Apple today has added a new ‘Offers In-App Purchases’ warning in the description of App Store apps that utilize the feature. The new disclosure can be seen in the App Store, located just beneath the Buy/Free button of pertinent applications.
The move comes amidst multiple reports of children running up monster iTunes bills, unbeknownst to their parents, via in-app purchases. Earlier this month, a young boy from the UK racked up $1,300 in charges buying virtual donuts… Read More
The Article 29, a watchdog comprised of the European Union’s top privacy protection groups, today issued a set of new recommendations aimed at app developers and tech giants that run the mobile application stores in the latest attempt to bring order to how your apps handle your private information.
The new set of more detailed recommendations arrives following the recent EU probe into the privacy practices of Google and other tech firms.
The United States Federal Trade Commission set out a similar set of guidelines last month so EU’s new recommendations could have serious ramifications on how Apple’s App Store, Google’s Play Store and other application stores operate… Read More
Last year saw the rise of social networking apps. While not as dominant as games, apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype helped revenue for the category skyrocket nearly 90 percent, compared to the previous year. Likewise, social networking apps flew to third place on Apple’s App Store, behind only games and productivity. That’s a notable jump from 2011, when social apps ranked only twelveth.
Revenues for the category on the App Store jumped 87 percent year-over-year in January 2013, with a 30 percent rise in monthly downloads now accounting for fiver percent of total downloads. On Google Play, social networking apps became the number one category, besides games, an app research firm announced Friday… Read More
Is Apple operating a monopoly? That’s the question before an Oakland, California judge. Tuesday, the iPhone and iPad maker urged the court to dismiss a lawsuit filed in 2011, alleging the company runs a monopoly by offering apps for the smartphone only on the App Store. Apple underscores it doesn’t set prices for third-party software and argues charging developers 30 percent to distribute items for iPhones, iPods and iPads on its App Store does not violate antitrust laws… Read More
Apple today has agreed to settle a nearly two year-old lawsuit with a group of parents over unauthorized in-app purchases made by their kids. The parents complained that the process’ lack of password requirement led to massive iTunes bills.
As part of the preliminary deal, which has yet to be finalized by a judge, Apple will pay eligible class members with a $5 iTunes gift card or the same amount in cash. And for those users who spent more than $30, it’s offering a full refund… Read More
I know, I know. There’s so many different Apple rumors these days, going in so many different directions, it’s hard to keep track. There’s the 4.8-inch iPhone, and the budget iPhone, and let’s not forget about the iWatch, which has become extremely popular as of late.
But try to block all of that out for a second, and focus on the Apple TV. A new report is out today from Tech Crunch’s well-connected MG Siegler, who says that talk of Apple’s broader television plans is picking up, and we could see something happen as early as this fall… Read More
Earlier today, Jeffries analyst Peter Misek told investors that Apple will hold a TV-related media event in March. And he suspects that the focus of the event will be the unveiling of a software development kit that will allow developers to finally make third-party apps for the Apple TV.
Well if that’s really the case, major gaming consoles better watch out. In a recent blogpost rant entitled ‘Stupid, Stupid xBox!!’ Xbox founder Nat Brown says that if Apple opens up an App Store on the Apple TV, the platform would “simply kill” the Playstation, Xbox and the WiiU… Read More
The social network Facebook has become such a behemoth in that space that it’s now sending an astounding 180 million clicks to Apple’s App Store marketplace and Google’s Play Store for Android software. That’s one of the nuggets from a speech Dan Rose, Facebook VP of partnerships gave at The Wall Street Journal-sponsored D: Dive Into Media.
He also touched on Facebook’s mobile strategy and the social network’s future prospects as it competes for our time with other popular mobile services… Read More
Apple last week posted an announcement to its developer portal, informing app-makers that they can now use short (or ‘vanity’) URLs to send out links to their App Store apps. For instance, a link to the iWork app would be appstore.com/iwork.
Typically, links to Apple-hosted software are comprised of lengthy URLs with ID numbers—nearly impossible for anyone to remember. But Apple is hoping that these new short URLs will make it easier for developers to market their apps… Read More
Price drops are the norm in app business. Developers are keen to slash prices of their digital warez, mostly for a limited time, in order to boost revenue. Some apps even go from paid to free permanently in the hope of raking in more revenue through in-app purchases. Just a few recent examples: Evernote has temporarily made the Penultimate handwriting app free and National Geographic’s World Atlas for the first time has gone free.
Netbot, the Tweetbot for App.net, is also a free download now. A new survey was published Friday, highlighting the positive effect of price changes on download volumes and revenue of iPad and iPhone apps in the App Store… Read More
Examples keep appearing of how Apple is able to squeeze more revenue from its iPhone and iPad than rival Android. The latest data shows Apple’s App Store earned 3.5 times more than Android’s Google Play in December. Did I mention this happened despite Google Play doubling its quarterly revenue? The reason, according to App Annie, is the iPhone 5 and iPad mini – both popular holiday gifts and natural driver of App Store sales… Read More
It’s been discovered this afternoon that Apple has quietly added a new section to the descriptions of its featured App Store apps. It’s called ’App Store Notes,’ and the area is used to provide a brief summary of each application.
Apple’s done something similar in the past, but it appears it’s now rolling out the feature on a broader scale…
I’ve grown to love the 500px photography service. Unlike filtered shots of people’s food and pets, snaps served on 500px are of high quality and the built-in store means I can offer some of my best photos and earn 70 percent of the revenue from sales. The company released its iOS app last November and said more than half of its 1.5 million registered users are using 500px on their iPad. Moreover, 93 percent of return users and session times stood at 40+ minutes.
Unfortunately, looks like Apple’s review team has an issue with the latest update because the search feature might produce some candid shots of naked men and women. This was apparently enough for the puritan Apple police to remove the 500px app from the App Store.
UPDATE [January 29, 2013 at 8:50am Pacific]: the 500px app has returned to the App Store following pornography removal. Read More
You might be tempted to think of Minecraft: Pocket Edition as the lesser version of Minecraft, a fun diversion but not the real game. When Pocket Edition was first launched in 2011, it lacked many of the desktop version’s features, including crafting and survival mode. Now that Pocket Edition is catching up in terms of features, it seems the tide is turning.
In fact, Pocket Edition was the most purchased version of Minecraft in 2012, according to numbers released by Mojang last week. Minecraft: Pocket Edition sold over 39.1% of units, or 5,899,727 copies total. This was ahead of Minecraft for Mac/PC, at 27.7%, and the Xbox 360 edition, at 33.2%… Read More
Amazon last September asked court to drop Apple’s suit over its use of the ‘Appstore’ term in relation to its application store, which launched as the Amazon Appstore for Android, but is now simply called the Amazon Appstore. The service is carrying mobile applications for Android devices and Amazon’s own Kindle lineup of tablets and e-readers.
Apple’s been arguing from the onset that Amazon has been attempting to free-ride on the popularity of the term Apple helped push by aggressively marketing its App Store. And now, a judge has ordered the two parties to enter settlement talks ahead of trial… Read More
I don’t know what it is with Apple and European railways, but another one has taken up a beef with the Cupertino company. Today, Russian Railways announced that it has issued a trademark infringement suit against Apple.
The reason behind the lawsuit is still not entirely clear, but it looks like it has something to do with third-party apps in the App Store that use RZD’s (that’s the abbreviation for Russian Railways) logo without permission… Read More
Google has just release a brand new application for the iPhone on the App Store. Dubbed Coordinate, it’s a workforce management tool aimed at business users that the company says will improve the efficiency of your mobile teams. The Mountain View, California-headquartered search Goliath explains that by getting real-time visibility into where teams are and what jobs they are doing, “work can be allocated in a smarter, more efficient way” using the mobile Coordinate app. The software is targeted at businesses so it doesn’t work with consumer Google accounts… Read More
Have you ever downloaded an app on your iPhone or iPad, and it didn’t look anything like the screenshots in the App Store? If so, you wouldn’t be alone. Switching screenshots after Apple has approved an app has become a popular tactic for scammers.
But we have some good news this afternoon. Apple announced to developers today that, starting this week, all App Store screenshots will be locked after they are approved. And they’ll stay that way until a developer submits a binary for an app update… Read More
With just a few days into 2013 we’re already seeing the latest skirmish between Netflix and pay-TV veterans. After a weekend deal where HBO gloated it was keeping Universal content out of the hands of the online streaming service, Netflix answered Monday by inking a U.S. deal for television episodes from Warner Bros. The deal gives Netflix exclusive online rights for such Warner Bros Television Group shows as Revolution, Fringe and Kevin Bacon’s upcoming FBI potboiler The Following. Perhaps most intriguing was language offering Netflix exclusive online rights to “potential future shows”… Read More
Apple just announced that its application store for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch software, the App Store, has topped a whopping forty billion downloads so far, with almost twenty billion downloads added in the calendar 2012 alone. These are unique downloads that exclude re-downloads and updates. The iPhone maker has also confirmed that as of today the App Store is home to a total of 775,000 active apps for the iOS gadgets (though a million apps passed through the store so far), with 300,000 tailored specifically for iPads… Read More
