all developers, but after 1 million installs, the fee comes into play.

App developers who choose to continue to distribute under the ‌App Store‌ will pay Apple reduced commission with the new terms. Apple is dropping the 30 percent commission to 17 percent, and the 15 percent commission paid for subscriptions over a year old or by small businesses will drop to 10 percent. Apple says the vast majority of apps will qualify for the 10 percent rate.

Developers have a choice between opting into the new business terms in the EU or sticking with the ‌App Store‌ terms as they are today. Developers who choose to maintain the status quo will pay the fees they pay now -- 15 to 30 percent commission.

Developers who opt for the updated business terms will pay the reduced commissions, will have access to alternative app stores, and will also be subject to the Core Technology Fee. There is an also optional 3 percent payment processing fee for those who choose to continue to use Apple's integrated payment system rather than an alternative payment system under the new terms.

Apple's Core Technology Fee will be paid annually, and Apple says that the fee reflects the value that developers get from Apple's tools and platform. Apps distributed by government agencies, non-profits, and educational institutions will be exempt from the Core Technology Fee. To help developers decide between the existing policies and the new system, Apple is providing a fee calculator and analytics report for the first annual install metric.

Apple believes that allowing for alternative app installations will bring a major risk to platform integrity, but the measures that it is taking with notarization are aimed at reducing the risk of malware and other issues as much as possible. Apple's automated notarization checks will scan for known viruses and malware, plus there will be a baseline human review to ensure an app meets platform policies for security and privacy.

Unlike ‌App Store‌ review, notarization will not enforce quality or content standards.There will be a system sheet for a notarized app that displays the app's name, screenshots, and more so that a user can verify an app's information before choosing to install it.

Users will be able to install multiple app marketplace apps, and they will need to give permission before an app marketplace can install apps on a device. There is a management system in the Settings app that allows users to revoke permissions for app marketplaces and also, set a default app marketplace on their device.

There are other changes coming as well. Users in the European Union will have an option to choose a default browser after updating to iOS 17.4, with Apple providing a list of the most downloaded browsers.

Apple is giving app developers in the EU access to NFC and allowing for alternative browser engines, so WebKit will not be required for third-party browser apps. Apps will be able to offer NFC payments without using Apple Pay or the Wallet app through Host Card Emulation. Apps can also access field detect, and a default app can be set to activate when an ‌iPhone‌ is placed near a terminal.

‌App Store‌ rules around iCloud gaming are being updated globally to make it easier for users to download and enjoy games.

Developers worldwide have access to expanded analytics, with more than 50 new reports on commerce, user engagement, and more. Data is still anonymized, but developers will have more information to work with.

Apple is making these changes to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, which tech companies need to adhere to by March 6, 2024. iOS 17.4 is coming out as a beta update today, and it is set to see a public release in March.

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 betas to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming a day after the launches of iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3.

Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

Apple has a March 6 deadline to introduce app sideloading in the European Union in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and iOS 17.4 will add support for this. Sideloading will allow Apple users in Europe to download apps outside of the App Store, but the change will be limited to the EU and won't impact customers in other parts of the world.

There's no word yet on what else is included in iOS 17.4, but Apple's updates around this time often introduce new emoji characters. If there are indeed new emoji in the update, we can expect to see the Unicode 15.1 additions, which include phoenix, lime, an edible mushroom, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake), and broken chain.

Over the past few weeks, some Mac users have complained that their computer automatically upgraded itself from macOS Ventura to the latest macOS Sonoma release, even with the automatic updates setting turned off.

There are widespread complaints about this issue across the Apple Support Community, MacRumors Forums, Reddit, X, and other websites.

In most cases, it appears that affected users received a desktop notification alerting them that macOS Sonoma was an available software update. However, despite dismissing the notification and having automatic updates turned off, affected users said their Mac proceeded to install macOS Sonoma regardless. Apple began showing the notification to users on January 10, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

The underlying cause of the issue is unclear, and an Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It is possible to downgrade a Mac to an older macOS version by using a bootable installer to erase and install the older version and then restoring your data from a Time Machine backup. Always make sure to back up your data before downgrading a Mac.

To review your Mac's update settings, open the System Settings app, click General → Software Update, and click the info symbol next to Automatic Updates.

We will update this report if new information becomes available.

Weather Up today was updated with a few new features, including an interactive Home Screen widget and an Apple Watch app.

The interactive widget allows you to view your local weather forecast at a glance on your iPhone's Home Screen, without needing to open the app. The app now supports three data sources, including Apple Weather, AccuWeather, and AerisWeather.

As for the Apple Watch app, it is fully optimized for watchOS 10 and offers a widget that can be accessed via the Smart Stack.

Weather Up version 3.0 is rolling out on the App Store today. In the U.S., the subscription-based app costs $4 per month or $40 per year.

Best Buy this week has another sitewide sale going, with notable discounts across a wide collection of products. Yesterday, we shared a deal on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 devices, and Best Buy's sale also includes pre-order discounts on the brand new Samsung Galaxy S24 series of smartphones, with up to $120 off unlocked models and up to $870 off unlocked models with a qualifying trade-in.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

If you don't have a trade-in to complete, you can get the 256GB Galaxy S24 for $799.99 ($60 off), the 512GB Galaxy S24+ for $999.99 ($120 off), and the 512GB Galaxy S24 Ultra for $1,299.99, down from $1,419.99.

If you do have a smartphone to trade in, you can get up to $870 off these smartphones when you pre-order. Additionally, Best Buy is providing up to a $150 Best Buy e-gift card when you trade in an existing device and pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S24 series.

Cellular carriers have offers through Best Buy as well, including the same Best Buy e-gift card promotion. When pre-ordering through Best Buy and trading in a qualifying device, Verizon and AT&T customers can save up to $1,120 on the new Galaxy S24 smartphone.

Samsung announced these smartphones last week, and their flagship feature is the addition of "Galaxy AI," a new artificial intelligence feature. You can read more about Samsung's iPhone 15 competitors in our hands-on post.

There are many more deals to be found during Best Buy's sitewide sale, and we've rounded up a few of them below. You'll find MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models at all-time low prices, major discounts on 4K TVs, notable sales on headphones and earbuds, and much more.

• Beats Fit Pro - $159.99, down from $199.99
• Samsung Q-Series Dolby Atmos Soundbar - $299.99, down from $499.99
• Xbox Series X - $449.99 with My Best Buy Plus/Total, down from $499.99
• TCL 55-inch 4K QLED HDR Smart TV - $499.99, down from $599.99
• 13-inch M1 MacBook Air - $749.99, down from $999.99
• Samsung 85-inch 4K Smart TV - $799.99, down from $1,299.99
• TCL 65-inch Mini-LED QLED 4K Smart TV - $899.99, down from $1,299.99
• 14-inch 512GB M3 Pro MacBook Pro - $1,799.99 with My Best Buy Plus/Total, down from $1,999.00

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.