All articles tagged with #app store
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.
Rumors SpaceX showed IPO investors a slimmer, proprietary OS phone linked to xAI sparked Musk’s denial, but the real story is SpaceX’s broader plan: building a complete stack—Starlink wireless, mid‑band spectrum approval, potential Charter partnerships, and the xAI merger—to rival Apple’s ecosystem and bypass the App Store. OpenAI/Microsoft involvement and the broader AI hardware race underscore the risk to Apple’s high‑margin Services, though analysts caution a consumer device may still be far off and Apple’s moat remains substantial. Apple’s July 30 earnings could reveal only hints of these strategic moves rather than a definitive shift.
The Supreme Court will hear Apple’s appeal of a contempt finding in the Epic Games dispute over App Store fees and external payment links. Lower courts found Apple violated a 2021 injunction by blocking cheaper payment options, though Apple allowed external links and still charged a 27% commission on those purchases; the Ninth Circuit upheld a fee framework tied to costs and remanded to Judge Rogers, who found contempt in 2025 and halted commissions on external-link purchases. A ruling could reshape global App Store practices, with a decision expected by mid-2027.
Cursor has released its first iPhone/iPad app after SpaceX (including xAI) acquired the coding firm, letting users launch and manage AI coding agents, review diffs, annotate images, and chat with agents via voice, with Live Activities updates and remote cloud/local handoffs; the app supports demos/diffs before merging PRs, and Cursor is teasing repo-less chats as part of future plans, while offering 75% off Composer 2.5 runs through July 5, 2026 and directing users to download from the App Store.
Apple has blocked key Russian apps VKontakte and Max Messenger in Russia, prompting a Kremlin call for citizens to switch to Android and domestic services; VK Group protests the move and notes Android alternatives remain available through RuStore and other app stores.
At WWDC, Apple said the App Store will begin offering bundled subscriptions from different companies, similar to streaming bundles, and a new 'Suites' option that groups multiple subscriptions into one purchase. More details are expected this summer ahead of iOS 27 and other fall updates. The company also announced related changes, including dropping the Intel chip requirement for older Macs on the Mac App Store and requiring developers to disclose whether their apps include social‑media features for age ratings and Screen Time.
Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to target low-effort and oversaturated apps, adding language in 4.3(b) that new submissions must be meaningfully different from existing apps; categories like dating, flashlight, sound effects, wallpaper, simple timers, fortune telling, drinking games, and Kama Sutra are unlikely to be approved unless they offer a distinct improvement, with repeated submissions potentially leading to removal from the Developer Program. The updates also place responsibility on developers to remove content that violates guidelines from user-generated content and tighten Live Activities rules to prevent spam and unsolicited messages. Full guidelines are available on Apple's website.
At WWDC 2026, Apple announced Bundles and Suites that let developers offer auto-renewable subscriptions across multiple apps via Apple In‑App Purchase. Developers can create bundles spanning their own apps or partner with others to offer combined subscriptions, potentially at a discount and with better retention. More details will be provided later this summer, marking a move beyond bundles limited to a single developer.
Apple is opening Europe’s first Developer Center in Berlin’s Mitte district to offer in-person sessions, labs, and multilingual support for European developers, joining centers in Bengaluru, Cupertino, Shanghai and Singapore; the Mitte facility will host events across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS and watchOS and provide access to the App Store Small Business Program and hundreds of APIs.
The Sonos app for iPhone, iPad and Mac briefly disappeared from Apple's App Store due to a routine administrative update with Apple. Sonos said existing installations would continue to work and expected the issue to be resolved soon; the app has since returned to the App Store and service is back to normal, with Google Play unaffected.
Fortnite has reappeared on the iOS App Store in most markets worldwide (Australia excluded), with Epic Games calling the move the start of a 'final battle' against Apple over App Store commissions. The rollout follows U.S. developments and hinges on a forthcoming court-ordered transparency process about Apple’s fees, while the Ninth Circuit sends the case back to Judge Rogers and Australia remains blocked by ongoing terms.
Apple is exploring ways to incorporate AI agents into the App Store to capitalize on the AI trend while maintaining its policies, after previously blocking tools that violated those rules. The move signals a push to embrace AI-enabled software while keeping guardrails in place.
A wave of AI-powered vibe-coding apps that can generate, preview and launch software is drawing complaints from startups and investors who say Apple applies its App Store rules unevenly. Companies like Replit and Anything say updates are blocked or removed after initial approval, with Apple citing constraints on downloading code to protect users. Apple says the review process safeguards privacy and security, while startups call for clearer guidelines or more surgical enforcement to avoid stifling rapid AI-driven app development on iOS.
Derrick Downey Jr.’s DualShot Recorder is an iPhone camera app that uses Apple’s camera API to harvest the full sensor and create in‑camera horizontal and vertical crops without sacrificing resolution. Launched as a $6.99 paid app, it shot to No. 1 on the App Store’s paid list within 12 hours and stayed there for about a week (currently priced at $9.99). The app records from two cameras on one device, offers granular quality controls, and preserves videos on-device with no data collection. Development relied on AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT to craft prompts, with Downey iterating to address inaccuracies. The origin tale ties to Downey’s viral squirrel videos, and he signals potential pivots as the venture grows.
Apple announced a new App Store option that lets developers offer subscribers monthly payments at a discount typically tied to annual pricing, with a 12‑month commitment. Users can cancel anytime, and Apple will show completed versus remaining payments and send renewal notices. Developers can configure and test these subscriptions in App Store Connect and Xcode, with a live rollout on iOS 26.4+ and related platforms next month; the US and Singapore are currently excluded from this feature.