Apple
Google to Enforce 30% In-App Payment Policy
Google has revealed that it will be taking on app developers, who circumvent the Play Store’s in-app payment system, by enforcing its 30% service fee. In a blog post, Google reveals that a number of developers have reported being confused over the company’s billing system policies. “We want to be sure our policies are clear and up to date so they can be applied consistently and fairly to all developers, and so we have clarified the language in our Payments Policy to be more explicit that all developers selling digital goods in their apps are required to use Google Play’s billing system,” reads the post. The tech company has always required developers who distribute their apps on Play to use Google Play’s billing system if they offer in-app purchases of digital goods, and pay a service...
Apple’s Worst-Kept Secret The iPhone 12 Will Have A “Mini” Model: Report
Source: Apple / iPhone 11 Pro Apple’s worst-kept secret, the iPhone 12, might come in a smaller size according to the latest rumors surrounding the forthcoming flagship smartphone. TomsGuide reports that when Apple finally unveils the iPhone 12, one of the models will be significantly smaller than the rest. If this rumor pans out, Apple could drop its smallest iPhone yet with the iPhone 12 Mini. The rumored model will be the smaller model out of the four phone lineup, which is rumored to include the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Mini will be smaller than the previous iPhone SE model, BUT will reportedly feature a 5.4-inch display. The SE has a 4.7-inch display. Despite being smaller, it still will have a big price point and is rumored to fall in between the $6...
Spotify Is Beta Testing Critical Upgrades to Its Apple Watch App
Though the Apple Watch first appeared on the scene nearly five years ago to underwhelming sales in its first year, the industry-leading wearable device has flourished in popularity in recent years and is poised for further growth. As the release of Apple’s latest Series 6 watch looms, Spotify has stepped up efforts to support and improve its capabilities on the device. Despite having an app since 2018 on the watch, Spotify has not created a native wearable experience, instead vastly functioning as a control for the Spotify app on the iPhone. Until now, Spotify’s Apple Watch app has not supported streaming natively through the device. However, recently users have reported seeing a blue “beta” icon within the watch’s connected devices window, which has all...
Howard University and Apple Team Up For ‘Rap Life Live’ Special Event
Source: Prince Williams / ATLPics.Net Apple Music and Howard Univesity teamed up to produce a live-streamed racial justice event called Rap LIfe Live featuring an elite line-up of hip-hop acts, using the prestigious campus as a backdrop in Washington D.C. Hypebeast reports that the event will deliver unique performances by Lil Baby, Wale, Rapsody, and Nas, along with Apple Music’s own Nadeska, LowKey, and, Ebro Darden as hosts. Rap Life Live aims to further extend the conversation around social issues impacting the Black community with the help of artists who use their music and influence to address police reform, racial and gender equality, social justice, and standing up to racism. “Our voice is our biggest weapon,“ Rapsody answered when asked by Howard University ...
Apple Brands Epic Games as a ‘Saboteur’
Epic Games has again gone to court in a bid to restore Fortnite to the App Store after its intial request was denied. Apple has since asked the court to reject the game developer, branding the company as “a saboteur, not a martyr” in its campaign against Apple’s payment system. Bloomberg revealed that Apple says “Epic started a fire and poured gasoline on it, and now asks this court for emergency assistance in putting it out”. “Epic has engaged in a full-scale, pre-planned media blitz surrounding its decision to breach its agreement with Apple, creating ad campaigns around the effort that continue to this day.” “Only a fraction of Epic’s customers access Fortnite using an iPhone, and Epic’s revenues from other platforms greatly exceed its revenues from iPhone players. It is clear that Epic...
Apple Watch Event: Everything You Should Know
Image sourced from Apple Apple hosted its annual launch event yesterday – the biggest surprise being that no new iPhones were announced. Instead, the tech company focussed on its Apple Watch Series and iPad range. [embedded content] Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s Watch Event: Apple Watch Series 6 and SE [embedded content] /* custom css */ .tdi_3_553.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_553.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 6 which includes the Watch SE – a new low-end model. The SE priced from $279 sports an expansive retina display and advanced sensors. The Apple Watch SE, successor to Apple Watch Series 3, uses the S5 System in Package (SiP) and dual-core processor, which also powers the Series 5. The Verge reports that thi...
Apple Announces Bundle Package for Music, TV, and Gaming Services
Apple will offer a bundle package of its streaming music, TV, gaming, and iCloud services. Under the banner of Apple One, the bundle brings together Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for the monthly price of $14.95. Two other tiers of Apple One will also be available: a “Family” plan priced at $19.95 per month, and a “Premier” tier which also includes subscriptions to Apple News+ and Fitness+ in addition to 2GB of iCloud storage for $24.95 per month. Apple plans to roll out their bundle packages this “fall” with a 30-day free trial for new users. The announcement of Apple One was made during Apple’s “Times Flies” presentation on Tuesday afternoon. The media company also revealed that Apple iOS 14 would launch tomorrow (Sept. 16th), and detailed new iterations...
Apple Unveils New Series 6 Watch, iPad, Fitness+ Subscription Service & More
Source: Apple / Apple Watch Series 6 No, we didn’t get to see the long-rumored iPhone 12, BUT Apple did have plenty of announcements when it comes to its wearable the Apple Watch, the iPad, and subscription services. Apple Watch Series 6 & Apple Watch SE Source: Apple / Apple Watch Series 6 To make up for the absence of the iPhone 12, Tim Cook and Apple spent plenty of time beaming about the Apple Watch. The latest model, the Apple Series 6, was first introduced and it was described as the “most colorful lineup” of its popular smartwatch, and it comes chock full of new advancements with health-focused monitor features. We already knew about the handwashing feature coming to the Apple Watch, but today we now know that there will be a blood oxygen monitoring feature as well. As described...
Fortnite Reveals New In-Game Concert Series Amid Bitter Legal Battle with Apple
The wildly popular battle royale mass multiplayer game Fortnite has been continually collaborating with musicians such as Marshmello, Diplo, and Travis Scott, pushing the envelope of what’s really possible within the world of video games. Fortnite has now announced a brand new concert series within its “Party Royale” mode to kick off with singer and rapper Dominic Fike, but users hoping to stream the shows via their Apple devices may find themselves royally peeved. Amid a bitter legal battle stemming from Apple’s accusation that Fortnite creator Epic Games introduced its own in-app payment system to circumvent the tech giant’s 30% transaction fee on all digital payments, Fortnite is currently unavailable on th...
Apple announces September 15 date for online iPhone 12 reveal event
Despite acknowledging that this year’s iPhone launches will be delayed by a few weeks relative to their traditional late September street dates, Apple isn’t stopping the hype train from leaving the station this month. The company announced today that a media event will indeed take place on September 15, roughly a week after its typical iPhone and Apple Watch debuts, setting the stage for new devices to arrive in October. Like the company’s WWDC20 developers’ conference, this event will be virtual rather than in-person, and livestreamed online for immediate viewing across the globe. The stream will start at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern) on Apple.com for viewing through browsers, as well as the TV apps on iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS devices. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 12 fami...
Apple will seek damages from Epic Games for breach of App Store contract
Apple will seek damages against Epic Games for allegedly breaching its contract with the iOS App Store, in a new escalation of the two companies’ ongoing legal fight. The allegation was entered on Tuesday, alongside counterclaims for unjust enrichment and tortious interference with Apple’s relationship with its customers. Apple is seeking monetary damages as part of the claim, although the precise amount is not specified in the filing. “By all accounts, Epic has taken advantage of Apple’s support and services more than any other app developer for the past two years,” the filing reads. “But sometime before June 2020, things changed. Epic decided that it would like to reap the benefits of the App Store without paying anything for them.” Apple declined to comment beyond the filing. Apple has ...
Apple Reportedly Rejects Plans for New Facebook Feature
Facebook has revealed that Apple has rejected its plan to tell app users that “the iPhone maker would take a 30% cut of sales in a new online events feature, forcing Facebook to remove the message,” reports Reuters. Apple claims that such a message within the new feature, which would allow users to purchase buy tickets to online events, violates an App Store rule that prevents developers from showing users irrelevant information. Image sourced from The Verge In an official statement, Facebook says “Now more than ever, we should have the option to help people understand where the money they intend for small businesses actually goes. Unfortunately, Apple rejected our transparency notice around their 30 per cent tax but we are still working to make that information available inside the app ex...
