developers

Thu
14
Dec
John Lister's picture

Google Suffers Shock Court Defeat

Google has lost a major court battle with respect to the way people pay for mobile app services. It's a surprise verdict as Apple prevailed in an extremely similar case against the same opponent. Both cases involved antitrust cases brought by Epic ... Games, which makes the hugely popular game Fortnite. In both cases, Epic complained about the way Apple and Google take a cut of payments from app developers. In this case, Epic said Google's cut of 30 percent for apps in the official Play Store was too high. It said Google was able to set the rate because of a lack of alternative routes to ... (view more)

Tue
22
Nov
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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)

Wed
20
Jul
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Software Updates May Bring Back Zero-day Bugs

At least half the zero-day bugs discovered by Google this year were preventable according to one of its security experts. She pointed to sloppiness by software developers. The claims came in a talk and subsequent blog post by Maddie Stone. She's ... part of Google's Project Zero security program. While precise definitions sometimes vary, the general principle of a zero-day bug is that it's where attackers are exploiting the vulnerability before the software developers have a chance to develop a fix - in most cases because they aren't even aware of the bug. The name comes from the way the ... (view more)

Mon
09
May
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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)

Tue
08
Feb
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35 States Dispute iOS App Store 'Monopoly'

Thirty five states have backed a legal challenge to the way Apple runs its app store. The specific case centers on a game but could affect the entire way app stores operate. Unlike other mobile systems, most users can only install software on ... iPhones and iPads through the official Apple app store. Apple not only takes a cut of the purchase price of any paid apps, but also requires developers to pass on 30 percent of any in-app purchases such as upgrading an app to remove ads or selling digital content. Epic Games, maker of the Fortnite game, tried to get round that rule by including a message ... (view more)

Tue
07
Sep
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Apple Offers Settlement in App Store Dispute

Apple has agreed to allow app developers to tell users how to save money on app payments. It's part of a settlement in a long-running dispute but it's not enough to satisfy some developers. At the moment, app developers who sell apps in the official ... Apple store can gather email addresses of customers. However, the developers are not allowed to use those addresses to tell customers about how to pay them directly for subscriptions and one-off payments relating to the app. In-App Messages Banned That's a blow to developers who use a "freemium" model where the app itself is free but ... (view more)

Wed
20
May
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Google Bans Popular Podcast App Over COVID-19 Content

Google has banned a hugely popular podcast app from the Play Store, claiming it breaches a ban on COVID-19 content. It appears to be a spectacular screw-up by Google's filtering system. Podcast Addict is a leading app in its field with more than ... five million downloads, so it came as a surprise to developers to receive a message from Google saying it had been banned from the Play Store. While it's still possible to install Podcast Addict manually, it's a big blow to its distribution and makes the app inaccessible to potential Android users who follow common security advice to stick to the ... (view more)

Wed
05
Jun
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Windows 10 Apps Plagued by Fake Tech Support Ads

Developers have been shocked to discover their apps for the Windows Store are carrying scam advertising. They are blaming Microsoft for not properly vetting the ads it inserts into the apps. The apps in question are for Windows 10 and are part of ... the "modern Windows experience" which lets users get software from an the official Microsoft Store similar to Google Play (for Android) and Apple's App Store (for iOS devices). The only difference is that Windows also allows users to download and install programs directly from software developers. App makers who use the Windows Store have ... (view more)

Tue
14
May
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Supreme Court Rules on Apple's App Price Fixing

The Supreme Court has ruled that lower courts can hear a case claiming Apple's pricing policy for its apps breaches anti-trust laws . The claimants say Apple has a monopoly, and its mandatory commission drives up prices unfairly. The case centers on ... two main differences between apps on Apple mobile devices and those on rival systems such as Google's Android. The first is that it is virtually impossible to install an app on an iPhone or iPad from a sources other than the official iTunes App Store - something Apple cites as being important for security reasons. The second is that publishers ... (view more)

Thu
30
Aug
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'ShutUp10' Simplifies Windows 10 Privacy Settings

Users frustrated with Windows 10's complicated privacy settings have an alternative option. A third-party tool called ' ShutUp10 ' offers a one-stop dashboard to control exactly what data is shared. The free tool can be downloaded directly from the ... developers O&O Software . It's a standalone application meaning you can run it without having to install it first, in turn meaning there's none of the bundled 'crapware' that comes with some free applications. Once opened, the tool lists just over 100 settings in 13 categories: Privacy App Privacy Security Web ... (view more)

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