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,...

The developers behind the Brave browser today announced some changes for the iOS version of Brave, which are being implemented to comply with Apple's App Store rules. A new version of the Brave browser being released today for the iPhone and the iPad removes features that allowed people to earn rewards for browsing and to tip creators. Brave has a system that allows those using the browser...

Back in 2008, Jay Freeman first released Cydia as an app store designed for the iPhone, offering apps a few months before Apple had its own App Store. Since then, Cydia has served as an app repository for jailbroken iPhones and iPads, making it easy to install unauthorized software on compatible devices. Now Cydia is joining a growing cadre of developers accusing Apple of anticompetitive...

Both Apple and Google this week told developers that they need to remove X-Mode Social tracking software from all of their apps or risk a ban, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple and Google are aiming to prevent X-Mode Social from collecting location information from smartphones after it became clear that the company has provided data to U.S. defense contractors. Google is giving...

Apple today assured that its new requirement for privacy information on the App Store will apply equally to all iOS apps, including its own. This means that the dozens of Apple apps available through the App Store, such as Apple Books and Apple Podcasts, will display the same privacy "nutritional labels" as third-party apps. And for built-in iOS apps, like Messages, Apple says that it will...

Apple yesterday quietly expanded its Family Sharing App Store functionality, adding a new App Store toggle that allows family members to share in-app subscriptions with one another. Apple today confirmed that the functionality has now rolled out and that it's also applicable to in-app purchases. In an update for developers, Apple says that it's now possible for them to enable Family Sharing...

iPhone and iPad users who share apps with their families through Apple's Family Sharing feature can now share subscription apps as well. In the App Store settings under "Subscriptions," there's a "Share New Subscriptions" setting that appears to be enabled automatically, allowing subscription apps to be shared among family members. The new option is available on the current release version...

Apple today reminded developers to submit privacy information for their apps using App Store Connect, with that info set to be used for a new privacy label feature that will be added to each ‌App Store‌ app. Apple announced the new privacy feature during WWDC, and it will see apps providing specific details on the information that is collected from users when an app is downloaded. Apple has...

Apple last week announced the launch of a new App Store Small Business Program that will see the company lowering its ‌App Store‌ fees for small business owners and independent developers. On January 1, 2021, all developers who earn less than $1 million from the ‌App Store‌ will pay a 15 percent commission to Apple instead of the standard 30 percent. Apple today shared a press release that...

Apple in September tweaked its App Store rules surrounding in-app purchase requirements for realtime experiences, and as a result, apps that offer virtual events for more than a single person must use in-app purchases. Apple was originally requiring apps to comply starting in December 2020, but the deadline has now been pushed out until June 30, 2021.As the world fights COVID-19, we...

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...