app

Fri
30
Dec
John Lister's picture

Apple App Store Monopoly May End

Apple looks set to allow iPhone and iPad users to get apps from sources other than the official App Store. It's a major change of policy, almost certainly sparked by forthcoming changes to European law. Analysts predict Apple will find ways to ... minimize the effect of the change. However, stock prices in many companies that make apps have risen on the assumption they'll make more revenue because Apple won't take a cut of app purchases. Unlike rival Android, Apple has always kept tight control on the apps users can install, making the App Store the only option without "jailbreaking" the device, ... (view more)

Tue
22
Nov
John Lister's picture

iPhone App Ads Cause Controversy

Apple has come under fire on two fronts over changes to ads on its app store listings. Developers feel their apps are being undermined while parents have complained about promotions for gambling appearing beside child-focused apps. The changes ... affect the way users see listings when browsing for apps on an iPhone. That means any changes have a big effect because screen space is so limited. Apple has now created extra ad spaces, one that appears in the main tab of the app store and one at the bottom of the page for an individual app. The ads are all for other iPhone apps. Rival Apps Promoted ... (view more)

Thu
18
Aug
John Lister's picture

Netflix Wins Small Victory Over Apple

The iOS Netflix app now has a subscribe button. It's a small change that could make a big difference to Apple's bottom line, as well as opening up legal challenges. Since 2018, Netflix has not offered any way to subscribe through its iPhone and iPad ... app. Instead, users had to sign up on the website, then install the app and sign in. That wasn't a case of Netflix being deliberately awkward but rather not wanting to pay a commission to Apple, which demands a 30 percent cut of any subscriptions made through an app, falling to 15 percent after the first year. Companies like Netflix which refused ... (view more)

Thu
04
Aug
John Lister's picture

New Android Malware Discovered

Some Google Play Store apps with more than a million downloads have turned out to house malware. It's a reminder that however good Google's security vetting process is, it's not perfectly reliable. Two security companies, ThreatLabZ and Evina, say ... they found a total of 60 apps that are or have been in the Play Store and house one of four "families" of malware. One type appears to be new and has been dubbed Autolycos by researcher Maxime Ingrao. Promoted via Facebook and Instagram ads, the apps use a common technique. They are listed as carrying out a specific feature, which they ... (view more)

Fri
10
Jun
John Lister's picture

Biggest Windows 11 Update Of 2022 Imminent

The next major update to Windows 11 should be going public in the not-too-distant future. The 22H2 update has reached its final testing stage. The name might suggest it's the second of the usual two main updates to Windows 11 released each year. In ... fact the pace of change has slowed so much that there was no Windows 11 22H1 release, and instead 22H2 is the only major update expected this year. The update has now reached the third and final "channel" of the Windows Insiders test program that lets people access updates early. The Dev channel is used for all prospective changes to Windows, ... (view more)

Tue
31
May
John Lister's picture

Apple App Subscribers Face Price Shock

Apple is to let app developers raise subscription prices without users actively accepting the hike. It's a reversal of the current opt-in system for increases. The move affects subscription apps which most commonly involve music and video streaming ... services and digital magazines. At the moment, developers can automatically charge customers at regular intervals until the customer cancels. However, if the developer wants to put the price up, they'll need to show a message clearly marked "Agree to New Price." If the customer doesn't tap on this button, their subscription automatically ... (view more)

Fri
20
May
John Lister's picture

Facebook Drops Location Tools

Facebook is to ditch some tools which tracked a user's location. It seems to be more about the tools being little used than a sudden interest in boosting privacy. The tools all involved tracking a user's location in real time and using the ... information to provide some sort of service. Perhaps the best known was "Nearby Friends" which lived up to its name, telling users if anyone they knew on Facebook (or at least anyone who also had the feature switched on) was in the area, allowing for semi-spontaneous meet-ups. The tools also included localized weather alerts. In both cases, many users ... (view more)

Mon
09
May
John Lister's picture

Google Play Store Adds Privacy Info

Google has started including detailed privacy information about the Android apps in the official Play Store. It's up to developers to fill out the details and Google won't be checking them in advance. The listings page for each app will now have a ... summary box listing key data privacy and security details. Users can then click or tap through to see more detailed information. The box will note how many types of data the app collects, whether it is stored in encrypted form, and whether user can easily delete it. It will also list if the developer has put the app through an independent privacy ... (view more)

Fri
01
Apr
John Lister's picture

Windows 11 Makes Browser Switching Easier

Microsoft has gone ahead with plans to make it easier to change the browser in Windows 11. It means an end to a heavily criticized policy that made it more frustrating to use something other than Microsoft's own Edge browser. In recent versions of ... Windows, users could set a rival browser as the default option in Windows relatively easily. Once set, Windows would then use the chosen browser automatically for relevant tasks such as opening a link or a saved web page. In Windows 10, users could set a different browser for every type of file or connection type an app could use, for example .htm ... (view more)

Wed
09
Mar
John Lister's picture

Windows 11 Gets New Security Tool

Microsoft is trying a new tool designed to block suspicious applications without frustrating users. Windows can decide itself whether running Smart App Control causes more trouble than its worth. The feature is being tested among users on the ... Windows 11 Dev Channel, meaning people who want the earliest possible access to potential new features, knowing there's a higher risk of bugs and problems. Smart App Control brings together several security tools already present in Windows Defender and turns them into an all-or-nothing measure. When Smart App Control blocks an application, it cannot run ... (view more)

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