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 shuts down App Store Connect for a week around the holidays each year in an effort to give ‌App Store‌ staff time off from work. This year, ‌App Store‌ Connect will be unavailable from December 23 to December 27. With ‌App Store‌ Connect unavailable, Apple will not accept new apps or app updates, so all pricing changes and new app submissions need to be locked in before those dates for...

A number of industry players, including Spotify, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, and Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson, have today criticized Apple's move to launch a new App Store Small Business Program that will halve App Store fees for small business owners and independent developers (via The Verge). After Apple announced the new program, Spotify released a statement saying that it...

Apple today announced the launch of a new App Store Small Business Program that will see the Cupertino company lowering its App Store fees for small business owners and independent developers. Starting on January 1, 2021, all developers who earn less than $1 million from the ‌App Store‌ will pay 15 percent in commission to Apple, down from the standard 30 percent. The 15 percent commission...

Apple today informed developers that they can now take advantage of subscription codes, which can be provided to customers to allow them to sign up for subscriptions at a discounted price or for free for a specified duration. Developers are able to create unique, alphanumeric codes, which Apple says can be used to acquire, retain, and win back subscribers. Codes can be provided digitally,...

Apple today informed developers that they're now able to submit privacy information for their apps using App Store Connect. The privacy details shared by developers will be displayed directly on ‌App Store‌ pages. During WWDC, Apple announced a new ‌App Store‌ feature that will see apps listing specific privacy information, which Apple has likened to a nutritional label for apps. Developers...

Apple today announced that App Store prices are set to rise in several countries around the world due to taxes or changes in foreign exchange rates. App and in-app purchase pricing is set to increase in Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Russia, and South Africa in the next few days. Apple says the pricing reflects a new equalization levy of 2 percent in India and a new value-added tax...

Apple's dispute with "HEY" wasn't the first time the Cupertino company tried to force an email app into adding in-app purchases, according to ProtonMail CEO Andy Yen. Yen told The Verge that back in 2018, ProtonMail was forced to add in-app purchases to its app, which had been in the App Store since 2016. ProtonMail at the time had a paid email service but did not offer it in the app, with...

Apple today updated its App Store Connect app designed for developers, introducing a new icon that is a more complex version of the original simple blue and white "A" design. New icon on the right ‌App Store‌ Connect is used by developers for iOS app management. It provides info on app statuses, offers data on app performance and sales, and lets developers access and respond to reviews....

Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music, and a division of Warner have filed applications for a preliminary injunction against Apple for hosting three music apps in the Russian App Store that infringe copyright, reports TorrentFreak. Roman Lukyanov, CEO of Semenov & Pevzner, a local law firm specializing in copyright protection and representing the labels, told Kommersant that the...

$29.3 billion was spent overall on Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, with over 35.6 billion app installs, in the third quarter of 2020, according to a new report by Sensor Tower. App stores have seen significant year-on-year growth, with customers spending 32 percent more than at the same time in 2019, with 23.3 percent more installs. This is a large growth compared to 24 percent...

Apple has reportedly removed two RSS feed reader apps from China's App Store to comply with Chinese law. Fiery Feeds and Reeder both tweeted that their iOS apps had been removed in China over content that is considered "illegal" in the country. Same here. Reeder 4 (iOS) was also removed from the Chinese App Store. https://t.co/95aXs4MaEh— Reeder (@reederapp) September 29, 2020 Fiery Feeds...

Apple today informed developers that it is making new App Store marketing tools available for use, providing developers with a simple way to create short links, embeddable code with app icon and product page, QR codes, and more. Take advantage of new marketing resources to promote your apps around the world. You can now generate short links or embeddable code that lead to your App Store...

Apple has overhauled its About the App Store and Developing for the App Store web pages to focus on several key areas, including discovery, privacy and security, trust and safety, hardware and software, and downloading with confidence. The new pages highlight a range of relevant statistics and emphasize the importance of trust and security on the App Store. For over a decade, the App...

The U.S. Commerce Department is moving to ban downloads of TikTok and WeChat within the United States from this Sunday (via Reuters). The U.S. Commerce Department plans to issue an order today that will "deplatform" WeChat and TikTok by banning people in the United States from downloading the apps. The order will take effect from Sunday, September 20. U.S. government officials speaking...

Apple today announced updates to its App Store Review Guidelines to take into account some new features that are coming in iOS 14, such as App Clips, while also introducing new rules surrounding streaming game services and in-app purchases. According to Apple's updated guidelines, streaming game services like Microsoft's xCloud are allowed, but all of the games included in a streaming game...

Australia is now investigating app store policies as part of yet another antitrust inquiry into Apple and Google (via Gizmodo). The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced that it will investigate the competition between the Google Play store and Apple's App Store, access to platforms and consumers, fee structures, data collection, and price transparency. The...

Apple today announced that the iOS app economy has created nearly 300,000 new jobs in the United States since April 2019, citing research shared by Dr. Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at the non-profit Progressive Policy Institute. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple said the App Store continues to provide economic opportunities, with apps supporting essential needs like remote...

Draft legislation submitted in Russia this week could see Apple's App Store commission cut by a third if it is ratified by the country's parliament. Reuters reports that the bill requires that commissions on the sale of apps by Apple and Google be capped at 20%. Apple has a long-standing policy of collecting 30% commission on all sales (including in-app purchases) in the App store. The...

Apple today began informing developers of upcoming App Store pricing changes in several countries due to tax changes, with the prices of apps and in-app purchases affected. Prices are shifting in Chile, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Chile: New value-added tax of 19% Mexico: New value-added tax of 16% Saudi Arabia: Increase in value-added tax from 5% to 15% Turkey: New...

Back in June at WWDC, Apple announced several changes to its handling of App Store review, noting that it would in most cases no longer hold up bug fix updates over violations of ‌App Store‌ guidelines, and that it would allow developers to challenge existing guidelines. In a note to developers today, Apple confirmed that those two changes have been implemented, encouraging developers to...