Earlier this week, 9to5Mac spotted some iOS and macOS beta code that suggested Apple would prevent users from being able to sideload unsupported apps onto the new M1 Macs. Today, 9to5Mac reported that it’s now no longer possible to sideload apps that aren’t available in the Mac App Store even if they’re available on iOS. Read more about Apple Is Reportedly Cracking Down on App Sideloading on M1 Macs[…]
Engineers at Cloudflare and Apple say they’ve developed a new internet protocol that will shore up one of the biggest holes in internet privacy that many don’t know even exists. Dubbed Oblivious DNS-over-HTTPS, or ODoH for short, the new protocol makes it far more difficult for internet providers to know which websites you visit. But Read more about ODoH: Cloudflare and Apple design a new privacy-friendly internet protocol for DNS[…]
In Apple’s world, an app can be inappropriate one day, but acceptable the next. That’s what the developer of Amphetamine—an app designed to keep Macs from going to sleep, which is useful in situations such as when a file is downloading or when a specific app is running—learned recently when Apple got in touch with Read more about Apple Told This Developer That His App ‘Promoted’ Drugs – after 6 years in the store[…]
Cydia, the original app store for jailbroken iPhones, has joined a wave of companies and regulators in targeting Apple over antitrust concerns. In a lawsuit it filed on Thursday, it accused Apple of “anti-competitive acquisition and maintenance of an illegal monopoly over iOS app distribution.” Were that not the case, Cydia argues, users would “be Read more about Jailbreak app store Cydia files its own antitrust lawsuit against Apple[…]
BMW’s much-loathed idea to charge owners a subscription fee for Apple CarPlay in its 2019 and 2020 models strikes again, one year after BMW reversed that decision after considerable blowback. Some owners of those cars reported that Apple CarPlay would not work over the weekend, and some were even prompted to pay for the feature, Read more about BMW System Malfunction Takes Out Apple CarPlay, Tells Some Owners to Pay for It[…]
Younger readers might not know, but there was once an annual tradition in which Apple would release a new iPhone, old iPhones would suddenly start performing poorly, and users would speculate about a conspiracy to get them to buy the shiny new thing. It turned out that a conspiracy, of sorts, did exist, and Apple Read more about Apple’s ‘Batterygate’ Saga Wraps Up With $113 Million Settlement[…]
The group, led by campaigner Max Schrems, filed complaints with data protection watchdogs in Germany and Spain alleging that the tracking tool illegally enabled the $2 trillion U.S. tech giant to store users’ data without their consent. Apple directly rebutted the claims filed by Noyb, the digital rights group founded by Schrems, saying they were Read more about Apple hits back at European activist lawsuit against unauthorised tracking installs – says it doesn’t use it… but 3rd parties do[…]
It’s here. It happened. Did you notice? I’m speaking, of course, of the world that Richard Stallman predicted in 1997. The one Cory Doctorow also warned us about. On modern versions of macOS, you simply can’t power on your computer, launch a text editor or eBook reader, and write or read, without a log of Read more about Your Computer isn’t Yours – Apple edition – how is it snooping on you, why can’t you start apps when their server is down[…]
iOS 14.3 will prompt some users to install selected third-party applications during setup, in what is likely an attempt to stifle any allegations of anticompetitive behaviour from regulators. The feature, which is buried deep within the beta version of the upcoming iOS release and was first spotted by 9to5Mac, is believed to be activated depending Read more about Apple braces for antitrust woes by letting users select and install third-party apps during setup of iOS 14.3[…]
Google on Thursday was sued for allegedly stealing Android users’ cellular data allowances though unapproved, undisclosed transmissions to the web giant’s servers. The lawsuit, Taylor et al v. Google [PDF], was filed in a US federal district court in San Jose on behalf of four plaintiffs based in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin in the hope Read more about New lawsuit: Why do Android phones mysteriously exchange 260MB a month with Google via cellular data when they’re not even in use? Also Apple + ad fraud[…]
Apple’s T2 security chip is insecure and cannot be fixed, a group of security researchers report. Over the past three years, a handful of hackers have delved into the inner workings of the custom silicon, fitted inside recent Macs, and found that they can use an exploit developed for iPhone jailbreaking, checkm8, in conjunction with Read more about Apple’s T2 custom secure boot chip is not only insecure, it cannot be fixed without replacing the silicon[…]
one app developer revealed to Congress that it — just like WordPress — had been forced to monetize a largely free app. That developer testified that Apple had demanded in-app purchases (IAP), even though Apple had approved its app without them two years earlier — and that when the dev dared send an email to Read more about Apple made ProtonMail add in-app purchases, even though it had been free for years – this App store shakedown has a long scared list of victims[…]
Just as you suspected, Big Tech is dominated by monopolies, a House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee found. After more than a year of investigating Apple, Facebook, Google, and Amazon’s behavior, lawmakers released a 449-page report with their findings on Tuesday, complete with recommendations that the four companies be broken up to make the market more competitive. Read more about Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon Are Monopolies: Antitrust Committee[…]
The rivalry between Apple and Microsoft continued last night as the fruity firm’s cloud services took a tumble a mere day after Azure crapped itself. While Apple has remained silent on what happened (we asked; it did not respond), the vast majority of its services wobbled over a two-hour period early this morning (UK time). Read more about Not one to be outdone by Microsoft, Apple’s cloud fell over too. Unlike Microsoft, it hasn’t said what happened[…]
Facebook has temporarily shamed Apple out of taking a 30 percent cut of paid online events organized by small businesses and hosted on Facebook—things like cooking classes, workout sessions, and happy hours. Demand for these kinds of online events has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple says that it has a longstanding policy that digital products Read more about Apple backs down on taking 30% cut of paid online events on Facebook – for a few months[…]
Google has decided to shut down the Chrome Web Store payments API permanently after what was supposed to be a temporary closure at the start of the year. In January, the internet advertising biz halted the publication of Chrome apps, extensions, and themes in the Chrome Web Store that were either paid-for or took in-app Read more about Another body for the Google graveyard: Chrome Web Store payments, citing alternatives – unlike Apple. Costs were 5%, also unlike Apple’s 30%.[…]
There’s a new development in the high-profile game of chicken between Apple and Epic. The Fortnite developer’s latest legal filing claims that Apple “cherry-picked” Google data in its own legal filing earlier this week to support its narrative that Fortnite’s declining popularity is the impetus behind all this drama. Apple has repeatedly argued that Epic Read more about Epic’s new filing claims Apple lied about Fortnite’s popularity: Apple used Google Trends data![…]
developer relations have hit another sour note. At the company’s hardware event on Tuesday, where it announced new Apple Watch devices and iPads, Apple surprised developers with the news that it would be releasing the updated versions of its major software platforms, iOS 14, iPad OS 14, watchOS 7 and tvOS 14 on September 16, Read more about Apple burns developer goodwill with surprise release of iOS 14 – giving them one day to update their apps without any clear instructions[…]
In a statement, the streaming service argued Apple One will “deprive consumers by favoring its own services” and urged regulators to take action against what it perceives to be “anti-competitive behavior”. Announced yesterday at Cupertino’s Time Flies launch event, Apple One bundles the firm’s various subscription services into a single monthly payment. The product is Read more about Spotify blasts Apple One service as ‘anti-competitive’, wants regulators to act[…]
The UK’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) says Apple is still not answering questions relating to its record on the environmental sustainability and repairability of its iStuff. The EAC – a sounder of Members of Parliament that sit on the select committee in the House of Commons – asked the American company to get involved in Read more about Brit MPs to Apple CEO: Please stop ignoring our questions about repairability and the environment[…]
So, Apple is trying to frame it’s strong arming of companies into paying 30% protection money… uh… app store fees – well… unless you have an agreement to pay less, but only one or two have that… as being in the interest of the people who’s arms they are ripping out. Because we believe the Read more about Apple sues Epic for destroying the App store and won’t let their users log in using Apple log in (whatever that is)[…]
Italy’s competition watchdog is investing Apple, Google and Dropbox, TechCrunch reports. In a press release, the AGCM announced that it opened six investigations into the companies’ cloud storage services: Google Drive, iCloud and Dropbox. The authority is concerned that the services fail to adequately explain how user data will be collected and used for commercial Read more about Italy is investigating Apple, Google and Dropbox cloud storage services[…]
Australia, already embroiled in a nasty fight with Google and Facebook over its plan to make them pay for news links, has opened an inquiry into whether Apple and Google’s app stores offer transparent pricing and see consumers’ data used in worrying ways. The issues paper [PDF] outlining the scope of the inquiry names only Read more about Australia starts second fight with Google and Apple, this time over whether app stores leak data, gouge devs, steal ideas and warp markets[…]
In June, Apple unveiled plans for an iOS 14 privacy update that forces developers to gather users’ consent before tracking their activities across third-party apps and websites. Needless to say, giving users more control over how their information is gathered and trafficked is expected to bruise advertisers—especially Facebook, which uses that information to narrow its Read more about After Facebook Balks, Apple Delays “Privacy” (ie only Apple spies on you) Feature[…]
Google and Apple have updated their COVID-19 contact-tracing tool to make it possible to notify users of potential exposures to the novel coronavirus without an app. The new Exposure Notifications Express spec is baked into iOS 13.7, which emerged this week and will appear in an Android update due later this month. This is not, Read more about COVID-19 tracing without an app? Google and Apple will ram it down your throat[…]