Apple to provide more details about why it delists apps

Apple plans to be more transparent about why it delists certain apps.

Developers must abide by Apple’s strict App Store rules or face the banhammer. Some of these removals are due to clear policy violations while others are wrapped in a shroud of mystery.

Last March, around one-third of shareholders at Apple’s annual meeting backed a resolution that called on the firm to be more transparent about the apps it removes.

The root of the concern is Apple’s...

12 January 2023 | App Stores

Apple is working on supporting App Store alternatives

Apple is working on allowing App Store alternatives due to legislation that forces its hand.

The EU introduced the Digital Markets Act in November which requires “gatekeeper” companies to open their platforms to other companies and developers. Apple has until 6 March 2024 to comply with the act by supporting the sideloading of apps on iPhones and iPads.

Similar legislation is being considered in the US and other regions.

Google has managed to avoid facing...

14 December 2022 | App Stores

App Store now supports prices from $0.29 to $10,000

Apple has increased the range of supported App Store prices to between $0.29 and $10,000.

The policy change is due to a 2019 lawsuit against Apple filed by software developers that alleged the company abused its market position. As part of the settlement, Apple agreed to "expand the choice of price points for subscriptions, in-app purchases, and paid apps.”

The number of price points has expanded from under 100 to 900.

"Under the updated App Store pricing...

7 December 2022 | App Stores

Apple bans using NFTs to circumvent App Store fees

Apple has updated its rules to ban developers from using NFTs to circumvent App Store fees.

Regulators and developers are becoming increasingly critical of Apple for blocking third-party app stores and payment options. With no alternative, this leaves Apple to abuse its market position to take high cuts.

“The fundamental problem for us is the lack of choice,” Basecamp CEO Jason Fried once wrote in a letter. “And [Apple Fellow] Phil Schiller’s suggestion that we...

26 October 2022 | App Stores

Apple begins Small Developer Assistance Fund payouts

Apple has started paying out to small developers that qualify for a fund established as part of a class-action lawsuit.

A lawsuit was brought against Apple by US developers over the company’s “profit-killing” App Store commissions. As part of the settlement, Apple agreed to create a $100 million Small Developer Assistance Fund.

The fund was open to US developers who sold paid apps or offered in-app purchases through the App Store between 4th June 2015 and 26th...

24 October 2022 | App Stores

Apple opens registrations for next App Store Sessions

Apple developers wanting to optimise their listing and marketing strategies can now register for the next round of App Store Sessions.

The sessions connect developers with Apple’s experts to learn more about all things App Store, including:

Improving your listing pagesAttracting customersTesting marketing strategiesImplementing subscriptionsSuccessfully using TestFlight for beta tests

App Store Sessions were first introduced in February to significant interest. They...

27 July 2022 | Analytics

Judge rejects Apple’s bid to dismiss lawsuit by Cydia’s creator

California District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has denied Apple’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the company by Cydia’s creator.

Cydia was a third-party app store which, as you will be well aware, is officially a no-no in Apple’s books. The store was popular among the “jailbreak” community and even pre-dates the official App Store.

The creator of Cydia, Jay Freeman (AKA ‘Saurik’), ended up shutting his app store down in...

30 May 2022 | App Stores

Huawei AppGallery vulnerability gives away paid apps for free

A vulnerability has been discovered in Huawei’s AppGallery that enables paid apps to be downloaded for free.

Huawei claims that AppGallery is now the third-largest app store in the world—serving over 600 million Huawei device users in over 170 countries/regions.

Dylan Roussel, an Android developer, wanted to know how Huawei’s APIs worked. He figured out that one API took an app’s package name as a parameter and returned a JSON object with the details of the...

19 May 2022 | Android

Apps will soon need to be submitted to the App Store using Xcode 13

Apple has reminded developers that apps will soon need to be submitted to the App Store using Xcode 13.

From 25 April 2022, Apple will only accept the submission of apps that are built using the latest version of its IDE.

“iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS apps submitted to the App Store must be built with Xcode 13, which includes the SDKs for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8,” wrote Apple on its developer site.

Apple goes on to tout how Xcode 13 enables developers...

16 March 2022 | App Stores

Microsoft sets out to woo regulators with ‘Open App Store Principles’

Microsoft is getting ahead of potential new laws governing app stores by announcing its Open App Store Principles.

Last week, Developer reported on Apple’s latest fight against such legislation after the company sent a letter to US lawmakers urging them to reject S. 2710—a bill that would force Apple to open its notorious “walled garden” and enable the sideloading of apps.

Microsoft has managed to avoid being the focus of high-profile antitrust investigations in...

10 February 2022 | App Stores