App Store

Apple occasionally updates the App Store’s layout to make it easier to navigate, or emphasize one content section or another. But new changes recently rolled out that are especially prominent, and make new app discovery easier than ever on iPhone and more.

Apple and Google have been fined R$19 million (about US$3.1 million) in Brazil after a judge ruled that the companies contributed to allowing the controversial photo editor FaceApp to improperly collect data from its users. The app has a long history of questionable privacy policies.

The Chinese government forced Apple to remove VPN apps from the App Store there way back in 2017, and the company is now having to do the same in India.

So far, a small number of VPN apps have been removed to comply with an anti-privacy law barring anonymous use, but many more are likely to follow …

Even a brief review of the App Store revealed more than 200 “risky or inappropriate” apps rated as ok for children, according to a new report. They had collectively notched up more than 550 million downloads.

Two child safety groups say that more than 25% of the child-rated apps they reviewed gave cause for concern, suggesting that the total number of problematic apps is very much higher …

Analytics data suggests that we’re downloading fewer iPhone apps this year than last, but spending significantly more money on them. That’s because almost half of developer revenue now comes from subscriptions.

App Store downloads declined slightly in the past 12 months, but the total spend increased dramatically from $73.7B last year to $91.6B this year …

In the US and around the world, Apple has been engaged in a years-long dispute over the App Store, payments, and the like. One big battlefront has been Apple’s prohibition against third-party payment options, but now popular game emulator Delta might just be the first app in the US to support linking to external payment options.

Apple has revealed the most downloaded App Store apps and games of 2024. Its top charts are localized for many parts of the world, so you can see the most popular downloads in your own country. Here are the top apps and games of the year.

Apple today announced the winners of the 2024 App Store Awards, recognizing apps and games that “helped users ignite their creativity, achieve new milestones, and cherish everyday moments with family and friends.”

I had the chance to spend time with three of this year’s winners and ask them about how they created their Apple award-winning apps.

After unveiling the finalists last month, Apple today officially took the wraps off the 2024 App Store Awards winners.

This year, the company crowned Kino from Lux Optics as the iPhone App of the Year, Adobe Lightroom as the Mac App of the Year, and Moises as the iPad App of The Year.

Head below for the full rundown of all the winners…

Following a report earlier today about Apple appealing a Brazilian antitrust regulator’s ruling on the App Store, the Brazilian courts decided on Thursday night to overturn the injunction imposed on Apple, which would have forced the company to enable sideloading on iOS for Brazilian users within 20 days.

As we recently reported, the Brazilian antitrust regulator known as “Cade” recently ruled that Apple can no longer prevent developers from selling content and distributing apps outside the App Store in Brazil. Unsurprisingly, Apple is now appealing the decision which the company considers “disproportionate.”

British developers have been told that their billion dollar class action lawsuit against Apple can proceed, after the iPhone maker failed in its second bid to have the case dismissed.

Developers behind the antitrust case are seeking repayment of up to £785M ($995M) in commission on apps, in the latest move against Apple’s monopoly on the sale of iPhone apps …

Nintendo has released a new game for iPhone today, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete. The title brings back much of the experience in its predecessor, but with new content and perhaps most interestingly, a pricing experiment.

Apple’s App Store anti-steering rules have been declared illegal in Brazil, in the latest antitrust ruling against the company. This means Apple can no longer ban developers from linking to their own websites to sell in-app content like books, movies, music, and games.

The Cupertino company has already been required to allow third-party app stores in the EU, and to allow US developers to sell in-app content outside of the App Store …

Apple has unveiled the app and game finalists for the 2024 App Store awards. Apple says these finalists represent “developers who delivered the highest levels of user experience, design, and innovation.”

Head below for the full list…

Apple provides the App Store in every market possible, providing access to as much software as possible. However, part of that responsibility is abiding by local government rules. This means Apple regularly has to choose between delisting certain apps to avoid being forced to close the entire App Store in those markets.

Apple promotes many apps through the App Store, which has its own editorial board to choose the best apps and highlight them for users. However, there wasn’t much transparency about how Apple chooses these apps, but that’s changing now as developers finally can apply to be featured on the App Store.

There’s yet another battle brewing between the European Union and Apple. In a press release today, the European Commission announced that it has “notified Apple” that it may be violating the EU’s anti-geo-blocking rules with Apple Media Services, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and more.

One of the new features of Apple Intelligence is the summarization of texts and notifications. Now it seems that Apple wants to bring summarization to another place: the App Store. Soon, you’ll be able to see a summary of app reviews made by users before downloading an app.

As a result of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust legislation in the EU, Apple has had to change how iOS and the App Store work for users in European countries. And there are more changes coming with iOS 18.2. More specifically, iPhone and iPad users will soon be able to delete the App Store, Safari, and many other built-in iOS apps.

It’s been a month since Apple released iOS 18 to the public, but the company is already working on future software updates. Interestingly, as Apple has been investing more in gaming, it seems that the company is now working on a new App Store-like app dedicated to games.