All articles tagged with #app store
Apple removed Kromix, an AI image-styler capable of generating pornographic deepfakes of real people, after WIRED exposed Meta’s ad campaign promoting it; Apple said the app added prohibited content after review and violates Nudification-related guidelines, and Meta subsequently pulled the ads. A separate WIRED investigation found another similar app, MaskAI, which Apple also removed following inquiries.
Apple overhauls EU App Store terms to align with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), effective October 1, moving developers to a single terms set; non‑Store digital transactions incur a 5% Core Technology Commission, while App Store in‑app purchases carry a 26% fee, external payment providers 20%, and 15% for purchases that link out, with reductions for certain programs. Developers can offer both in‑store and external payments in the EU but must keep chosen options for 12 months; a 5% Core Technology Commission also applies to web/third‑party store transactions, and Apple is dropping several old Fees. Web distribution is EU‑only with eligibility rules. The update also adds EU child-safety rules for purchases inside apps, reflecting continued DMA enforcement.
Apple asks a court to allow up to a 15% fee on purchases made via external payment links for App Store apps, with 10% for some programs and 5% for Small Business, as part of the ongoing Epic Games antitrust dispute; the piece also notes Google’s ongoing Play Store changes—opening to external billing and third‑party stores under a separate case.
Apple has submitted a proffer with proposed off‑App Store commission rates for the Epic Games v. Apple case: 15% for standard apps (30% IAP), 10% for Video/News/Mini Apps Partner Programs and renewals, and 5% for Small Business Program apps. The filing also notes comparisons to Google Play’s rates and argues the linked-out fees are procompetitive, while the Supreme Court has allowed lower‑court proceedings to continue. Epic is expected to respond, with further briefs due as the case progresses, including a Sept. 14 deadline for Apple’s Supreme Court brief.
Apple asks to collect fees on external purchases made via links outside the App Store, proposing 15% for standard apps, 10% for certain partner programs and renewals, and 5% for Small Business; Epic says the plan exceeds Ninth Circuit guidance, while Apple argues that its necessary costs would be essentially zero. The Ninth Circuit had suggested costs could justify fees, and the Supreme Court is weighing whether Apple willfully violated the injunction in Epic Games v. Apple, with no off‑App Store commissions in effect yet.
Retraction reveals the prior post misread the Apple App Store rejection: the app in question was Asterly, an astrology app (with Tarot), not Dark Hours’ astronomy content; Apple’s rejection was correct, the confusion arose from naming and edits, and the author apologizes and references Apple’s 4.3(b) guidelines.
Daring Fireball argues that Apple’s App Store wrongly rejected Dark Hours, an astronomy app, as astrology; reviewers allegedly conflated content with astrology (even citing a live tarot feature), and escalations through the Review Board did not correct the mistake, a stance the author says harms developers and sets a poor example for the platform.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov says a takedown extortionist planted child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in a public chat and edited it with AI to trigger Apple’s App Store removal. Telegram says Apple removed the app before contacting them and attackers used automated reports to pressure takedowns. The incident highlights potential systemic risk for any app hosting user-generated content and demonstrates evolving extortion tactics, with Telegram restoring the app within hours and Russia pursuing Durov in separate matters.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov says a takedown extortionist planted AI-modified CSAM in a public group to pressure Apple into removing Telegram from the App Store; Apple briefly pulled the app and restored it after Telegram removed the content. Durov warns this could pose a systemic risk to any mobile app hosting user-generated content, while Apple has not commented on the claim.
Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after a CSAM violation was found, then restored the app about 40 minutes later once the content was removed and the user was banned; Telegram attributed the issue to a single account, while Apple highlighted ongoing CSAM removals and Tim Sweeney criticized the move as a call for more competition in app distribution.
Apple briefly pulled Telegram from the App Store over CSAM violations, saying Telegram violated its guidelines; The company restored the app after Telegram removed the offending content and banned the user who posted it. Telegram pushed back, citing its moderation efforts and noting it has removed hundreds of CSAM-related groups and channels, with Apple having previously removed Telegram in 2018. Users could still access Telegram during the brief outage.
An iOS paid app called Antizuck Smart Glasses Scanner claims to detect when Meta AI smart glasses are being worn nearby and has climbed to the US iPhone paid-app chart, but its effectiveness is unverified and it raises privacy concerns about surveillance and the justification for an app that detects wearers of smart glasses.
The European Commission fined Google €890 million—the first enforcement under the Digital Markets Act—for giving its own services preferential treatment in search results and restricting app developers' ability to promote alternative offers; Google must comply within 60 days or risk penalties up to 5% of worldwide turnover, with the company signaling it may review or appeal the decision and noting concerns the DMA could degrade user experience.
Epic Games and Google have withdrawn their settlement bid, clearing the path for rival Android app stores to appear inside Google Play starting July 22. The US will see a store-within-a-store model, while a global “Registered App Stores” option could roll out elsewhere; Google will charge a $5,000 annual fee for Play catalog access and enforce safety and policy requirements, signaling a shift toward more competition and potentially lower app-store costs for developers.
EU General Court upheld Apple’s designation as a DMA gatekeeper for App Store and iOS, rejected treating its five App Stores as separate services and dismissed Apple’s interoperability challenge as inadmissible, strengthening Brussels’ enforcement of the Digital Markets Act amid ongoing Apple–EU tensions.