Tag: app store

Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Says Company in Talks With Partners to Launch Mobile Store on iOS, Android: Report

Microsoft has reportedly been developing an Xbox mobile storefront that would allow users to bypass Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store and download games off its own application. Earlier this year, Microsoft’s gaming chief Phil Spencer, too, had revealed ahead of the annual Game Developer Conference that the company intended to launch its own app store for both iOS and Android. Now, Xbox is reportedly in talks with partners for the same.

According to a Bloomberg report, Spencer claimed that the Xbox store app on mobile platforms could come out sooner rather than later. “It’s an important part of our strategy and something we are actively working on today not only alone, but talking to other partners who’d also like to see more choice for how they can monetize on the phone,” the report quoted Spencer as saying in an interview at the CCXP comics and entertainment convention in Sao Paolo.

The Xbox chief did not provide a specific launch date for the launch of the storefront but hinted at release window in the not-too-distant future. “I don’t think this is multiple years away, I think this is sooner than that,” he said.

A report in March had claimed that the Xbox mobile store was expected to go live by March 2024, once Microsoft’s $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,68,094 crore) acquisition of Activision Blizzard was finalised. That happened in October as Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which had earlier blocked the deal, stepped aside and gave approval for the acquisition to go through. The CMA, which held concerns over Microsoft’s cloud streaming dominance in the market, greenlit the deal when Microsoft announced that Call of Duty maker Activision would sell its non-European streaming rights to Ubisoft Entertainment to pacify British regulators.

Now that the deal is closed, it seems the plan to launch the Xbox store app on iOS and Android can go through. Apple and Google maintain strict storefront rules and do not allow app developers to host their applications on a third-party storefront, charging them a cut on every transaction made via the App Store and the Play Store, respectively. The companies’ stringent store policy has, however, come under regulatory scanner. Developers like Epic Games have initiated antitrust proceedings against the two tech giants and the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which intends to prevent tech giants from abusing their market position, is set to allow other app and game developers to introduce their own app stores on mobile platforms. Tech companies have until March 2024 to comply with all the rules laid out in the DMA.

Last month, Microsoft announced that it was partnering Inworld AI to create game development tools for the Xbox platform, enabling developers to create characters, generate entire scripts and quests, and more. Earlier this year, Xbox also hiked the prices of its popular subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, and its flagship current-gen console, the Xbox Series X.

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Apple Announces 2023 App Store Award Winners, Hiking App AllTrails Named iPhone App of the Year

Apple has announced the winners of the 2023 App Store Awards, listing the 14 best apps and games across different categories. Fitness-focussed hiking and biking app AllTrails has emerged as the best app on iPhone this year, while miHoYo’s latest RPG gacha title Honkai: Star Rail has been named as the iPhone Game of the Year. Other winners include machine learning-powered editing app Photomator, souls-like action RPG Lies of P, and curated film streaming platform Mubi. Last month, Apple had announced a list of 40 finalists, based on their technical and creative achievements, for its annual App Store Awards.

AllTrails beat competition from the likes of language coaching app Duolingo and flight tracking app Flighty for the title of iPhone App of the Year. The app includes detailed guides and maps for hiking trails around the world. For 2023’s best game on iPhone, Honkai: Star Rail was picked over the roguelike sensation Vampire Survivors and retro RPG Afterplace.

Honkai: Star Rail was named iPhone Game of the Year
Photo Credit: Apple

“This year’s winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their visions to life, creating apps and games with remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality, and purpose-driven missions,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in the newsroom post announcing the 2023 App Store Awards winners.

On iPad, digital makeup sketch pad app Prêt-à-Makeup was named as app of the year. The app’s Face charts feature is helps makeup artists test out, plan, or register looks and combinations. On the gaming side, puzzle adventure title Lost in Play triumphed over Eggy Party and Pocket City 2 to emerge as the best iPad game of 2023.

On Mac, photo editing software Photomator was named app of the year, while critically acclaimed souls-like action RPG Lies of P won in the gaming category, beating competition from open-world RPG title ELEX II and classic point-and-click adventure title Return to Monkey Island.

Lies of P was picked as the best game on Mac
Photo Credit: Apple

Rounding up other Apple platforms, workouts app SmartGym and streaming platform Mubi emerged as the best apps on Apple Watch and Apple TV, respectively. Cozy adventure title Hello Kitty Island Adventure was named as the best game on Apple Arcade, the company’s subscription-based gaming service.

In addition to apps and games on all its devices, Apple also recognised five winners in Cultural Impact category, which acknowledges apps and games that spread a positive message. “This year’s winners encouraged users to learn and grow in an inclusive and accessible space, contribute toward a more sustainable future, and explore self-reflection and connection across generations,” Apple’s post read. Cultural Impact winners include digital toy room for kids Pok Pok, accessibility app Proloquo, surplus food sustainability app Too Good to Go, meditative puzzle app Unpacking, coming-of-age, hidden-object game Finding Hannah.

Apple also recognised generative AI apps as the trend of the year. From chatbots to planners, AI-powered apps have flooded the App Store over the past year. “Although many features are still in their infancy, they gave users a chance to see, firsthand, the technology in action and come to their own conclusions about the benefits and risks,” the company said in the post.

Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company’s latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple Announces 2023 App Store Award Finalists, Featuring Duolingo, Honkai: Star Rail and More

Apple has announced the 2023 App Store Award finalists. Each year, the App Store’s editorial team select and spotlight some of the best apps across categories on Apple’s Storefront. Apps and games on App Store are recognised for their technical and creative achievements. This year’s App Store Award finalists include over 40 app and game developers across 10 different categories. Awards are given out to apps across Apple’s lineup of devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. Popular apps like language learning tool Duolingo, professional video editing software DaVinci Resolve, and film streaming platform Mubi have made the cut this year.

Kicking off the finalists list is the iPhone App of the Year category. Finalists for the best iPhone apps of 2023 include the hiking app AllTrails, the language coach Duolingo, and flights tracker Flighty. The finalists for the best games on iPhone feature the retro RPG Afterplace, miHoYo’s latest Honkai: Star Rail, and the roguelike sensation Vampire Survivors.

The iPad App of the Year finalists are focussed on creativity. These include sketching app Concepts, video editing software DaVinci Resolve, and makeup designs app Prêt-à-Makeup. The iPad Game of the Year category features party game Eggy Party, puzzle game Lost in Play, and city builder sim Pocket City 2.

Finalists for the best games on Mac for 2023
Photo Credit: Apple

Meanwhile on Mac, the finalists for the best apps of the year include graphic design app Linearity Curve, photo editing app Photomator, and immersive productivity app Portal. On the gaming side, the finalists for best Mac games of the year are the open-world RPG title ELEX II, the popular Soulslike Lies of P, and point and click adventure title Return to Monkey Island.

On Apple Watch, the finalists for the best app of the year include to-do and planner app Planny, workouts app SmartGym, and weather alerts app Tide Guide. The best Apple TV apps, on the other hand, include creature collection game Bugsnax, training and workouts app FitOn, and streaming app Mubi.

App Store also listed finalists for the best games on the Apple Arcade service in 2023. These include city builder sim Cityscapes, the cozy adventure title Hello Kitty Island Adventure, and the puzzle embroidery app stitch. The storefront rounded up its app of the year finalists with Cultural Impact Finalists, which celebrate apps that explore new and diverse ways to connect. These finalists comprise a list of 10 apps, including menopause support app balance, personal finance app Copilot, environmental impact app Endling, and more.

Apple will select the winners from these finalists. The winners in all categories will be announced in the coming weeks, the company said.

Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company’s latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple Filing Reveals iPhone Maker Expects to Change App Store Policy to Comply With EU Regulation

Apple expects it will be compelled to make changes to its App Store policies, as the firm must comply with the European Union’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The iPhone maker’s recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shows the company expects to make policy changes related to applications running on iOS and iPadOS, the company’s operating systems for iPhone and iPad, respectively. Until now, the EU has named seven major tech firms — including Apple — that will be governed under the new regulations.

TechCrunch reports that Apple, in its recent Form 10-K filing with the US SEC, states that it expects that it will have to make changes to the App Store in order to comply with the EU’s DMA regulation. The iPhone maker also said in the filing that it might also introduce other changes to its policies governing external app distribution, platform access charges for developers, and communications related to alternate billing systems.

According to the report, Morgan Stanley analysts have also written to clients that the change in Apple’s language suggests that the App Store policy changes — including allowing third party apps on devices in Europe — are likely to begin. The EU’s DMA regulations are expected to fully go into effect starting in 2024 and will impact companies that have a market valuation of EUR 75 million (roughly Rs. 670 crore) or 45 million monthly active users (MAUs) living in the EU.

Last year, Bloomberg reported that Apple was already preparing its systems to allow alternative app stores on iPhone and iPad, as the company would have to comply with the incoming EU regulations aimed at checking the power of Big Tech firms.

If the mandatory App Store distribution limit is lifted, developers might be able to sidestep Apple’s up-to-30 percent commission charged on all App Store transactions. In the US, Apple has fought — and largely won — an antitrust trial against Fortnite maker Epic Games after it booted the developer for flouting its App Store policies. 

Apple is not the only Big Tech firm that will be impacted by the EU’s DMA rules when they go into effect in 2024. The new rules require tech firms to allow users to easily change default settings, sideload apps outside the default app store, and allow users of major messaging platforms to chat with each other, while allowing smaller platforms to also access core features and functionality.

According to Bloomberg, the changes being developed by the company will only go into effect in the EU for the foreseeable future, but the move could lead to the company opening up its systems in other regions, if legislation or regulation related to limiting the reach of Big Tech firms is passed in other regions.

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Apple’s App Store Missing From List Mobile Storefronts Submitting Filings to China’s CAC Under New Rules

China’s cyberspace regulator released on Wednesday names of the first batch of mobile app stores that have completed filing business details to regulators, signalling it has begun to enforce new rules that expand its oversight of mobile apps.

A total of 26 app stores operated by companies including Tencent, Huawei, Ant Group, Baidu, Xiaomi and Samsung have submitted filings to the authority, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

Apple’s App Store is not among the app stores on the list. Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Beijing has been expanding oversight of smartphone and mobile app usage over the past several years. The country now requires mobile app stores and mobile apps to submit business details to the government.

These rules are causing consternation in the industry that publishing apps in the world’s second largest economy will become very difficult and many apps may need to be taken down.

Beijing’s push to tighten scrutiny over apps came into focus when in June last year the CAC issued a new rule requiring app stores to submit business details and said it would hold app stores accountable if apps contain illegal content.

In August this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published another notice requiring mobile apps to complete filing by the end of March.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that app stores operated by companies including Tencent and Huawei have started demanding apps on their app stores comply with the new rules.

Apple has not disclosed how its app store in China will comply with Beijing’s new rules. Experts said Apple’s compliance could lead to tens of thousands of apps being removed from Apple’s App Store in China.

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Epic’s Bid to Let App Store Order Take Effect in Apple Case Refused by US Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt a setback to Epic Games, maker of the popular video game Fortnite, in its legal battle against Apple, declining to let a federal judge’s injunction take effect that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its lucrative App Store. 

Liberal Justice Elena Kagan, acting for the Supreme Court, denied Epic’s request to lift a decision by the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals that effectively delayed implementing an injunction issued by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers barring certain App Store rules, while Apple pursues a Supreme Court appeal. 

The 9th Circuit in April had upheld the injunction but in July put that decision on hold. Kagan handles emergency matters for the Supreme Court arising from a group of states including California. 

Epic filed an antitrust lawsuit in 2020, accusing Apple of acting as an illegal monopolist by requiring consumers to get apps through its App Store and buy digital content inside an app using its own system — for which it charges up to a 30 percent commission.

Rogers in 2021 rejected Epic’s antitrust claims against Apple. But the judge found that Apple violated California’s unfair competition law by barring developers from “steering” users to make digital purchases that bypass Apple’s in-app system, which Epic could save them money with lower commissions. 

The judge’s injunction required Apple to let app developers provide links and buttons that direct consumers to other ways to pay for digital content that they use in their apps. 

In seeking to pause the injunction from taking effect while it readies an appeal to the Supreme Court, Apple told the 9th Circuit that Rogers had erred in prohibiting it from enforcing its rules against all app developers in the United States, rather than just Epic. 

“Apple will be required to change its business model to comply with the injunction before judicial review has been completed,” the company told the 9th Circuit. “The undisputed evidence establishes that the injunction will limit Apple’s ability to protect users from fraud, scams, malware, spyware, and objectionable content.”

Epic told the Supreme Court that the 9th Circuit’s standard for putting cases on hold is “far too lenient.”

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Epic Games Asks US Supreme Court to Allow Ruling Against Apple’s App Store Payment Practices to Take Effect

Epic Games on Thursday asked the US Supreme Court to allow a lower court ruling to take effect against Apple that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its App Store.

Epic, maker of the popular video game Fortnite, filed a request asking the nation’s highest court to lift a July 17 decision by the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals to pause its ruling that upheld an injunction against Apple. The decision gave Apple 90 days to pursue an appeal at the Supreme Court.

In the closely-watched case, Epic filed its antitrust lawsuit in 2020 challenging Apple’s App Store practices.

The 9th Circuit in April upheld a federal judge’s 2021 order that could require Apple to allow developers to provide links and buttons that direct consumers to payment options outside the App Store and avoid paying sales commissions to Apple.

The trial judge had found that Apple violated California’s unfair competition laws by barring developers from “steering” users to other ways to pay, but also that Apple’s rules did not violate antitrust laws.

In seeking to pause the injunction from taking effect while it readies an appeal to the Supreme Court, Apple told the 9th Circuit that the trial judge had erred in prohibiting Apple from enforcing its rules against all app developers in the United States, rather than just Epic itself.

“Apple will be required to change its business model to comply with the injunction before judicial review has been completed,” the company told the 9th Circuit. “The undisputed evidence establishes that the injunction will limit Apple’s ability to protect users from fraud, scams, malware, spyware, and objectionable content.”

Epic told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the 9th Circuit’s standard for putting cases on hold is “far too lenient.”

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Apple Urges US Court to Undo Antitrust Order on App Store in Epic Games Case

Apple said on Monday it will ask the US Supreme Court to hear its challenge to a judge’s order in an antitrust case brought by Fortnite maker Epic Games that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its App Store.

Apple said in a court filing it will ask the justices to take up its appeal of a ruling on Friday by the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals that kept in place most of the order issued in 2021 by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

The judge’s order said Apple could not prohibit developers from providing links and buttons to payment options in their apps that take consumers outside of the App Store — a step that could reduce sales commissions paid to Apple.

Epic sued Apple in 2020, challenging the fee Apple imposes on in-app payments. Epic was seeking an injunction to stop Apple’s practice, not monetary damages. Rogers ruled against most of Epic’s claims, though did issue the order that Apple is contesting. 

In appeals to the 9th Circuit, Epic challenged key parts of the judge’s ruling that favored Apple, while Apple challenged the order concerning the App Store. The 9th Circuit in April upheld most of the judge’s action. On Friday, the 9th Circuit rejected petitions from Apple and Epic urging the court to revisit its April decision.

Epic Games also can ask the Supreme Court to hear its appeal.

Epic in its appeal to the 9th Circuit had sought to revive its antitrust claims against Apple over its restrictive app distribution and payment services.

Apple’s attorneys in Monday’s filing said the 9th Circuit reached too far in issuing a nationwide injunction against Apple alleging that it violated a California state unfair competition law.

Apple said its petition in the Supreme Court that it will raise “far-reaching and important” questions about the power of judges to issue broad injunctions.

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Apple Seeks to Fend Off EU Antitrust Charge Based on Spotify’s Complaint

Apple will on Friday seek to fend off a revised EU antitrust charge and possible hefty fine linked to claims it prevents music streaming companies such as Spotify from informing users of other buying options outside its App Store.

The iPhone maker will set out its arguments to senior European Commission officials and their peers at national competition agencies at a closed hearing in Brussels.

EU antitrust enforcers earlier this year boosted their case against the company’s so-called anti-steering obligations, but dropped an earlier charge against Apple’s requirement that developers use its in-app payment system.

The Commission said the anti-steering obligations breach EU rules against unfair trading conditions, a relatively novel legal argument in an antitrust case.

Apple has said there is no merit in the case triggered by a Spotify complaint in 2019, pointing to the Swedish music streaming service’s dominant market share in Europe, where Apple Music trails in third or fourth place in most EU countries.

Its other argument is that it has revised rules to allow reader apps such as Spotify and Netflix to include links to their website for sign-ups and user payments, allowing app developers to bypass its controversial 30 percent App Store fee.

Reader apps provide content such as e-books, video and music requiring payment at sign-up.

Spotify, which will also attend the hearing, has rejected Apple’s updated anti-steering rules, saying nothing has changed at all. It has urged a speedy decision from the Commission.

The EU executive said it never comments on possible oral hearings or on their date.

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Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple, Epic Games Request US Appeals Court to Reconsider Its Antitrust Ruling

Apple and Fortnite maker Epic Games on Wednesday both asked a US appeals court to reconsider its April ruling in an antitrust case that could force Apple to change payment practices in its App Store.

Apple and Epic, in separate court filings, mounted challenges to a ruling by a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. Lawyers for the two companies said the panel should rehear the case or the court should convene “en banc,” as an 11-judge panel, to reconsider the dispute.

The April three-judge ruling upheld a 2021 order in California federal court in Epic’s lawsuit which accused Apple of unlawfully requiring software developers to pay up to 30 percent in commissions on consumers’ in-app purchases.

The trial judge found that Apple violated a California state unfair competition law, but not US antitrust provisions. Apple’s new filing challenged a nationwide injunction over conduct Apple said was “procompetitive and does not violate the antitrust laws.”

Epic’s 9th Circuit filing argued that its claims against Apple directly implicate the “core purpose” of US antitrust law to foster competition. Epic also argued that the appeals court did not conduct a “rigorous” balancing between asserted asserted consumer benefits and anticompetitive effects of Apple’s practices.

Federal appeals courts do not often grant en banc requests. Last year, the 9th Circuit received 646 petitions asking the court for en banc rehearings. During that period, the court granted 12 requests. In 2021, the court granted en banc review in nine cases.

The US Supreme Court could have the final say on the outcome.

Representatives for Apple and Epic had no immediate comment.

The lower court ruling is on hold pending further appellate proceedings.

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ ruling said Apple could not bar App Store developers from providing links and buttons that direct consumers to payment options outside of Apple’s in-app purchase system.

Gonzalez Rogers did not provide any direction on how Apple must allow those links or buttons.

Competition authorities in other countries, including South Korea, the Netherlands and Japan, have taken steps to force Apple to open up its in-app payment systems.

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