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The latest ‘Super Mario Run’ update is available for download
The update to Super Mario Run has arrived. We heard about the new features planned for the game last week, a main one being the introduction of Remix 10 -- super quick courses that include Bonus Games and one Super Bonus Game that can get you some new buildings for Kingdom Builder mode. Super Mario Run will also now include Daisy as a playable character who has the ability to jump while she's already in midair.
Stunning visual puzzler 'The Witness' arrives on iOS
After months of teases and rumour, striking 3D puzzle game The Witness has finally landed in the App Store, for both iPhone and iPad. Likened to a modern-day Myst, the open world game sees players wake up on a strange, colorful island with no memory of who they are or how they got there. Only by exploring the vast island, discovering clues and completing curious puzzles can they hope to regain their memory and somehow find their way home. With dozens of locations to discover and more than 500 puzzles to solve, The Witness is a beautiful beast of a game, available now for $10/£10.
Apple bans misleading apps on iOS
As soon as you get your shiny new iPhone 8, you'll probably want to download some apps. So Apple took the opportunity to update its developer app review guidelines to make sure the App Store is in tip top shape. According to 9to5 Mac, it's now officially cracking down on misleading apps. The App Store has already had policies against such apps already, but the recent update makes it more explicit. The ban is against apps "including content or services that it does not actually offer." As those fake antivirus apps don't actually work, they're definitely on this list. Apple has already removed a number of these apps from the App Store, but this new guideline makes the ban explicit so that they can't get on in the first place. In addition, the new guidelines also include clauses for ARKit and Face ID. Apple wants the ARKit apps you see in the App Store to be more than just one-note apps with single objects, adding that it needs to offer "rich and integrated augmented reality experiences." As for Face ID, Apple added that it must offer an alternate unlocking method for children under the age of 13. It'll also now be possible for apps to offer 100 percent of funds to be gifted from one person to another without using In-App Purchases, thus bypassing the need to give 30 percent of it to Apple. The caveat is that giving said money must be an optional choice. Last but not least, there is also a new clause that explicitly prohibits apps that "facilitate human trafficking and/or the exploitation of children." They've always been illegal anyway, but Apple is simply adding language to make it more explicit that it will take legal action if it finds such apps.
Apple's iTunes update removes the desktop iOS app store
While Apple expanded its iPhone lineup today, a software update delivered for iTunes on Windows and Mac PCs is slimming things down a bit. Once users install version 12.7 they will no longer have access to the App Store from the desktop. As described on Apple's support page, a focus toward "music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks" means that you'll usually need to use your iOS devices to manage the apps installed on them. What it adds in this update is the ability to sync with devices running iOS 11 and social music sharing for Apple Music subscribers.
Apple removes apps from Iran following US sanctions
Apple has been cracking down on Iranian apps over the last few weeks, removing those that offer food delivery, shopping and ride-hailing services, among others from its App Stores. Due to US sanctions on Iran, companies like Apple are limited in the sorts of business they can do in the country, which is why the iPhone isn't legally sold in Iran and why there's no Iranian App Store.
Apple pulls VPN apps following China crackdown (update: statement)
China might say it isn't cracking down on personal VPNs, but Apple would likely argue otherwise. ExpressVPN, Star VPN and other developers report that Apple has pulled their apps from the App Store in China for allegedly including "content that is illegal" in the country. Some clients are still on other platforms (including ExpressVPN, for now) while others remain, so it's not a uniform cull at this point. However, this is still a big blow to attempts to circumvent China's mounting internet censorship through encrypted communication -- not to mention companies that may have been depending on those apps for remote work connections.
Google Play wants to help users find apps with curated lists
With so many new apps constantly hitting the market, it can be really difficult for users to find what they want and for developers to get their product noticed. To help solve that problem, Google Play has added a new feature to its Editors' Choice section — editorial pages that compile selections of apps, hand-picked by Google Play editors. These pages will highlight apps that offer the best experiences on Android, which will be grouped by themes like fitness, video calling and puzzle games. And the selections will come with descriptions as to why the editors liked them.
Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps': lousy TV, good for developers
Ashley D'Arcy always dreamed of being on a reality TV show. But her job as a creative director for an app doesn't frequently put her in front of a camera. D'Arcy's dream was realized, however, when she and dozens of other app makers were thrown into the spotlight on Apple's first original TV series, Planet of the Apps (POTA). It's been widely (and accurately) described as a cross between Shark Tank and The Voice, and it's a tepid take on the high-stakes world of... app funding.
Apple made it likelier you'll get an App Store review reply
Most App Store users don't leave negative ratings to be jerks -- rather, they may have just had trouble figuring out an app or felt it was missing a key feature. If the developers spot the issue and can deal with it, they can turn a bad user score into a good one and educate other customers at the same time. To help, Apple has made it easier for developers by adding a new role in the iTunes Connect portal called "Customer Service."
Fitbit is reportedly still struggling to make a smartwatch
When Fitbit launched the Blaze fitness watch in 2016, it made sense that the company might also be working on a more full-featured smartwatch, too. When Fitbit bought Pebble, Fitbit's CEO confirmed that fact. Unfortunately, the product was reported by Yahoo! to have a ton of issues that pushed the planned launch from this past spring to the fall. Bloomberg is now reporting that the project has lost several people who were working on the smartwatch. The sources also say that Fitbit was unable to close a deal with Spotify and that technical challenges have delayed the completion of an app store, an essential component of any smartwatch ecosystem.
Apple stops showing 32-bit iOS apps in your search results
Apple has been nudging iOS app developers toward 64-bit code for years: it started by requiring 64-bit support, then told users that 32-bit apps might run poorly, and lately has been warning that 32-bit apps wouldn't work in "future versions of iOS." Now, however, it's pulling the plug. TouchArcade and others have noticed that 32-bit iOS software no longer turns up in App Store search results. You can still use direct links, but that's about as far as you can go. And you can probably guess why Apple is making this move right now.
Google Photos for iOS beams images to your TV with AirPlay
Google has been improving its Photos app for a while now, adding features like automatic white balance, compensation for wobbly video, social photo editing tools and even improving Apple's own Live Photos. The one thing it's been missing, however, is the ability to send your photos and videos to an Apple TV right from the app using AirPlay. That's been remedied, though, with a new update that's available to download right now from the App Store.
Apple threatened to drop Uber's app over iPhone tagging (updated)
Uber is no stranger to trouble, but it may have landed in some especially hot water two years ago. New York Times sources claim that Apple CEO Tim Cook held a face-to-face meeting in early 2015 to call out Uber's Travis Kalanick (and threaten to remove his app from the App Store) after learning that Uber was not only violating iOS app privacy guidelines, but was trying to cover it up. Reportedly, the ridesharing outfit had been "fingerprinting" iPhones with permanent identities so that it could prevent drivers from cheating by creating fake accounts and accepting rides from these bogus customers. The IDs would last even after the app was deleted or the entire phone was wiped. While this helped keep drivers honest, it was clearly a privacy violation -- and it was made worse by Uber's bid to hide the tracking from App Store reviewers.
Apple finally flips the switch on review responses
Along with the other slate of improvements that are in iOS 10.3, maybe one that'll make a real change (at least in terms of the App Store) in the ecosystem is the ability to converse with app developers. We knew that the feature was coming way back in January, but now it's actually here. Previously, as sister site TechCrunch notes, a developer would have to reverse engineer someone's UserID to get to their email if they wanted to ask about a bug the user experienced. Not anymore.
Apple moving international iTunes arm to Ireland next month
In a note sent out to developers, Apple has confirmed it's moving its international iTunes business from Luxembourg to its European hub in Ireland effective February 5th. The company pre-empted the move last September, when it transferred all developer contracts and an estimated $9 billion in assets between the countries in preparation. And from next month, responsibility for Apple's iTunes arm serving over 100 countries (not including the US) -- and covering the iTunes, iBook and App Stores as well as Apple Music -- will formally transfer to its offices in Cork, Ireland.
Android apps with emoji descriptions get more downloads
With a feature film, touch bar and dedicated search engine, emojis are having a moment. Now, app developer Novoda has done a study showing that they can even convince you to download apps. Using the A/B tool in Google's Developer Console, the team tested three emojis (🚀, 🚮 and 💯) in the short description of the popular CCleaner app from Piriform.
Apple wants to make app developers less thirsty for reviews
Apple may finally be putting an end to the annoying slew of review requests that often pop up while you're using an app. According to Recode, the iPhone maker is working on a mechanism that limits the number of times that developers can ask for reviews and ratings to three per year.
Apple lets App Store developers respond to reviews
Android app developers have had the option of responding to Google Play reviews for a while, but the same hasn't been true for Apple products. If you want to grouse about a bug or shoddy design, you usually have to email the developer directly. That's frustrating -- but thankfully, not for much longer. Documentation for the newly released iOS 10.3 developer beta has revealed that creators will soon have the ability to respond to reviews on both the iOS and Mac App Stores. If devs want to promise a fix or correct mistaken claims, they can do it in a public forum.
Apple faces a price-fixing suit over App Store purchases
Apple is in court once again. This time, the company is part of an anti-trust lawsuit over the strict limitations over where users can buy iOS applications. Specifically, the requirement that all apps be purchased through the Cupertino company's App Store. The suit alleges that by not allowing customers to buy apps from third-party services, Apple was price fixing and that customers could sue as a result, according to Bloomberg.
The iPhone's legacy, 10 years later
January 9th, 2017 is a milestone day in the technology world: It's the 10th anniversary of Apple's iPhone. Yes, it's been a full decade since Steve Jobs took to the stage and introduced the device that many credit with defining the modern smartphone. But was it an overnight revolution? Well, no. Despite all the initial hype, the iPhone actually represents a gradual reinvention strung across many years. It wasn't the first out of the gate with many basic concepts, but its fresh approaches to those concepts helped smartphones escape their niche business-tool status and become the must-have companion devices they are now.
