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,...

Yesterday, TechCrunch discovered that multiple popular iPhone apps from major companies are using intrusive analytics services that capture data ranging from taps and swipes to full screen recordings, all without customers knowing about it. Today, Apple has informed app developers that this kind of screen recording analytics code needs to be clearly disclosed to customers or removed from iOS ...

Multiple popular iPhone apps from major companies are using intrusive analytics services that capture detailed data like taps, swipes, and even screen recordings without customer knowledge, reports TechCrunch. Apps that include Abercrombie & Fitch, Hotels.com, Air Canada, Hollister, Expedia, and Singapore Airlines are using Glassbox, a customer experience analytics firm that lets developers...

App Store developers have earned a total of $120 billion since the ‌App Store‌ launched back in 2008, Apple announced today. More than a quarter of that total was earned in the past year alone, according to Apple. The ‌App Store‌ has seen significant growth in revenue with each quarter and it brings in a major part of Apple's growing services revenue. The new ‌App Store‌ metric was...

Apple has held discussions with developers about a potential gaming subscription service, according to Cheddar's Alex Heath. The report, citing five unnamed sources, claims the service would function like "Netflix for games," providing paying subscribers with access to a bundle of games for a set price. Apple began privately discussing the service with game developers in the second half of...

Warner Bros' Westworld mobile game, which bore a notable resemblance to Bethesda Softworks' Fallout Shelter game for smartphones, has been removed from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The removal comes seven months after Bethesda sued Warner Bros by calling the Westworld app a "blatant rip-off" of Bethesda's 2015 game Fallout Shelter. Westworld on iOS The lawsuit centered around...

Following the news that iPhone sales were down during the month of December leading Apple to cut its guidance for Q1 2019, the company is aiming to soften the blow with some positive news. Apple today announced that App Store customers set new worldwide spending records over the holidays, with App Store purchases hitting $1.22 billion between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. On New...

Apple today made a tweak to its App Store Review Guidelines, allowing developers to implement a new feature that will let iOS users purchase in-app content as a gift. Right now, iOS users can purchase paid apps as gifts for other iOS users, but there's no way to purchase in-app content as a gift. As more and more apps work on a free-to-try or subscription basis with various content only...

It appears that the App Store on iOS devices has been experiencing an issue causing missing ratings and reviews over the past day or so. The problem was alerted to us by MacRumors reader Robin van Doorn, who noticed that his apps Centraal Beheer and Run Trainer suddenly have around 1,000 fewer ratings displayed in the App Store. Other developers have acknowledged the glitch on Twitter,...

U.S. Supreme Court justices "appeared open" to letting a proposed class-action lawsuit proceed against Apple that accuses the company of operating an illegal App Store monopoly, according to Reuters. The lawsuit was filed in 2011 by a group of iPhone users who believe Apple violates federal antitrust laws by requiring apps to be sold through its App Store, where it collects a 30 percent...

Apple removed Tumblr from the iOS App Store late last week because the Yahoo-owned social network failed to filter prohibited content, it emerged today. The Tumblr app for iPhone and iPad went missing from the App Store on Friday, November 16. Shortly afterwards, Tumblr announced that it was "working to resolve an issue" with the app, but stopped short of explaining the problem. It wasn't ...

Popular farming simulation and RPG Stardew Valley expanded to mobile devices today, and can now be downloaded from the iOS App Store on an iPhone or iPad. If you're unfamiliar with Stardew Valley, it's an incredibly in-depth simulation game where players are tasked with taking over a small, failing farm, working to bring it back to prosperity by planting and tending crops, raising animals, and ...

Apple today announced expanded features for App Store bundles, introducing support for both Mac apps and free apps with subscriptions for the first time. Mac app developers are now able to create bundles of up to 10 apps, allowing customers to purchase multiple Mac apps at once at a discounted price. Bundles like these have long been available through the iOS app store for purchasing...

Apple today updated its Apple Support app for iOS devices to add new features that include easier access to AppleCare+ and a better way to reset your Apple ID password. According to the update's release notes, it's easier to add AppleCare+ coverage to your eligible devices using the Apple Support app. AppleCare+ provides extra coverage and replacement for accidental damage on iOS, Apple Watch, ...

Apple today asked developers to begin submitting apps that take advantage of new features in iOS 12, watchOS 5, tvOS 12, and macOS Mojave ahead of the upcoming launch of the new software updates.You can now submit apps that take advantage of the powerful new capabilities in the next release of iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Build your apps using Xcode 10 GM seed, test with the latest releases of iOS 12, ...

Apple this afternoon shared a new "Insights" video on its developer site that is designed to highlight the benefits of using App Store subscriptions as a payment method for apps. The video focuses on the developers behind Elevate, Dropbox, Calm, and Bumble and how these apps "create great customer experiences by continuing to provide value throughout the subscription lifecycle." "The value...

Apple has removed the Infowars app from the App Store, just a day after controversial Infowars radio show host Alex Jones was permanently banned from Twitter. Apple confirmed the app's permanent removal to BuzzFeed late on Friday, but instead of giving a specific reason for taking action now, Apple simply cited its own general App Store guidelines, which prohibit content that is "offensive,...

Apple has announced that, starting October 3, 2018, all new apps and app updates will require a privacy policy in order to be submitted for distribution on the App Store or through TestFlight for beta testing purposes. Apple already requires a privacy policy for apps that access personal information, including apps that offer subscriptions, accept Apple Pay, or use Apple frameworks such as...

Facebook today removed VPN app Onavo Protect from the iOS App Store after Apple decided that it violates App Store data collection policies, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple earlier this month told Facebook officials that the Onavo app, which serves as a virtual private network, violates June App Store rules that prevent apps from harvesting data to build advertising profiles or contact...

Apple today added banners to the App Store and iTunes Store on Mac and iOS devices as well as its homepage allowing customers to donate to Mercy Corps to support those who have been affected by massive flooding in Kerala, India. Flooding began in Kerala earlier this summer with the arrival of monsoon rains, and picked up again on August 8 following days of torrential downpour. Approximately...

Apple today confirmed it has removed "many" illegal gambling apps, and developers distributing them, from its App Store in China. The Wall Street Journal:"Gambling apps are illegal and not allowed on the App Store in China," Apple said in a statement Monday. "We have already removed many apps and developers for trying to distribute illegal gambling apps on our App Store, and we are vigilant in ...