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,...

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 betas revealed a panoply of changes that will impact 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 changes...

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 ...

iOS 17 is installed on 76 percent of iPhones released in the last four years, according to newly released iOS 17 adoption statistics provided today by Apple. This is the first time that Apple has given us ‌iOS 17‌ installation numbers since the operating system was released last September. 20 percent of iPhones released in the last four years are still running iOS 16, while four percent run...

Starting with iOS 17.4, currently in beta, Apple is allowing alternative app marketplaces on the iPhone in the EU. Apple made this change to comply with new regulations under the EU's Digital Markets Act, which takes full effect next month. In an interview with Fast Company's Michael Grothaus published today, Apple's former marketing chief and current App Store head Phil Schiller said there...

Apple this week announced that developers can sign up to meet with an Apple team member to discuss the changes being made to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union. Developers can request a 30-minute online consultation to ask questions and provide feedback about Apple's changes. Topics of discussion include alternative distribution on iOS, alternative payments in the ‌App Store‌...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has criticized Apple's compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, which forces Apple to let third-party developers create alternative App Stores and use their own payment systems, amongst other things. Speaking to investors on Thursday during Meta's Q4 earnings call, Zuckerberg called Apple's new rules "so onerous" that he would not be surprised ...

For the past few weeks, some iPhone users have been unable to view the latest app reviews left by customers in the App Store. Specifically, affected users are only able to read reviews submitted up until January 16 this year. It's unclear how widespread this issue is, but it seems to be very inconsistent, with recent reviews showing for some users and not for others depending on the app. We...

Spotify CEO Daniel EK today wrote a blog post criticizing the app ecosystem changes that Apple implemented in the European Union under the Digital Markets Act, accusing Apple of putting forward "a new plan that is a complete and total farce" under "the false pretense of compliance and concessions." Ek says that Apple doesn't "think the rules apply to them," and he believes that most app...

Apple announced an overwhelming number of changes to the app ecosystem in the European Union yesterday, and with the flood of information, there may have been a few details that were overlooked by developers and device users. We've rounded up a handful of lesser-known details that offer some clarification on what these updates mean for the iPhone and other products. The iPad and Other...

Apps that are distributed through alternative app stores in EU countries will need to submit to a notarization process that's similar to the notarization process for Mac apps. According to Apple, Notarization applies to all apps, and it is a process focused on privacy, security, and maintaining device integrity. Apple is aiming to ensure that apps do not have viruses, malware, or other...

Apple today completely overhauled its app system, introducing changes that allow developers to distribute their apps through alternative app stores and use alternative methods of payment in iOS 17.4. Unfortunately, these changes are limited to countries that are in the European Union, and they won't be implemented worldwide. There are 27 EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,...

Apple today announced that it now allows streaming game apps on the App Store worldwide, in response to feedback from developers. This will pave the way for services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce NOW to be available as standalone iPhone and iPad apps, whereas they were previously only accessible via the web. These cloud gaming apps will allow iPhone and iPad users to stream games ...

Spotify has shared its vision for bringing in-app payments back to its iOS app, once Apple is forced to comply with Europe's looming digital market regulations. The streaming service shared mockups of what it expects its app to look like, including information about pricing, subscription offers and in-app audiobook purchases. Spotify has not allowed customers to sign up for a Spotify Premium ...

Apple is preparing to split the App Store "in two" in the coming weeks ahead of European Union requirements that will force Apple to enable app sideloading in the region, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple is gearing up to make changes to the ‌App Store‌ in the EU to comply with the region's impending Digital...

Apple has announced an App Store pilot program called "contingent pricing" that lets app developers offer discounts to customers with multiple subscriptions. Developers can offer contingent pricing to customers who already have subscriptions "from one developer or two different developers." For example, a developer could attract customers to a subscription by offering discounted pricing if...