Apple

Apple has previously been accused of "dirty tricks" against Android users when it comes to the iMessaging app. Now, one critic says Apple's choice of colors may be deliberate to make Android messages harder to read. The dispute involves the way ... iPhones display chat messages that are sent over the Internet, rather than through SMS messaging that uses cellular data networks. This was originally an iPhone only feature, but from 2016, Apple allowed Android users to use it via the official iMessage app. During testing, Apple engineers added a green background to messages sent from ... (view more)

An iPhone safety feature has backfired in embarrassing fashion. 911 dispatchers say they've had multiple false alerts of car crashes involving people who were actually on a rollercoaster. The iPhone 14, the latest model, has a crash detection ... feature. It's triggered by the built-in accelerometer and other sensors that are normally used for features such as automatically rotating the display when a user turns the phone to landscape mode. When triggered, the phone will eventually call 911 and play an automatically generated message saying "The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash ... (view more)

The iOS Netflix app now has a subscribe button. It's a small change that could make a big difference to Apple's bottom line, as well as opening up legal challenges. Since 2018, Netflix has not offered any way to subscribe through its iPhone and iPad ... app. Instead, users had to sign up on the website, then install the app and sign in. That wasn't a case of Netflix being deliberately awkward but rather not wanting to pay a commission to Apple, which demands a 30 percent cut of any subscriptions made through an app, falling to 15 percent after the first year. Companies like Netflix which refused ... (view more)

Apple is to let app developers raise subscription prices without users actively accepting the hike. It's a reversal of the current opt-in system for increases. The move affects subscription apps which most commonly involve music and video streaming ... services and digital magazines. At the moment, developers can automatically charge customers at regular intervals until the customer cancels. However, if the developer wants to put the price up, they'll need to show a message clearly marked "Agree to New Price." If the customer doesn't tap on this button, their subscription automatically ... (view more)

Analysts estimate Apple has made more than $6 billion by no longer including chargers or earphones with new iPhones. It's a healthy bonus for what was sold as an environmentally-driven move. Apple said its change in policy from 2020 was because many ... phone owners, particularly those who regularly get a new model, already had compatible chargers. Meanwhile many either already had plug-in earphones, preferred a wireless model, or didn't need earphones at all. According to the Daily Mail, the environmental impact of reduced production was estimated by Apple as two million tons of carbon dioxide a ... (view more)

Thirty five states have backed a legal challenge to the way Apple runs its app store. The specific case centers on a game but could affect the entire way app stores operate. Unlike other mobile systems, most users can only install software on ... iPhones and iPads through the official Apple app store. Apple not only takes a cut of the purchase price of any paid apps, but also requires developers to pass on 30 percent of any in-app purchases such as upgrading an app to remove ads or selling digital content. Epic Games, maker of the Fortnite game, tried to get round that rule by including a message ... (view more)

Apple has agreed to allow app developers to tell users how to save money on app payments. It's part of a settlement in a long-running dispute but it's not enough to satisfy some developers. At the moment, app developers who sell apps in the official ... Apple store can gather email addresses of customers. However, the developers are not allowed to use those addresses to tell customers about how to pay them directly for subscriptions and one-off payments relating to the app. In-App Messages Banned That's a blow to developers who use a "freemium" model where the app itself is free but ... (view more)

Apple has admitted it scans iPhone images for pictures of children being abused. It says it will refuse any government request to use the facility for other purposes. The scans cover any photos uploaded to the iCloud Photos backup service rather ... than scanning the entire phone. This feature is switched off by default. Once it's switched on, any photo added to the device is automatically uploaded to iCloud and will therefore be covered by the new scans. When Apple scans the image, it doesn't try to figure out the content. Instead it compares it to a database of known child abuse images. If it ... (view more)

Just one in eight iPhone and iPad users have agreed to let an app track them online. They've been able to make the decision since Apple changed its rules, to the dismay of advertisers. The change is to the way iOS handles a tag known as Identifier ... for Advertisers (IDFA). It identifies an individual device and allows advertisers to piece together information from multiple sources and activities. While advertisers argue this allows for better targeted and thus more relevant (and less annoying) ads, users and privacy groups have objected to what they see as surveillance and snooping. The change ... (view more)

Apple has been fined the equivalent of $12 million USD over "aggressive and misleading" claims about the water resistance of iPhones. An Italian regulator said its advertising wasn't clear enough and that a disclaimer tricked clients. The fine of 10 ... million Euros came from Italy's Competition and Market Authority which regulates consumer issues. It took issue with two ways Apple promotes and disclaims the water resistance. (Source: reuters.com ) The first issue was with the way Apple marketed eight iPhone models as being water resistant up to a certain depth (between one and four meters ... (view more)