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's App Store fees are akin to "highway robbery," Representative David Cicilline told The Verge in the latest Vergecast episode. Cicilline, who is the Chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Antitrust looking into the App Store agreements that Apple has with developers, spoke to The Verge alongside Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson, developer of the "Hey" app that Apple rejected...

A new email app called "Hey" from the team at Basecamp has run into trouble with Apple for refusing to offer a subscription option that can be purchased in the iOS app. Hey, which launched on Monday, is priced at $99 per year. Subscriptions for the service must be purchased on the Hey website and are not offered in the iOS app because Hey's developers don't want to pay Apple a 15 to 30...

Apple today announced that its App Store ecosystem supported $519 billion in billings and sales worldwide in 2019, based on an independent study conducted by Analysis Group, an economic consulting firm in the United States. Since the App Store launched in 2008, developers have earned over $155 billion from app and in-app purchases, with a quarter of those earnings occurring in 2019. However, ...

As part of an ongoing probe of competition in digital markets that involves Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee this week sent a letter to each company demanding to know whether their CEOs will testify in hearings set to take place in July, reports Axios. The antitrust investigators want to know by Sunday whether Apple, Google parent company Alphabet,...

Apple on Wednesday removed popular podcast player Pocket Casts from the App Store in China. According to the app's developers, the removal of Pocket Casts was at the request of the country's Cyberspace Administration, which determined that the app could be used to access content regarded as illegal in China. "We believe podcasting is and should remain an open medium, free of government...

Apple in November removed all vaping-related apps from the App Store, leaving people with app-connected vapes without a way to control their devices on their iPhones. Vape manufacturer PAX has found a way to get around Apple's rules, launching a website that allows users to manage their PAX vapes. With the new web app, Era and Era Pro users can control their devices on Macs and PCs using...

On Friday, an App Store bug surfaced that caused newly updated apps to fail to open when tapped, with users receiving a message stating "This app is no longer shared with you." The problem affected dozens of apps that had received updates, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, and others. There was no fix at the time except for offloading an affected app and then...

Over the past few hours, a number of MacRumors readers have reported seeing dozens or even hundreds of pending app updates showing in the App Store on their iOS devices, including for many apps that were already recently updated by the users. In many cases, the dates listed on these new app updates extend back as far as ten days. Apple has not shared any information as to why updates for...

An app bug is causing some iOS users to be unable to open their apps, with affected iPhone and iPad users seeing the message "This app is no longer shared with you" when attempting to access an app. There are multiple complaints about the issue on the MacRumors forums and on Twitter from users who are running into problems. A MacRumors reader describes the issue:Is anyone else experiencing...

Ubisoft Entertainment this week levied a lawsuit against Apple and Google, accusing them of selling a "ripoff" of its popular video game Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, reports Bloomberg. Ubisoft filed a complaint in federal court in Los Angeles, claiming that the game "Area F2," developed by Qookka Games, is a "near carbon copy" of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, aiming to "piggyback"...

Apple's services category, which includes Tunes, the App Store, the Mac App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, AppleCare, Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Arcade, and more, has continued to see significant growth even amid the global health crisis, Apple announced today. In the second fiscal quarter of 2020, Apple's services segment brought in $13.3 billion, up from $11.5 billion in the year-ago...

Every year on April 22 we celebrate Earth Day in support of environmental causes, and during a normal year, Apple goes all out with Earth Day-related initiatives, green leaf logos on Apple retail stores, green T-shirts for employees, Earth Day Apple Watch challenges, and more. This year, amid the ongoing health crisis, Apple's celebrations are muted, as with retail stores closed, there's no...

Apple has broadened the reach of its major services, including the App Store, iCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Arcade, by announcing their launch in 20 additional countries starting today. Apple also said on Tuesday it was expanding the availability of Apple Music to 52 additional countries. "We're delighted to bring many of Apple's most beloved Services to users in more countries than ever...

Apple today announced that, in the next few days, prices of App Store apps and in-app purchases, excluding auto-renewable subscriptions, will be changed in Barbados, Moldova, and Uzbekistan due to new value-added taxes. Aside from the price changes, Apple says a low value-added tax was also introduced in Malaysia. Prices on the ‌App Store‌ in Malaysia will not change and developer proceeds...

Today is Autism Acceptance Day, and as it has done in the past, Apple is recognizing the occasion by highlighting top apps, accessibility tips, and education resources, while also sharing art created by individuals on the spectrum. In the Today section of the App Store, Apple is offering a collection of apps that are designed to support neurodiversity and people with autism spectrum...

U.K. iPhone and iPad users who open the App Store this morning are being met with a COVID-19 public service announcement from the British government, signaling an expansion of Apple's efforts to prominently display official coronavirus alerts on its devices. Tapping on the prioritized card takes users to an NHS app link and a video containing coronavirus protection guidance from the UK...

macOS versions of apps can now be included as part of a universal purchase, which allows customers to purchase a single app (or in-app purchase) that works across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Apple says that developers can get ready to use the feature by assigning a single bundle ID for apps in Xcode and setting up their app record for universal purchase using App Store Connect. A ...

Apple is rejecting apps that are related to the COVID-19 coronavirus that aren't provided by health organizations or government institutions, according to CNBC Four independent developers that spoke to CNBC said that their coronavirus apps, which were designed to let people see stats about which countries have confirmed cases, had been rejected. One developer was told over the phone by an ...

Apple today informed developers that starting on April 30, 2020, all iPhone and iPad apps submitted to the App Store must be built with iOS and iPadOS 13 SDK or later. Apple previously told developers that iOS and iPadOS 13 SDKs would be required as of April, but did not give a specific date.iOS 13 is now running on 77% of all iOS devices introduced in the last four years, worldwide. Deliver ...

Apple today informed developers that it has released updated App Store Review Guidelines, with changes that cover reviews, spam, push notifications, Sign in with Apple, data collection and storage, mobile device management, and more. Apple's new guidelines can be found on its developer website, but we've highlighted a few notable changes below. 1.4.4 - Apps used to commit or attempt to...