Apple has added Smart App Banners to the latest iOS 14 beta that prompt Safari users to open its News app when viewing the website of a publisher that is part of Apple News+.
First spotted by AppleInsider, the new in-app Safari prompts use Apple's Smart App Banner API, first introduced in iOS 13, which allows developers to prompt users to download their third-party app from the App Store or a corresponding link from Safari.
In this case, Apple is using the Smart App Banner framework to direct users to its own News app when they visit a website hosted by a publication that is also an Apple News+ partner. It's worth noting that the banners only appear for users who subscribe to Apple News+.
The Smart App Banner code on affected pages is reportedly unchanged, making it seem likely that it's a change to the way Safari handles publisher URLs, but it remains unclear if developers are able to control which banner appears.
The news follows a similar change Apple made in iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur that directs users who tap to read a news story in Safari to the Apple News app instead of to the publisher's website.
Safari banner that appears in iOS 14 (Image via AppleInsider)
Many Apple News+ users have been asking for a way to open up web links in Apple News+ to avoid paywalls on the web, so Apple News+ subscribers that pay for the service are likely to be appreciative of the new feature.
However, it has not gone down well with some large publishers, three of which have said they were not informed of the change and are now evaluating whether to terminate their relationship with Apple News+ as a result.
There have been multiple reports suggesting publishers are unimpressed with the revenue generated from Apple News+, which has fallen below Apple's initial promises. Apple has not only struggled to entice new publishers to the paid service, it has had difficulty gaining new subscribers since it launched in March 2019.
Monday October 28, 2024 8:01 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that it has updated the 24-inch iMac with the M4 chip, which debuted in the iPad Pro earlier this year. This upgrade comes around one year after the previous iMac with the M3 chip was released.
Subscribe to MacRumors on YouTube for more videos!
As expected, the M4 chip in the iMac is available with up to a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. Apple says the iMac with the ...
Thursday October 24, 2024 10:36 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased that the company has an "exciting week of announcements" planned next week. Joswiak said to "Mac" your calendars, and the post includes an animated icon for the Finder app on the Mac, so it is clear that at least some of next week's announcements will be related to the Mac.
Subscribe to MacRumors on YouTube for more videos!
Below, we have...
Wednesday October 23, 2024 1:41 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
Below, we outline which U.S. states offer the feature, and additional states that have committed to rolling it out in the feature in...
Monday October 28, 2024 8:07 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, the first major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates that came out in September. iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 come six weeks after the release of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
Thursday October 24, 2024 9:19 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple's Greg Joswiak today made it clear that Apple plans to reveal new products next week, teasing refreshed Macs. In a social media post, Joswiak said to "Mac your calendars" because there's an exciting week of announcements that start on Monday morning.
With Joswiak's announcement, it appears that there will not be a dedicated October event for Macs this year, with Apple instead...
Monday October 28, 2024 8:02 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Alongside the new iMac, Apple announced updated versions of the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad. The accessories are now equipped with USB-C charging ports, whereas the previous models used Lightning. Apple includes the Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard in the box with the iMac, and the Magic Trackpad is an optional upgrade.
"Every iMac comes with a color-matched Magic Keyboard...
Wednesday October 23, 2024 9:38 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple suppliers will begin mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE in December, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a blog post.
The fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to have a similar design as the base iPhone 14, with rumored features including a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a newer A-series chip, a USB-C port, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of RAM...
Monday October 28, 2024 11:18 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple introduced a new iMac today with the M4 chip and more, but that's not all, as it still has two more Mac announcements planned this week.
"This is a huge week for the Mac, and this morning, we begin a series of three exciting new product announcements that will take place over the coming days," said Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus, in a video announcing the new iMac....
Apple is really doing themselves no favors in their anti-trust case. Tell me how can a third party developer on iOS hijack third party website URLs and redirect to their own app?
It’s only for paying users who ALREADY pay the publisher via News+. This is so they can use their subscription on/from the web too. This has nothing to do with antitrust, just letting the user know that they can read the article with the News+ subscription they already have, instead of subscribing to another one for the web version.
Apple is really doing themselves no favors in their anti-trust case. Tell me how can a third party developer on iOS hijack third party website URLs and redirect to their own app?
THIS IS ONLY FOR NEWS+ USERS, NOT REGULAR USERS OR USERS WHO HAVE SUBSCRIBED THROUGH THE PUBLISHER’S APP. This isn’t antitrust, for goodness sake. ?♂️
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are Apple's newest iPhones and follow last year's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, but how different are the two latest models, and what exactly does a "Pro" device offer?
