App Store

Apple used to limit the size of App Store downloads over cellular to 150MBs to prevent iPhone users from accidentally downloading a large app over 3G or 4G networks and using up all their data allowance or running up data charges. In May 2019, Apple upped the limit of over-the-air downloads to 200MB, but offered no way to opt out of the limit at the time, leaving users with unlimited data...

It used to be the case that adding funds to your Apple ID required redeeming an iTunes Gift Card bought from a store, but Apple now lets you use a debit or credit card right on your iPhone or iPad to do the same thing. Adding funds to your Apple ID allows you to make purchases from the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store on any of your Apple devices. It's easy to add funds to your...

If you recently updated your iPhone to iOS 13 or your iPad to iPadOS 13 and you can't work out how to manually update your installed apps, then you've come to the right place. Apple has changed the way you update apps in iOS. In earlier versions of its mobile operating system, app updates lived in their own tab in the App Store app, but that has since had to make way for a new Apple Arcade...

Several TV and music services and other apps offer free trials through the App Store that automatically renew to become paid subscriptions after the trial period ends. If you want to prevent an App Store subscription from running beyond the trial period or cancel a subscription you're currently paying for, then read on. This article explains how to cancel any App Store subscription on iOS,...

Apple has started accepting App Store and iTunes payments in India using UPI and Rupay cards and Net Banking. Apple adds UPI payments to App Store in India pic.twitter.com/idIeKbpwPP— Ganesh (@ganeshkulkarni) July 30, 2021 The acceptance of RuPay and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) cards means Apple users in India will be able to use the domestic payment systems as alternatives to regular ...

Apple's App Store and iTunes Store are both experiencing outages at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page. The outage started this afternoon, and affected users may see slow ‌App Store‌ performance or may be unable to use the ‌App Store‌ at all. There are numerous reports on social media from users who are seeing ‌App Store‌ issues. It is not clear what caused the...

The U.K. government is today unveiling its plan to regulate tech giants, such as Apple, to ensure that the U.K's digital market, which includes platforms such as the App Store, is open for competition, and not dominated by any particular company. In April, the U.K. created the DMU or Digital Markets Unit under the Competition and Markets Authority. With newly given powers, that new unit will ...

Fakespot, which is known for analyzing reviews from popular websites to determine their accuracy, today had its iOS app removed from Apple's App Store. According to The Verge, Amazon sent Apple a takedown request, which led to the app being pulled. Fakespot's iOS app just launched in June, and it was designed to allow users to log into Amazon and buy items while using the Fakespot engine to...

Apple has been fighting an antitrust lawsuit against Blix, the developer of BlueMail, an app that was removed from the App Store in June 2019 after violating Apple's ‌App Store‌ guidelines. Blix accused Apple of manipulating search results in its ‌App Store‌ to suppress third-party competition, and it also claimed that Apple had copied its patented messaging technology for the Sign In with...

Attorneys general representing 36 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. today levied an antitrust lawsuit [PDF] against Google to challenge Google Play Store fees, reports Politico. The lawsuit was filed in California federal court and is led by Utah, North Carolina, Tennessee, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska. The states are fighting against Google's plan to require all app...

Apple has been informed by China's cyberspace regulator that it must remove the Didi Chuxing ride hailing app from the Chinese App Store following concerns about the Uber rival's possible misuse of personal data. Apple CEO Tim Cook with Didi Chuxing president Jean Liu in 2016 The app in question is owned by Didi Global, which Apple has $1 billion invested in. Bloomberg reports that the ban...

In ongoing antitrust discussions about App Store competition, Apple has maintained that allowing users to install apps outside of the ‌App Store‌ would have dire privacy consequences, but European Union digital competition chief Margrethe Vestager said today that Apple must not use privacy excuses to limit competition. In an interview with Reuters, Vestager said that privacy and security are ...

A new Sensor Tower report claims Apple's App Store generated $41.5 billion revenue globally in the first half of 2021, representing 22.1% growth compared to the same period last year. The app market research firm says consumer spending on in-app purchases, subscriptions, premium apps and games in the ‌App Store‌ was 1.8 times the revenue generated by Google's Play Store, which generated...

Apple earlier today published a detailed report outlining in blatant terms the negative impact that sideloading would have on the iPhone and iPad, specifically calling out the impacts it would have on user privacy and security. Now, the company is continuing its PR push, with an executive noting in an interview that users who wish to sideload apps already have that option thanks to other...

Amid the ongoing controversy over its tight control of app distribution on iOS, Apple today laid out its case arguing that allowing apps to be sideloaded on an iPhone would expose users to serious privacy and security risks. Sideloading refers to installing apps from a source outside of the official App Store, such as a website or third-party app store. In a new document shared on its...

Germany's Federal Cartel Office, the Bundeskartellamt, today initiated proceedings against Apple on the claims of anti-competitive behavior related to the App Store, its products, and other services, according to a press release. The proceeding against Apple announced today will determine whether the Cupertino tech giant holds a "paramount significance across markets" and whether, through...

Update: Bloomberg inaccurately interpreted the original comments and has since drastically changed the wording of its article. The original Bloomberg piece said that Apple would be prohibited from pre-installing its own apps on iPhones. The updated Bloomberg article has been rewritten to clarify that the antitrust legislation prohibits Apple from preventing users from removing Apple-created...

Apple today announced the apps and games that are receiving a 2021 Apple Design Award for outstanding app design, innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement, with winners including CARROT Weather, Genshin Impact, Alba, Bird Alone, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Little Orpheus, and more. Winners were selected in categories that include Inclusivity, Delight and Fun, Interaction, Social...

One small but useful new feature introduced in iOS 15 is the ability for customers to request refunds for in-app purchases directly within an app, rather than having to use the Report a Problem page on Apple's website. Apple has introduced a new StoreKit API that allows developers to implement a "Request a Refund" option within their apps. Users can tap on this option, select a specific...

Apple on Monday previewed iOS 15 as the next major update to iOS, and already, despite the new software being in the hands of developers for just a few days, a plethora of hidden features continue to be discovered. One new hidden tweak is a change in behavior in the App Store, where now screenshots for already installed apps are hidden in ‌App Store‌ search results. The new change, spotted...

Apple today updated its App Store Review Guidelines to reflect its newly unveiled software versions, including iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. The updated guidelines also address developer trust and safety issues. In addition, two updates have been made to the App Review contact form on Apple's website. First, developers who appeal an app rejection can now specify...

Apple is facing increasing pressure to tighten its App Tracking Transparency rules after it was found that third parties are using workarounds to identify users who do not consent to be tracked, according to the Financial Times. Apple rules around App Tracking Transparency, which came into effect as part of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, require apps to ask for consent to track users across...

Apple has used its app review process as a bulwark in recent legal assaults on its App Store policy, and put particular emphasis on the security benefits for iOS users when buying apps. However, an investigation has found that almost 2% of the top 1,000 highest grossing apps on a given day were some sort of scam. According to The Washington Post, which conducted the investigation, scam apps...

The App Store ecosystem facilitated an estimated $643 billion in billings and sales in 2020, an increase of 24 percent year-over-year, according to an Apple-commissioned study done by Analysis Group economists. [PDF] The study, "A Global Perspective on the Apple ‌App Store‌ Ecosystem," comes as Apple awaits a decision in its ongoing trial with Epic Games, much of which focused on App Store...