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 today updated its App Store guidelines to comply with an anti-steering mandate levied by the European Commission. Music streaming apps like Spotify are now permitted to include a link or buy button that leads to a website with information about alternative music purchasing options, though this is only permitted in the European Economic Area. Music Streaming Services Entitlements: music...

With iOS 17.4, Apple began supporting alternative app marketplaces in the European Union, and the first of these stores will be launching soon to give consumers new ways to install apps without having to use the App Store. Developer Riley Testut, known for Game Boy Advance emulator GBA4iOS, is working on AltStore, one of several alternative app marketplaces. As noted by TechCrunch, app...

A lawsuit targeting Apple's refusal to allow apps to support cryptocurrency transactions was today tossed out by a San Francisco judge, reports Reuters. The lawsuit, which was filed by Venmo and Cash App customers, claimed that Apple drove up the fees charged by Venmo and Cash App by not letting payment apps facilitate cryptocurrency transactions. The plaintiffs alleged that Apple curbed...

Meta, Microsoft, X, and Match today joined Epic Games to protest the way Apple complied with a court ruling requiring it to walk back its anti-steering rules. In an amicus brief in support of ‌Epic Games‌ (via The Wall Street Journal), the four companies said that the fees Apple is charging are too high, and that there are too many restrictions on how developers link to their websites. "The Apple ...

Key parts of Apple's compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) are set to be investigated by European regulators based on developer feedback, the EU's antitrust chief warned on Tuesday. In an interview with Reuters, the European Commission's Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said that Apple's introduction of new fees was already being looked at as a potential attempt to...

Since Apple announced plans for the 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee that apps distributed using the new EU App Store business terms must pay, there have been ongoing concerns about what that fee might mean for a developer that suddenly has a free app go viral. Apple's VP of regulatory law Kyle Andeers today met with developers during a workshop on Apple's Digital Markets Act compliance. iOS...

Apple has begun testing a new AI-powered tool with a small group of advertisers that automatically decides where to place ads on the App Store, Business Insider reports. Citing two individuals familiar with the matter, Business Insider claims that the AI-powered tool mirrors the functionalities of Google's Performance Max and Meta's Advantage+, which allow advertisers to specify their...

In addition to adding support for alternative app marketplaces and alternative payment methods in the European Union, Apple is making several other changes to comply with the terms of the Digital Markets Act. Apple today outlined some of its upcoming plans in a DMA Compliance Report [PDF]. Apple is going to make it easier for iPhone users to switch over to another operating system in the...

Apple today clarified that iPhone users in the European Union can continue to update and use apps from alternative app marketplaces for a 30-day period when leaving the EU. With the release of iOS 17.4, Apple published a number of support documents, and one of the pages outlined what happens when an ‌iPhone‌ user with apps installed through an alternative app marketplace leaves the EU. At...

With the launch of iOS 17.4, Apple's app ecosystem changes in the European Union have gone into effect. Apple today said that it made some last minute updates to its terms of service after receiving feedback from developers. To distribute apps through an app marketplace, with a reduced fee to Apple, or with an alternative payment option, developers have to opt in to new business terms that...

Spotify, Epic Games, Deezer, Paddle, and several other developers and EU associations today sent a joint letter to the European Commission to complain about Apple's "proposed scheme for compliance" with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The 34 companies and associations do not believe Apple's plans "meet the law's requirements." Apple's changes "disregard both the spirit and letter of the law"...

Apple today published a whitepaper [PDF] detailing the privacy and security protections that it is implementing in the European Union to keep users as safe as possible while also complying with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act. As a recap, with the upcoming iOS 17.4 update, iPhone users in the European Union will be able to install apps through alternative app marketplaces rather...

Apple representatives met with the U.S. Justice Department last week in a last ditch effort to persuade the agency not to file an antitrust suit against the company, according to Bloomberg. Citing people familiar with the matter, the report states that Apple and its lawyers met with Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, who will have the final say on whether to file a suit. Since...

Update — 10:09 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple says the App Store showing an app verification screen in the EU is a bug and will be fixed before iOS 17.4 is released to all users. Original story follows. Starting with the latest iOS 17.4 beta, Apple asks iPhone users in the EU to verify an app's information before installing it from the App Store. The prompt was spotted by Dimitris Sartzetakis of...

Apple has frustrated another app developer with arbitrary enforcement of its App Store rules, with Insight Timer CEO Christopher Plowman this week taking to LinkedIn and speaking with TechCrunch to complain about a frustrating experience with the ‌App Store‌ review team. Insight Timer is a meditation app that is subscription based. Customers pay $60 per year to access guided meditations,...

Apple in January seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 software updates to developers, and the iOS beta revealed a panoply of changes that will impact iPhone users in the European Union in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple implemented several major changes to the way the App Store and apps operate in the EU in order to comply with the DMA. These...

In October 2022, Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to clarify that sales of "boosted" posts in social media apps must use the App Store's in-app purchase system. Apple thereby receives up to a 30% cut of these sales. As a result of that clarification, Meta today announced that it will soon charge advertisers a 30% fee when they purchase boosted posts through the Facebook and...

A vision testing app named "Kimi" with a not-so-hidden pirated movie feature recently made its way past Apple's review team, ultimately reaching number eight on the list of top free entertainment apps. As reported by The Verge, Kimi's App Store listing claimed that it was an app that "tests your eyesight," but when downloaded and installed, it opened right up to a clear TV show and movie...

EU developers can now add alternative app marketplaces to App Store Connect, Apple said today. Apple is also accepting submissions for the Notarization process, which is required for all apps that will be distributed through alternative marketplaces. Apple is making these changes to ‌App Store‌ Connect ahead of the launch of iOS 17.4, an update that overhauls the app ecosystem in the...

Popular password management app LastPass is warning customers about a fraudulent app that uses a similar name and icon to attempt to trick LastPass customers into using the fake app instead of the real app (via Bleeping Computer). The "LassPass Password Manager" app was somehow approved by Apple's App Store review team, even though it appears to clearly mimic the LastPass app. It doesn't use ...