Apple's massive lobbying effort saves it from new App Store rules

Apple and Google have managed to defeat a California bill that would've forced them to stop favoring their own apps in digital storefronts like the App Store. All through the power of lobbying.

Malcolm Owen 1 month ago 7

Sunday Reboot: Japan ads, AI assistance, and a nice retirement

In this week's "Sunday Reboot," Apple Japan shines with its delightful ads, Siri engineers learn about AI, and a feel-good Apple executive retirement story.

Malcolm Owen 1 month ago 1

ICE monitoring app takedowns violated the First Amendment

A court has stopped the U.S. government from forcing Apple to take down ICE reporting apps from the App Store, due to it being a violation of the First Amendment.

Malcolm Owen 1 month ago 10

Deepfake nonconsensual porn apps are advertising in the App Store

Users looking to create nonconsensual deepfakes of unknowing individuals can simply perform an App Store search. If App Review has a job, it clearly isn't doing it.

Wesley Hilliard 1 month ago 6

Freecash app scammed users and the App Store for months before removal

An app called Freecash promised to pay users for scrolling through TikTok, and got by App Store review despite really tricking them to play paid games while also harvesting sensitive personal data to sell.

William Gallagher 1 month ago 2

Grok nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes almost led to an App Store ban

Apple reportedly threatened Grok owner xAI with an App Store ban if the deepfake nude generation issues weren't addressed. In spite of ongoing problems with the chatbot, the app was never removed.

Wesley Hilliard 1 month ago 10

Joyously arty App Store animations join Finder Guy in Apple's new social media push

Apple Japan has launched a series of TV and social media videos with famous local artists and animators taking the App Store logo on creative journeys.

William Gallagher 1 month ago 2

Apps on the App Store are being updated by Apple, though there's no clear reason why

A range of seemingly random apps in the App Store have been updated by Apple itself, though nothing has been shared about why, nor have there been changes in the codebases themselves.

Wesley Hilliard 2 months ago 7

Epic vs. Apple lawsuit over App Store fees is moving to the Supreme Court, again

The Apple vs. Epic Games saga over App Store fees continues, as Apple hopes the Supreme Court will rule in its favor the second time around and possibly stop previous punishments from being enforced.

Marko Zivkovic 2 months ago 1

Vibe coding app's victory lap cut very short by the App Store

The vibe-coding app Anything was pulled from the App Store, but the developer claimed victory after a return. Victory was fleeting, as the app is gone again, and nobody is saying why.

Malcolm Owen 2 months ago 0

Vibe coding significantly boosted App Store review submissions in 2025

Submissions to the App Store have jumped by 84% year-over-year, with the growth of vibe coding believed to be behind the surge.

Malcolm Owen 2 months ago 2

Apple is more aggressively booting vibe coding apps from the App Store

Apple made vibe coding easier with Xcode integrations, which has allowed the App Store to grow faster than ever. However, it is cracking down on apps that use AI to generate unreviewable code inside the app.

Wesley Hilliard 2 months ago 3

Developers finally get more App Store data from Apple

Apple has revamped its App Store Connect service for developers, allowing for over 100 new metrics to help track in-app purchase trends and more.

William Gallagher 2 months ago 0

There's an app for that - Iranians monitor air strikes with crowdsourced data

Iranian citizens are trying to keep themselves safe during the war with the U.S. with a crowdsourced iOS app, but most users are located outside of Iran's borders, out of direct danger.

Malcolm Owen 2 months ago 2

ChatGPT wants a do-it-all super app, but Apple will probably stand in the way

OpenAI is working on a project to consolidate ChatGPT, coding tools, and a browser into one app. Apple's iOS platform restrictions will prevent it from becoming a true all-in-one platform on the iPhone.

Andrew Orr 2 months ago 6

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