MacRumors

Some Apple Watch Series 5 owners have been experiencing battery issues with their devices that cause random shutdowns even when the Apple Watch is reporting high battery levels.

An inconsistent reading of actual battery level appears to be at fault, as in most cases, the Apple Watch reports near 100 percent battery levels for most of the day before dropping down to close to 50 percent and then shutting off. Macrumors reader Todd describes the issue:

Prior to a recent update, my watch had been accurate in reporting its battery level. It's hard to say which recent update MAY have created the issue, or if it's a result of something different, but I'm currently running watchOS 6.2.8. For the past few weeks, my watch has been reporting at or near 100% battery levels for the duration of the day - 5-6 hours at least. It will then drop down to around 53% and then abruptly shut off. Once restarted, it reports a battery level of 53% but will then shut down again if not placed on a charger.

Other users have seen a problem where the Apple Watch shuts down at around 50 percent battery, charges up to 99 percent in a short period of time, and then has problems charging fully to 100 percent.

There are complaints about these battery life issues on the MacRumors forums and the Apple Support Communities, plus iMore wrote about the issue earlier this year. From the Apple Support Communities:

I am having the following problem with my Series 5 Apple Watch, purchased four months ago:

1. After a full charge, the battery charge indicator remains stuck at 100% for approximately 4-9 hours.

2. The battery charge indicator then begins to decrease.

3. When the battery charge indicator reaches approximately 15-33%, the watch powers down suddenly, with no low battery warning (which should be given at 10%).

In summary, the battery charge indicator is essentially never correct.

Apple Watch Series 5 owners have been complaining about battery life issues since the device was first released in September 2019, and while it doesn't appear to be a widespread issue, there are a good number of people who are experiencing problems.

Complaints have persisted across multiple watchOS updates, and there have been a reports about battery errors after the latest watchOS 6.2.6 and watchOS 6.2.8 updates. Some affected users have been able to solve the problem by getting a replacement watch from Apple, but other techniques, such as resetting the watch, re-pairing, deleting watch faces, and more have not worked.

Given the mixed reports about the battery problems and the length of time that people have been experiencing issues, it's not clear what's going on but it appears that Apple hasn't yet been able to fix the issue.

Apple CEO Tim Cook yesterday testified in front of the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee where he was questioned on Apple's App Store policies, but Congress also released a series of emails that Apple had submitted as part of the ongoing antitrust investigation.

Those emails revealed Apple's thoughts on App Store fees and provided insight into its efforts to negotiate deals with Amazon, but there were also emails on other topics, including the ongoing Right to Repair battle that Apple has been fighting against independent repair shops.

Repair site iFixit is part of the Right to Repair fight and today highlighted Apple's internal discussions about Right to Repair and the context surrounding those discussions, which is an interesting read for those who support the Right to Repair movement.

For those unfamiliar with Right to Repair, it's legislation that mandates that consumers should be able to repair their own devices, and that electronics companies like Apple should provide repair parts and repair manuals to all repair shops, rather than just Apple Authorized Service Providers.

Apple has lobbied heavily against Right to Repair, but internally, emails suggest Apple has been uncertain about its position and how it wants to handle repairs in the future. As an example, Apple scrambled to figure out its narrative when The New York Times in April 2019 wrote an op-ed in favor of the movement.

"The larger issue is that our strategy around all of this is unclear. Right now we're talking out of both sides of our mouth and no one is clear on where we're headed," reads the email.

Later in 2019, iFixit discovered iMac repair manuals online and questioned Apple about it. iFixit received no response, but according to the emails shared with Congress, it sparked internal discussion. From an email between Apple PR execs:

Right now, it's pretty clear things are happening in a vacuum and there is not an overall strategy. Plus, with one hand we are making these changes and the other is actively fighting Right to Repair legislation moving in 20 states without real coordination for how updated policies could be used to leverage our position."

As it turned out, Apple released the ‌iMac‌ manuals for the EPEAT green certification standard, and not all teams at Apple were aware those manuals were being uploaded nor was everyone in favor of it. Apple did not ultimately remove the manuals, but has not posted further repair instructions online.

Multiple states have introduced Right to Repair legislation, but lobbying from Apple and other companies like John Deere has prevented it from passing. Apple continually cites customer safety as the reason why repairs need to be restricted.

In fact, to persuade California lawmakers not to pass Right to Repair legislation, Apple's lobbyists took apart an iPhone and explained how customers could harm themselves if the lithium-ion battery is punctured. Apple has also said that it wants to assure customers that their products will be "repaired safely and correctly," as the reasoning behind not opening up repairs to all repair shops.

Even as it fights Right to Repair legislation, Apple has been making some moves to attempt to appease those pushing for expanded repair access. Apple in August 2019 introduced an Independent Repair Provider Program that provides independent repair businesses with genuine Apple parts, tools, training and repair manuals, but it does require repair shops to sign onerous contracts to get access.

iFixit does, of course, heavily advocate for Right to Repair policies so the piece on Apple's uncertainty over how to handle the shifting demand for access to repairs is somewhat biased, but the full article is worth a read for those who are interested in better access to repairs.

Apple with iOS 13 introduced HomeKit Secure Video functionality, which allows home security cameras that adopt support to offer integration with iCloud and the Home app, along with improved security features.

Multiple companies have been developing cameras that work with ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, and Eve recently released its $150 Eve Cam, a new camera option that is compatible with ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌.

Design

Design wise, Eve Cam looks like many other home security cameras on the market, offering a circular webcam-like shape with a rectangular base that allows the camera to be rotated and positioned in the ideal location to provide the best view of a room. It is made from a lightweight plastic material that doesn't exactly look cheap, but it doesn't scream quality either.

There's no mistaking it as anything but a camera, but the relatively small size, black color, and simple shape allow it to blend well with any decor. The flexible magnetic base allows the camera to be positioned in multiple ways to best suit the room where it's located. The hinge rotates 360 degrees around and 180 degrees up and down, so you can put the camera all the way flat if necessary to hide the video feed.

Eve Cam can be placed on a table, shelf, desk, or other flat surface, or mounted up on the wall (hardware included), but keep in mind that it does need to be plugged in at all times and is not battery operated. There is no weatherproofing, so this is an indoor only camera, unlike the Logitech View, another HomeKit-enabled camera.

An LED on the Eve Cam, which can be disabled, displays camera status. There's no light when it's off or recording has been disabled, a blue light when streaming is enabled and inactive, and a red light when streaming is active and recording is turned on.

Video Quality and Features

Eve Cam features 1080p video recording and streaming along with a 150 degree field of view that is able to capture most of what's going on in a room. There's an infrared motion sensor and support for night vision up to 16.4 feet away when it's dark outside.

Compared to the Circle View from Logitech, another similar ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ camera, the Eve Cam has a narrower field of view (180 degrees vs. 150 for the Eve Cam). In practice, I can see a bit less of the room when both are in the same position, but there's not a drastic difference.

I also don't see much difference when it comes to video quality - both the Eve Cam and the Circle View are similar, but I'll give the edge to the Eve Cam because it seems to be just a bit more crisp. I think the Circle View performs a bit better in night mode shots, though it's a close call.

There is a built-in microphone and speaker so you can communicate with someone who is in the room with the Eve Cam. Audio quality was fine. It wasn't the best I've ever heard, but it's clear and easy to understand what's being said.

Setup

Setting up the Eve Cam was super simple, as most HomeKit products are. I opened up the Home app, scanned the QR code, and was up and running. I didn't have to connect to a 2.4GHz network for setup because it worked with my 5GHz network, which is a plus.

HomeKit Secure Video

With all cameras that support ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, recorded footage is stored in ‌iCloud‌ with end-to-end encryption, which feels more secure than storing footage on servers run by the camera manufacturer.

Eve charges no fees for storing ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ footage, but using the feature requires a higher-tier ‌iCloud‌ Storage plan. For a single ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ camera, a 200GB ‌iCloud‌ storage plan is required, and for up to five devices, the 1TB plan is required.

Apple charges $2.99 per month for the 200GB plan and $9.99 per month for 1TB of storage, with no discounted yearly payment plans available. On the plus side, though ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ requires higher storage tiers, the stored footage does not count against your ‌iCloud‌ storage plan. If you have the 1TB plan, you can use 1TB of storage for apps, photos, messages, files, and more rather than having it eaten up by camera content.

All ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ footage is stored in ‌iCloud‌ for 10 days, which has been a pretty good length in my testing. I don't often need to access recordings after a few days, and if I do, I can just save the relevant recording to the Photos app before it expires.

Without a compatible ‌iCloud‌ storage plan, the Eve Cam still provides access to live video and notifications when motion is detected, but it can't send specific notifications for when people, pets, or vehicles are detected, nor can footage be recorded and saved.

If you have multiple ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ cameras and only want to pay for one feed, it's simple to swap between which one is able to record by turning off recording and setting the camera to streaming only. Only the camera that records will require the ‌iCloud‌ subscription.

Home App

Eve camera recordings, both live and stored in ‌iCloud‌, can be viewed directly in the Home app. Live video is streamed directly to device from a Home Hub, which keeps live recordings secure.

Eve Cam shows up in the "Cameras" list at the bottom of the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, both on the main page if the camera is favorited and on the page for the specific room in the home that it's assigned to. My camera is in my office, for example, so I see the feed when I look at the Rooms section in the app and choose the room I've labeled office.

With the tvOS 14 update, you can also see camera feeds from HomeKit-enabled cameras like the Eve Cam right on the Apple TV, which is useful if you just want to keep an eye on a specific room while watching TV.

Tapping on the camera shows the current feed along a timeline of recordings provided that you've activated ‌iCloud‌ storage options. You can scroll through the timeline to view past footage, with recordings noting when a person, pet, or vehicle is detected if that particular feature is turned on.

Settings and Automations

There's a lot of granular control over what the camera records, how footage is stored, and what kind of motion detection is activated, which is one of the nice things about ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ cameras. Apple understands privacy and provides more options than you might get with other home security cameras.

You can choose different streaming and recording options for home and away, so if you'd prefer to have the camera record when you're gone and turn off when you're home, that's an option. Apple in fact has four recording options for all ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ cameras, including Eve Cam, which are set for home and away.

• Off - Nothing is recorded and no one can stream video from the camera. The camera does not detect activity and does not trigger automations and notifications.
• Detect Activity - The camera can detect activity to trigger automations and to send notifications, but no one can stream and nothing is recorded.
• Stream - The camera's live stream can be viewed, but nothing is recorded. In this mode, it can detect activity to trigger automations and to send notifications.
• Stream & Allow Recording - This mode allows the cameras live stream to be viewed and it allows footage to be recorded and stored in ‌iCloud‌.

When these settings talk about automations, they're referring to the motion detection features of the Eve Cam that can be used as triggers in automations. You can, for example, have an automation that turns on all the lights when motion is detected in a specific room. Automations can be set up with any other HomeKit-enabled products with the Eve Cam serving as the trigger device for activating a scene.

Note that the Eve Cam has motion detection, but it lacks the light sensing feature found in the Logitech Circle View, so automations and scenes are limited to motion detection functionality.

Motion Detection and Notifications

All ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ cameras, Eve Cam included, can be set to record when any motion is detected or the camera detects a person, animal, or vehicle to cut down on random motion detection alerts. Detection for people, animals, and vehicles is done on device rather than on a server somewhere.

Video recordings can be set to record audio or not record audio, and there is an option under "Recording Options" in the Settings to erase all camera recordings.

Apple also offers detailed options for notifications. The Eve Cam can send a snapshot of what's going on whenever motion is recorded, so you can see at a glance in a rich notification if there's something happening that needs to be addressed.

Notifications can be set to be recorded when any motion is detected or when a person, animal, or vehicle is detected and a clip is recorded. Notifications can be limited by time and by location, so you can have notifications turned off while you're at home or during certain hours of the day when there's a lot of activity in the house.

Eve App

You can also view footage from the Eve Cam in the Eve app, which you probably have installed if you own other Eve products. The Eve app isn't necessary, and it offers much of the same feed that you'll see in the Home app along with the same functionality for creating automations and scenes.

You can't view recorded footage in the Eve app because it's all in ‌iCloud‌, so for the most part, there's no need to use the Eve app with the Eve Cam, but it does have a timeline of when motion was detected and that has the potential to be useful.

iOS 14 Features

iOS 14 introduces a few new features for ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ that work with the Eve Cam. First and foremost, video from the camera can be viewed in Picture in Picture mode if you tap on the Picture in Picture icon (two screens and an arrow). In Picture in Picture mode, you can do other things on the ‌iPhone‌ will watching the camera feed.

There are also suggested automations you might want to use with camera functionality, such as activating the lights in the room when motion is detected, and there's a new Face Recognition option. With Face Recognition, the ‌iPhone‌ can detect specific people in camera footage recorded by the Eve Cam, letting you know if it detects someone in the family.

Face Recognition pulls information from the Faces that are stored in the ‌Photos‌ Library, and the feature is disabled by default. Notifications will be sent with specific information on who has been detected if the feature is turned on.

The other new feature is Activity Zones, so you can set the camera to only send notifications when motion is detected in a certain part of the video. So if you're recording your office but want to block out notifications for where you sit because there's constant motion, you can do so.

Bottom Line

The Eve Cam is one of a handful of new cameras that offer ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ functionality, which is more private and protected than standard home security cameras thanks to ‌iCloud‌ integration, encryption, and on-device motion analysis.

At $150, the Eve Cam isn't cheap, but it's a good solution if you're looking for a camera that works with ‌HomeKit‌ and the Secure Video feature specifically. The Eve Cam is similar to the Logitech Circle View that we also recently reviewed.

Comparatively, the Eve Cam is easier to position with the 360 degree base, has slightly better video quality, is $10 cheaper, and offers the Eve app as well as Home app integration, but it is indoor only, has a less wide field of view (150 degrees vs. 180 degrees), and the night vision is slightly better with the Circle View.

Either camera is a great home security option depending on the feature set that you're looking for, but do be aware that these are specifically designed to work with ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ and are not compatible with other smart home systems. It's also worth noting that there are more affordable ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ cameras on the market such as the $40 Eufy Indoor Cam but I have not yet been able to try it out to see how it compares to the more expensive options.

How to Buy

The Eve Cam can be purchased from the Eve website or from Amazon for $149.95.

Note: Eve provided MacRumors with an Eve Cam for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Two weeks after its nationwide launch, NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service has accumulated 10 million free and paid users, reports The Verge.

"NBCUniversal successfully launched Peacock in Cable's footprint in April, ahead of the streaming service's U.S. nationwide launch earlier this month, with 10 million sign-ups to date," Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts stated during the earnings report. "The company is really trying to lean into streaming," he said. "I'm pretty excited as the world is transitioning… broadband is making that all possible."

It was a positive announcement among otherwise disappointing second-quarter earnings, as the company continues to struggle with the impact of the global situation on entertainment divisions. Peacock is a key part of NBCUniversal's restructuring, in which it will "shift resources from linear to streaming," according to NBCU CEO Jeff Shell.

The service showcases NBC shows such as "30 Rock," "Cheers," "Downton Abbey," and "Saturday Night Live," with live sporting events such as the English Premier League and the U.S. Open Championship.

Peacock was considered a late entrant to the crowded streaming service market, but has surpassed HBO Max, which has drawn 4.1 million subscribers since its launch in May. HBO Max does not have a free tier like Peacock, however. While Peacock has pleased executives with its performance, Comcast's home internet and cable segment lost 477,000 video subscribers.

Apple's rival service, Apple TV+, has been reported to have had slow growth, and it is estimated that fewer than 15 percent of eligible customers have signed up, despite the offer of a one-year free trial with the purchase of Apple hardware. Apple does not report subscriber numbers.

Like HBO Max, Peacock is not available on Amazon Fire TV or Roku. Peacock is available on iOS and ‌Apple TV‌, and operates with both a free and a premium tier.

Update: This article has been updated to make clearer that the count includes users on both free and paid tiers.

Apple offered Amazon lower App Store fees to convince it to launch its Prime Video app on the ‌App Store‌ and Apple TV, documents published by the U.S. antitrust subcommittee have revealed.

According to email correspondence between Apple's services chief Eddy Cue and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple struck a deal to bring Amazon Prime Video into the ‌App Store‌ by agreeing to take a 15% revenue share of subscriptions signed-up through the app. Apple usually takes a 30% share of all ‌App Store‌ subscription revenue, dropping to 15% only if the subscription continues for a second year.

In 2016, when the meeting took place, Amazon Prime Video wasn't available on ‌Apple TV‌, which competes directly with Amazon's Fire TV. At the time, Bezos admitted that Amazon was holding out for "acceptable business terms" from Apple to include its service on Apple's set-top box. It's unclear if the reduced subscriptions cut was part of the final terms of the agreement.

According to the email, Apple also agreed to take a 15% share of third-party Amazon Channels sold through the app if the subscriber used Apple payment processing, agreed to support integration with Siri and pipe in Prime Video content to its TV app for iOS, and agreed to include Prime Video results in ‌Siri‌ and Spotlight searches. A year after the email was sent, Amazon Prime Video launched on ‌Apple TV‌.

Other documents shared by the committee also reveal correspondence between Apple and Amazon regarding the 2018 deal for Apple to officially sell devices on Amazon's website. Bloomberg notes that the documents show Amazon expected to bring in $3.2 billion from the deal in the first year, including $1.1 billion from iPhone sales.

The reduced ‌App Store‌ fees for Amazon's Prime Video app are actually part of a longstanding policy run by Apple to provide better fees for subscription-based streaming video apps.

However, the antitrust subcommittee interpreted the deal as representing preferential treatment given to Amazon and that Apple was not treating its developers equally when it came to providing access to its ‌App Store‌ and other platforms. "That is not correct," Cook said on Wednesday when asked by the subcommittee if some developers are treated differently. "We treat every developer the same."

Apple is facing another antitrust complaint in Europe, this time from the developers of encrypted messaging app Telegram.

In a complaint to the EU Commission, the app's creators argue that Apple must give iOS users the opportunity to download software outside of the App Store. The Financial Times reports:

In a complaint to EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager, Telegram, which has more than 400m users, said Apple must "allow users to have the opportunity of downloading software outside of the App Store".

According to the paywalled report, Telegram's complaint recounts how in 2016 it was prevented from launching a gaming platform on the ‌App Store‌ because it was deemed to violate Apple's rules. Telegram subsequently dismantled the venture to avoid "being deleted from the ‌App Store‌," and claimed that it was "an example of Apple's capacity to curb innovation thanks to its 'monpolistic power' on the app market."

The complaint follows a blog post earlier this week by Telegram founder Pavel Durov in which he takes Apple to task and lists seven "myths" that the company uses to justify its 30 percent commission on apps hosted in the ‌App Store‌.

Telegram is the third company after Spotify and Rakuten to formally complain to the EU Commission, which is already conducting two investigations into Apple's ‌App Store‌ and Apple Pay.

This antitrust complaint is separate to the ongoing U.S. antitrust current investigation. On Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook defended the company's ‌App Store‌ policies in a congressional hearing.

Apple once considered taking a 40 percent cut from some subscription apps, according to documents shared today by the House Judiciary Committee (via Bloomberg).

Back in March 2011, Apple's services boss Eddy Cue emailed three other executives and suggested Apple should "ask for 40% for the first year only," but that a "few deals" needed to be worked out for Apple to "see what is right."

One of the executives, Jai Chulani, wrote back that Apple could be "leaving money on the table" asking for 30 percent in the first year of subscriptions.

At the time, the emails referred to apps that offered digital content like Hulu on the Apple TV rather than apps running on iPhone and iPad, though Apple had launched App Store subscriptions in February 2011.

Apple ultimately decided to take a 30 percent cut from subscriptions purchased through the ‌App Store‌, and later reduced that rate for longer running subscriptions. Today, when customers sign up for a subscription within an app, Apple collects 30 percent for the first year, and 15 percent for the second year and all subsequent years.

Apple CEO Tim Cook during his testimony at today's antitrust subcommittee meeting emphasized that Apple has not changed its ‌App Store‌ fees since the ‌App Store‌ launched, and has in fact lowered them, referencing the 15 percent cut.

Ahead of the antitrust meeting, Apple also commissioned a study suggesting Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees are in line with the fees collected by other digital marketplaces and service providers.

Leaker Jon Prosser, who has a somewhat mixed track record when it comes to predicting Apple's plans, today said that new iPhone 12 models and new iPads will launch in October.

Multiple rumors have suggested that some or all of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models coming this year will see a later than normal launch. Apple typically unveils and releases new iPhones in the month of September, but problems caused by the global health crisis have resulted in manufacturing delays.

Just today, Qualcomm insinuated that one of its 5G partners will see a "slight" launch delay, a statement that most likely refers to Apple. Apple plans to use Qualcomm's 5G chips in all new 2020 ‌iPhone‌ models.

So far we don't know exactly how long the iPhones will be delayed, but Apple could unveil new devices in September and then release them later, as it did with the ‌iPhone‌ XR in 2018. October is a relatively safe guess, as Qualcomm suggested the delay won't be too long and other rumors have also pointed toward an October launch.

Prosser did not provide insight into which iPad models will see a refresh, but there have been some rumors suggesting an iPad Pro with mini-LED display is in the works, though most information suggests that launch has been delayed until 2021.

The ‌iPad Pro‌ was already refreshed this year, but Apple has not yet updated the iPad mini, the iPad Air, or the low-cost iPad, so all of those could see minor revamps.

There have been some specific rumors indicating that Apple is working on an 11-inch iPad Air with an all-screen display and under-display Touch ID, and if accurate, that would be the most notable ‌iPad‌ refresh on the horizon.

Prosser has accurately predicted some of Apple's launch plans, but he has also shared incorrect information such as suggesting Apple planned to rename the ‌iPhone‌ "iPhoneOS" and providing images of a fake AirPower-like wireless charging mat. Some of his claims have also been somewhat outlandish, such as the suggestion that Apple is working on a set of Steve Jobs heritage edition Apple Glasses modeled after the glasses that Jobs wore.

Earlier this week, Prosser said that Apple will launch a new iMac in August.

Apple today updated its Apple Store app with a new "For You" tab that offers access to order status, devices, accessory recommendations, services, reservations, and product tips, all in one simple to access place.

There's also a feature that's designed to allow you to compare a new iPhone you're considering purchasing with your existing ‌iPhone‌ so you can see the difference at a glance.

The updated ‌Apple Store‌ app, which lets Apple customers make purchases, view orders, find accessories, and more, can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Qualcomm today shared its third quarter earnings report and hinted that Apple's upcoming 5G iPhones could be delayed, according to Reuters. Qualcomm said its fourth quarter projections might be impacted by the "delay of a global 5G flagship phone launch."

From Qualcomm CFO Akash Palkhiwala, who referred to the delay as "slight":

"We're seeing a partial impact from the delay of a flagship phone launch. And so what we've seen is a slight delay that pushes some of the units out from the September quarter to the December quarter for us."

The fourth quarter covers July, August, and September, and September is typically the month when Apple launches new smartphones. Given the release timelines of other smartphones and Apple's size, it's unlikely that Qualcomm is referring to a different smartphone launch, even though Qualcomm declined to name Apple or the iPhone.

Apple is using Qualcomm's 5G chips in its ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup, and all models are expected to support 5G technology. There have been multiple rumors indicating Apple's ‌iPhone‌ launch will be delayed this year due to the ongoing global health crisis and restrictions on travel.

So far, rumors have indicated that iPhones could be delayed by about a month, which suggests a launch in October rather than September. It's not clear if all iPhones will be delayed, or if some models will come out in September while others launch in October or later.

Apple is still likely to unveil the new iPhones in September as it usually does, launching the devices later in the year. There is precedent for a launch that's uncoupled from an announcement. In 2018, Apple debuted the ‌iPhone‌ XS, XS Max, and XR, with the two more expensive iPhones launching in September and the XR coming later in October.

We're expecting a total of four iPhones in 5.4, 6.1, and 6.7-inch sizes in 2020, with more details available in our iPhone 12 roundup.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was, as expected, questioned about Apple's App Store policies during today's antitrust hearing with the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. Cook primarily stuck to the talking points provided in his opening statement [PDF], but he did have some extra color to add.

Cook was specifically questioned about email app "Hey" from Basecamp, which was at the center of a huge controversy earlier this year after Apple approved the app and then threatened to remove it from the ‌App Store‌ because Hey was skirting Apple's in-app purchase rules.

At issue was the fact that the "Hey" app was non-functional for customers unless they subscribed to the $99 per year Hey email service outside of the ‌App Store‌. Hey did not want to give Apple a 30 percent cut of profits, while Apple claimed that it did not want an app that "doesn't work" on the ‌App Store‌. Hey at the time opened to a blank screen asking users to log in.

When asked about the inconsistency over the approval of the app and the subsequent controversy, Cook didn't have much to say other than pointing out that the issue was resolved and that the ‌App Store‌ provides a lot of value for developers.

Hey is in the App Store today and we're happy that they're there. I believe they have a version of their product for free so they're not paying anything on that. I would also say that the 15 or 30 percent is for lots of different services, compilers, programming languages, APIs, etc. [...]

It's an economic miracle that the App Store allows a person in their basement to start a company and serve 170 countries in the world. I believe it's the highest job creator in the last decade.

Cook went on to explain that Apple does sometimes make mistakes given the volume of apps that are examined each week. "I'm sure we made errors," said Cook. "We get 100,000 apps submitted a week and there are 1.7 million apps in the ‌App Store‌."

Cook was asked if Apple's 15 to 30 percent cut that it takes from apps squeezes out the next generation of App makers and whether it's unjust, and Cook said no.

No, I don't think so. There are a lot of apps on the store and a lot of people are making a very good living.

There were questions on whether Apple was "extracting" commissions from apps that have had to change their business models in response to the pandemic like Airbnb and ClassPass, (as outlined here) and whether this was pandemic profiteering.

Cook said Apple would "never do that." He went on to explain that if something has moved to a digital service that does not follow the ‌App Store‌ rules, that it does need to go through the ‌App Store‌. "In the cases I'm aware of, we're working with the developers," he said.

As for educational apps, Cook said that Apple will not make efforts to monetize apps that students adopt as they transition to learning digitally.

We're proud of what we've done in education. We're serving that market in a significant way. We will work with people who move from a physical to virtual world because of the pandemic.

When asked about limiting copy cat apps and whether those rules apply to Apple, Cook said that he was not familiar with what was being asked, but Apple is subjected to the same rules as other app developers. The Congressman questioning him, Joe Neguse, said that Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules allow Apple to use any data collected by developers to create clone apps while also preventing these kind of apps from developers.

Cook said that he was not familiar with that, and that he'd follow up with the Congressman's office. He did, however, say that Apple would "never steal somebody's IP."

Cook's full testimony can be watched on YouTube as the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee livestreamed the proceedings.

Apple in early 2019 removed or restricted many popular screen time and parental control apps on the App Store due to their use of Mobile Device Management, or MDM, which the company said put user security and privacy at risk.

During today's antitrust hearing with the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, Cook was questioned about Apple's decision to remove the parental control apps, which came after the release of Apple's own Screen Time feature.

Cook said what Apple has said multiple times before, that the apps that used Mobile Device Management to allow parents to limit kids access to their devices placed data at risk. "We were worried about the safety of kids," Cook said.

Cook's statement was similar to what Apple said when the apps were removed: "These apps were using an enterprise technology that provided them access to kids' highly sensitive personal data. We do not think it is O.K. for any apps to help data companies track or optimize advertising of kids."

The Congresswoman questioning Cook asked about a specific app from the Saudi Arabian government that also used MDM, but Cook said he was not familiar with the app and that he would have to provide more data at a later date. When questioned about whether Apple applies different rules to different app developers, Cook once again said that rules are applied to all developers equally.

Cook was asked about the timing of the removal of the parental control apps, given that Screen Time had launched not too long before, a question that Cook largely skirted. He was asked why Phil Schiller had referred customers complaining about the removal of parental control apps to Screen Time, but Cook referenced the more than 30 parental control apps in the ‌App Store‌ and said there is "vibrant competition" in the parental control space in the ‌App Store‌.

When pressed on whether Apple has the power to exclude apps from the ‌App Store‌ or remove competing apps, Cook returned to what he said during his opening statement, that there's a "wide gate" for the ‌App Store‌, referring to the fact that there are more than 1.7 million apps available. "It's an economic miracle," said Cook. "We want to get every app we can on the ‌App Store‌."

In tandem with the questioning on parental control apps, Cook was asked why, in 2010, Apple used the ‌App Store‌ to push publisher Random House into participating in the iBookstore, which Random House had declined to do. In a cited document, Apple iTunes chief Eddy Cue at the time emailed Steve Jobs that he "prevented an app from Random House from going live in the ‌App Store‌," because Apple was aiming to get Random House to agree to an overall deal. Cook in response said there are "many reasons" an app might not make it through the approval process. "It might not work properly," he said.

Apple's 2019 decision to limit parental control apps led the developers of those apps to call for a public API that would allow them to access the same features that are available in Screen Time after the MDM options were restricted, which Apple declined to provide.

Mobile Device Management, which the apps used, is a feature that is specifically designed for enterprise users to manage company-owned devices. Apple's position is that the use of MDM by consumer-focused apps has privacy and security concerns that have been referenced in App Store guidelines since 2017.

Rather than providing an API, Apple ultimately decided to allow parental control app developers to use Mobile Device Management for their apps, with stricter privacy controls that prevent them from selling, using, or disclosing data to third parties. Apps must also submit an MDM capability request that evaluates how an app will use MDM to prevent abuse and to ensure no data is shared. MDM requests are re-evaluated each year.

Apple is facing another probe on its iPhone "throttling" practices, this time from Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich, reports Reuters.

The probe, which may also involve Texas, has been ongoing since October 2018 and is attempting to determine whether Apple's deliberate slowing of older iPhones "violated deceptive trade practice laws."

Last week, reports suggested that Texas was involved in an investigation aiming to determine whether Apple deceived customers, though no other information was available at the time. It's likely that the probe in Arizona is linked to the Texas report, with both states looking into Apple's 2017 ‌iPhone‌ slowdown practices.

As many MacRumors readers know, Apple in iOS 10.2.1 (which was released in early 2017) introduced a performance management system designed to eliminate unexpected shutdowns by throttling the maximum performance of iPhones with chemically aged batteries.

Apple did not disclose how its power management system worked, leading to customer outrage when it was discovered ‌iPhone‌ performance was being downgraded. Apple said that this was to make sure that the ‌iPhone‌ lasted as long as possible, even as the battery failed.

After it was discovered that Apple was limiting ‌iPhone‌ performance, Apple apologized and ultimately launched a battery replacement program that saw the company offering replacement batteries for older devices for $29. Replacing a failing battery successfully resolves the problem that leads to shutdowns, which is why power was limited by Apple in the first place.

In addition to offering low-cost battery replacements for a year, Apple has also agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle a class action lawsuit over the issue.

Apple's performance management system is now disabled by default and it turns on only if an ‌iPhone‌ suffers an unexpected shutdown. Even then, it can be disabled, and Apple also provides much more detailed information on battery health so customers can opt for a replacement when necessary.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is today testifying in an antitrust hearing with the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, where he was questioned about Apple's App Store policies.

Cook was hit with complaints from developers that the committee has spoken to. Apple was accused of making its ‌App Store‌ rules unavailable to developers, arbitrarily enforcing those rules, changing them at will, enforcing rules that benefit Apple, and discriminating between smaller and larger app developers.

In response, Cook claimed that Apple treats all developers the same, with open and transparent rules. "We care deeply about privacy and quality. We look at every app, but the rules apply evenly to everyone." Cook said that some developers are not favored over others and that Apple examines all apps, small or large.

Cook was questioned about reduced commission rates for apps like Amazon Prime, which Cook said are available to "anyone meeting the conditions." The Congressman questioning Cook went on to ask whether Apple uses data collected from the ‌App Store‌ to decide whether it would be profitable for Apple to develop a competing app, a question that Cook skirted.

Cook was then asked what was stopping Apple from potentially raising its ‌App Store‌ commissions and fees, something that Apple has never done. Cook said that there's competition to attract developers just like there's competition to attract customers, likening the battle for developers to a "street fight for marketshare."

There's competition for developers just like there's a competition for customers. And so competition for developers, they can write their apps for Android, or Windows, or Xbox, or PlayStation. We have fierce competition at the developer side and the customer side. Essentially, it's so competitive I'd describe it as a street fight for market share in the smartphone business.

Cook also said that Apple does not retaliate or bully app developers who do not agree to Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules. "It's strongly against company culture," said Cook.

The antitrust hearing is ongoing, and can be watched live over on YouTube. The antitrust subcommittee is also questioning Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google/Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Most of the questions so far have been for Pichai and Zuckerberg, but we'll share additional details on anything else notable Cook has to say.