Litigation against Google and its parent entity Alphabet being brought in the U.K. on behalf of thousands of digital publishers — seeking up to £13.6 billion (~$16.3 billion) in damages on their behalf for alleged anti-competitive behavior related to Google’s adtech practices — has been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).

“The claim alleges that Google abused its dominant position in the market for online advertising, earning super-profits for itself at the expense of the tens of thousands of publishers of websites and mobile apps in the UK,” runs a press release accompanying news of today’s filing at the CAT.

The competition class-action style suit, which includes a parallel European Economic Area (EEA) claim in the Netherlands, was announced earlier this fall. That EEA-wide multi-billion Euro claim is expected to be filed in early 2023, per Geradin Partners, one of the law firms involved in the legal action.

City litigation firm Humphries Kerstetter is also acting on the claim — which is being funded by litigation funder, Harbour.

While Claudio Pollack, a former director of the U.K.’s media and comms regulator, Ofcom, is named as heading the claim — as the representative for the class of businesses allegedly damaged by Google’s actions.

The lawsuit will argue that Google has abused its dominance of adtech infrastructure to dictate terms, control pricing and deploy self preferencing that has damaged thousands of businesses that have had little choice but to use its tools if they wish to generate revenue from advertising.

The suit is being brought on behalf of around 130,000 businesses publishing around 1.75 million websites and apps in the U.K. which the litigation claims have been harmed by Google’s anti-competitive practices.

Economic analysis produced to support the claim suggests Google’s practices may have reduced advertising revenues by up to 40% for some companies.

£13.6 billion is an estimate of the total loss to those 130,000 businesses since January 1, 2014 to date.

The claimants can point to enforcement last year by France’s competition watchdog — which found Google had abused a dominant position for ad servers for website publishers and mobile apps and fining it up to €220 million for a variety of self-preferencing abuses and also extracting a series of interoperability commitments.

Google’s adtech stack — and certain other ad-related practices  — remain under investigation by both EU and U.K. competition authorities.

But European web and app publishers evidently aren’t waiting around for further regulatory smackdowns — not least as they’re hoping to force Google to fork over major damages for what the class action style suits alleges are “serious” anti-competitive practices.

In a statement on the suit, Pollack said: “The marketplace for online advertising is sophisticated, technical and highly automated. Advertising is sold in a fraction of a second in a process which is designed to match the product being advertised with the profile of an individual visiting a website. Third party platforms operate on both sides of the marketplace matching supply with demand and — in an ideal world — ensuring the market operates efficiently and effectively. Unfortunately, it is now well established that this market has developed in a way that is primarily serving Google.”

In another statement, Damien Geradin, founding partner of the eponymous law firm, added: “While the value of the claim we are bringing is substantial, we believe the matter is about much more than money. For years Google has been denying companies in the UK and Europe and beyond, including the local press and the publishers of community focused websites, the chance to earn a proper income by way of advertising.

“As well as bringing Google to account the parties who have lost out need proper compensation, something a CAT claim can achieve at no cost to those parties.”

Google was contacted for a response to the development. The company previously dubbed the litigation “speculative and opportunistic”.

In a further statement emailed to TechCrunch today it said:

Google works constructively with publishers across Europe — our advertising tools, and those of our many adtech competitors, help millions of websites and apps fund their content, and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers. These services adapt and evolve in partnership with those same publishers.

While Google is keen to dismiss the legal challenge as baseless, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has expressed major concerns about dysfunction in the digital ad market — following a deep dive investigation it kicked off in 2019.

Its final report, published in July 2020, concluded that the market power of Google and Facebook was so great a new regulatory approach (and dedicated oversight body) was needed to address what it summarized as “wide ranging and self reinforcing” concerns.

However the U.K. government has so far failed to bring forward the necessary legislation to enable that reboot — which may be another factor driving antitrust class action litigation.

In the meanwhile, a planned adtech stack migration by Google away from third party cookie-based tracking (aka its Privacy Sandbox proposal) remains under close regulatory supervision by the CMA — which stepped in following fresh objections by publishers concerned the move would further entrench the adtech giant’s market dominance.

Adtech antitrust class damages claim filed against Google in UK — seeking up to $16.3BN by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

Google offers several features to help you stay organized and make the most of your digital life. One of these is being able to sync across devices, which allows you to access data stored on your phone, tablet, or computer, and makes it easy to manage tasks across multiple devices. Here are five things you can do when you sync your Android device with Google.

Access browsing history and recently opened tabs

When you sync your device with Google’s native browser Chrome, you can view and access your browsing history and recently opened tabs. This makes it easy to quickly find the websites you’ve visited and pick up where you left off.

Here’s how to access your browsing history and recently opened tabs on your computer from your mobile device:

1. Open the Chrome browser app on your device.
2. Tap the menu button, or the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Select History if you want to access your browsing history or Recent Tabs if you want to view recently opened tabs. You can now sift through all the pages you’ve visited while logged into your Google account, regardless of which device you used to browse them.

Remotely access your computer

You can connect your Android device to your computer, regardless of its operating system, as long as you have the Chrome Remote Desktop app installed on your phone or tablet and the Chrome Remote Desktop extension on your computer or desktop. Keep in mind that for this feature to work, each device you want to connect must have Chrome installed and be signed into the same account.

With this feature, you can control your computer from your phone or tablet and do things like rearrange the desktop, access and edit files, and even run programs. You can also use this feature to remotely help friends and family with their computer problems.

Send directions directly to your phone or tablet

You can use your computer to plan a route in Google Maps and then send it directly to your phone or tablet. All you need is an up-to-date web browser and operating system. This feature is very useful if you’re on the go and can’t bring a bulky laptop.

To send directions directly to your Android device:

1. Open Maps in your computer’s browser.
2. Find the destination you want to send.
3. Click the “Send to your phone” button below the search box, then choose the device you want to send the directions to. There’s also an option to send the directions via email or text message if there aren’t any listed devices.
4. You’ll get a notification on your phone or tablet once the directions are sent.

Set reminders via Google Assistant or Google Keep

You can use Google Assistant or Google Keep to create reminders that sync across all connected devices. This is great if you need to set a reminder for yourself and want it to be accessible from all your available devices.

To ask Google Assistant to set a reminder for you, speak into your device’s microphone and say something like, “Hey Google, set a reminder…” or “Hey Google, remind me to…” followed by the task you need to remember. The “Add a reminder” screen will pop up soon after, allowing you to change details like when and where you’d like to be notified.

You can also set up a reminder by downloading the Google Keep extension for Chrome or the Google Keep app on your phone or tablet. To do so, open Google Keep and select Take a note. Type what you want to be reminded of and click the “Remind me” icon. You can then select the date, time, and place you’ll be notified.

Find your lost device

If you’ve misplaced your Android device but you’ve synced it with Chrome, you can easily find it by signing in to the same account on your computer. Once you’re signed in, type “find my phone” in the Google search bar. You’ll be presented with a list of devices associated with your account and their last known location.

By syncing your Android device with Google Chrome, you can access a wide range of features and tools to make your life easier. For more helpful tech tips and tricks, contact our experts today.

Many people don’t realize the full potential of syncing their devices with Google, but there are lots of great features that come along with doing so. Here are five of the best things you can do if you sync your Android device with Google.

Access browsing history and recently opened tabs

When you sync your device with Google’s native browser Chrome, you can view and access your browsing history and recently opened tabs. This makes it easy to quickly find the websites you’ve visited and pick up where you left off.

Here’s how to access your browsing history and recently opened tabs on your computer from your mobile device:

1. Open the Chrome browser app on your device.
2. Tap the menu button, or the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Select History if you want to access your browsing history or Recent Tabs if you want to view recently opened tabs. You can now sift through all the pages you’ve visited while logged into your Google account, regardless of which device you used to browse them.

Remotely access your computer

You can connect your Android device to your computer, regardless of its operating system, as long as you have the Chrome Remote Desktop app installed on your phone or tablet and the Chrome Remote Desktop extension on your computer or desktop. Keep in mind that for this feature to work, each device you want to connect must have Chrome installed and be signed into the same account.

With this feature, you can control your computer from your phone or tablet and do things like rearrange the desktop, access and edit files, and even run programs. You can also use this feature to remotely help friends and family with their computer problems.

Send directions directly to your phone or tablet

You can use your computer to plan a route in Google Maps and then send it directly to your phone or tablet. All you need is an up-to-date web browser and operating system. This feature is very useful if you’re on the go and can’t bring a bulky laptop.

To send directions directly to your Android device:

1. Open Maps in your computer’s browser.
2. Find the destination you want to send.
3. Click the “Send to your phone” button below the search box, then choose the device you want to send the directions to. There’s also an option to send the directions via email or text message if there aren’t any listed devices.
4. You’ll get a notification on your phone or tablet once the directions are sent.

Set reminders via Google Assistant or Google Keep

You can use Google Assistant or Google Keep to create reminders that sync across all connected devices. This is great if you need to set a reminder for yourself and want it to be accessible from all your available devices.

To ask Google Assistant to set a reminder for you, speak into your device’s microphone and say something like, “Hey Google, set a reminder…” or “Hey Google, remind me to…” followed by the task you need to remember. The “Add a reminder” screen will pop up soon after, allowing you to change details like when and where you’d like to be notified.

You can also set up a reminder by downloading the Google Keep extension for Chrome or the Google Keep app on your phone or tablet. To do so, open Google Keep and select Take a note. Type what you want to be reminded of and click the “Remind me” icon. You can then select the date, time, and place you’ll be notified.

Find your lost device

If you’ve misplaced your Android device but you’ve synced it with Chrome, you can easily find it by signing in to the same account on your computer. Once you’re signed in, type “find my phone” in the Google search bar. You’ll be presented with a list of devices associated with your account and their last known location.

By syncing your Android device with Google Chrome, you can access a wide range of features and tools to make your life easier. For more helpful tech tips and tricks, contact our experts today.

Do you usually switch between devices when working or browsing online? If so, then you know how frustrating it can be to keep track of all your activities and information. Syncing your Android device with Google makes things much easier and more convenient. Here are five ways you can benefit from syncing your Android device with Google.

Access browsing history and recently opened tabs

When you sync your device with Google’s native browser Chrome, you can view and access your browsing history and recently opened tabs. This makes it easy to quickly find the websites you’ve visited and pick up where you left off.

Here’s how to access your browsing history and recently opened tabs on your computer from your mobile device:

1. Open the Chrome browser app on your device.
2. Tap the menu button, or the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Select History if you want to access your browsing history or Recent Tabs if you want to view recently opened tabs. You can now sift through all the pages you’ve visited while logged into your Google account, regardless of which device you used to browse them.

Remotely access your computer

You can connect your Android device to your computer, regardless of its operating system, as long as you have the Chrome Remote Desktop app installed on your phone or tablet and the Chrome Remote Desktop extension on your computer or desktop. Keep in mind that for this feature to work, each device you want to connect must have Chrome installed and be signed into the same account.

With this feature, you can control your computer from your phone or tablet and do things like rearrange the desktop, access and edit files, and even run programs. You can also use this feature to remotely help friends and family with their computer problems.

Send directions directly to your phone or tablet

You can use your computer to plan a route in Google Maps and then send it directly to your phone or tablet. All you need is an up-to-date web browser and operating system. This feature is very useful if you’re on the go and can’t bring a bulky laptop.

To send directions directly to your Android device:

1. Open Maps in your computer’s browser.
2. Find the destination you want to send.
3. Click the “Send to your phone” button below the search box, then choose the device you want to send the directions to. There’s also an option to send the directions via email or text message if there aren’t any listed devices.
4. You’ll get a notification on your phone or tablet once the directions are sent.

Set reminders via Google Assistant or Google Keep

You can use Google Assistant or Google Keep to create reminders that sync across all connected devices. This is great if you need to set a reminder for yourself and want it to be accessible from all your available devices.

To ask Google Assistant to set a reminder for you, speak into your device’s microphone and say something like, “Hey Google, set a reminder…” or “Hey Google, remind me to…” followed by the task you need to remember. The “Add a reminder” screen will pop up soon after, allowing you to change details like when and where you’d like to be notified.

You can also set up a reminder by downloading the Google Keep extension for Chrome or the Google Keep app on your phone or tablet. To do so, open Google Keep and select Take a note. Type what you want to be reminded of and click the “Remind me” icon. You can then select the date, time, and place you’ll be notified.

Find your lost device

If you’ve misplaced your Android device but you’ve synced it with Chrome, you can easily find it by signing in to the same account on your computer. Once you’re signed in, type “find my phone” in the Google search bar. You’ll be presented with a list of devices associated with your account and their last known location.

By syncing your Android device with Google Chrome, you can access a wide range of features and tools to make your life easier. For more helpful tech tips and tricks, contact our experts today.

The UK’s antitrust watchdog has moved to deepen its scrutiny of the Apple and Google mobile duopoly — kicking off an in-depth investigation into elements of the pair’s mobile ecosystem dominance by probing their approach toward rival mobile browsers and cloud gaming services which it’s concerned could be restricting competition and harming consumers.

The move follows a market study conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last year that led to a final report this summer which concluded there are substantial competition concerns — with the regulator finding the tech giants have what it described as “an effective duopoly on mobile ecosystems that allows them to exercise a stranglehold over operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices”.

At the same time, the CMA proposed to undertake what’s known as a market investigation reference (MIR) with two points of focus: One looking at Apple’s and Google’s market power in mobile browsers; and another probing Apple’s restrictions on cloud gaming through its App Store.

That proposal for an MIR kicked off a standard consultation process, with the regulator seeking feedback on the scope of its proposed probe, and today it’s confirmed the decision to make a market investigation — opening what’s referred to as a ‘Phase 2’ (in-depth) investigation which could take up to 18 months to complete.

The probe will focus on the supply of mobile browsers and browser engines; and the distribution of cloud gaming services through app stores on mobile devices, the CMA said today.

In a press release announcing the opening of the in-depth investigation, the CMA said responses to the consultation had shown “substantial” support for a fuller investigation into how Apple and Google “dominate the mobile browser market” and how “Apple restricts cloud gaming through its App Store”.

Its PR emphasizes the strategic importance of mobile browsers — noting that “most” people use a mobile browser at least daily to access online content, and adding that 97% of all mobile web browsing in the UK last year occurred on browsers powered by either Apple’s or Google’s browser engine — giving the pair huge power over users’ experiences.

On cloud gaming services, the regulator is concerned restrictions applied via mobile platforms could hamper growth of the developing sector, leading to UK gamers to “miss out”, as it puts it.

“Web developers have complained that Apple’s restrictions, combined with suggested underinvestment in its browser technology, lead to added costs and frustration as they have to deal with bugs and glitches when building web pages, and have no choice but to create bespoke mobile apps when a website might be sufficient,” it also wrote in the press release.

“Ultimately, these restrictions limit choice and may make it more difficult to bring innovative new apps to the hands of UK consumers. At the same time, Apple and Google have argued that restrictions are needed to protect users. The CMA’s market investigation will consider these concerns and consider whether new rules are needed to drive better outcomes.”

Commenting in a statement, Sarah Cardell, interim chief executive of the CMA, added:

“We want to make sure that UK consumers get the best new mobile data services, and that UK developers can invest in innovative new apps.

Many UK businesses and web developers tell us they feel that they are being held back by restrictions set by Apple and Google. When the new Digital Markets regime is in place, it’s likely to address these sorts of issues. In the meantime, we are using our existing powers to tackle problems where we can. We plan to investigate whether the concerns we have heard are justified and, if so, identify steps to improve competition and innovation in these sectors.”

If, during the course of the investigation, the CMA identifies features with an “adverse effect on competition” it can impose corrective remedies directly on the companies — and may also make recommendations to other public bodies (like sectoral regulators or the government) if it sees a need for new legislation to counteract damaging activities.

Apple and Google respond

In a 15-page response to the consultation that the CMA has published today, Apple argues against the opening of an MIR into either mobile browsers or cloud gaming — denying its activity around mobile browser comprises a restriction on competition and playing up a claim that its development of the WebKit browser engine allows for “the security, privacy and performance of devices to be preserved”, while also warning of “severe risks” if rival browsers are able to deploy new features without “an in-depth evaluation of their security and privacy implications”.

On cloud gaming, it also denies any anti-competitive behavior — claiming it does not prevent cloud gaming apps from appearing on the App Store, and further asserting it is not trying to block the emergence of cloud gaming apps, while again playing up a claimed concern for consumer protection.

“Apple’s approach provides users with a valuable choice, centred on security, privacy and performance, between ecosystems,” the iPhone maker also writes in the response, emphasizing a claim that its approach to security and privacy “offers consumers a clear alternative to the Android system, providing them with a real choice across these key parameters of competition”; and further warning: “The potential remedies under contemplation by the CMA risk removing this choice and thus actively restricting competition at an ecosystem level. Any action that would result in such a loss of consumer choice and competition should be avoided.”

In its own 10-page response to the consultation, Google plays up Android’s “openness” — claiming its smartphone platform offers “users and businesses more choice than any other”.

It also argues that the main issues identified by the CMA at that stage are not found on its mobile ecosystem — further suggesting restrictive behaviors the regulator is most concerned about apply to Apple’s iOS, not Android, and thereby seeking to divert regulatory scrutiny onto its rival.

Google further argues that remedies proposed by the CMA (such as choice architectures) would be better suited to “iterative development and collaborative discussions” between industry and a dedicated unit within the CMA which is focused on Big Tech (aka the Digital Markets Unit; DMU). It argues that such remedies are not “well suited for consideration or implementation in the context of a market investigation” — which looks like an attempt to steer off/delay a CMA intervention (since the DMU has not yet been empowered as the UK government delayed introducing the necessary legislation — ergo waiting for the Unit to be able to take on such a ‘co-design’ role could take years).

Offering an overview of responses to the consultation, the CMA said it received 31 (out of 43) that were supportive of going ahead (with a further 6 supportive while pushing for a broader scope); and just 5 against — with Apple offering what it couched as the strongest opposition.

Responses in favor included 22 web developers and software engineers, several browser vendors, as well as individuals and advocacy groups, it added, specifying that “most were critical of Apple’s restrictions in these areas”.

“While we understand the rationale presented by some stakeholders to expand the scope into additional areas including for example desktop devices and general search, we have chosen to retain the scope described above,” the CMA goes on in a note on the scope of the MIR. “This is on the basis that a targeted investigation will be more manageable to deliver results in a timely manner. However, we are mindful of the links between browsers and search services, both from user experience and financial perspectives, which we will take into account when assessing competition in the supply of mobile browsers and potential remedies.”

“With respect to cloud gaming, the focus of this investigation will be solely in relation to the access that such services have to app stores on mobile devices. As such, the investigation will not look more broadly at the market for cloud gaming services or the strength of competition between suppliers of cloud gaming or competition in gaming more generally,” it also specifies.

Apple and Google were contacted for a response to the CMA’s newest investigation of their business activity.

An Apple spokesperson sent us this statement:

“Apple believes in vibrant and competitive markets where innovation can thrive. Through the App Store, we’ve helped millions of developers turn their brightest ideas into apps that change the world, spurring an app economy that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in the UK alone. We will continue to engage constructively with the Competition and Markets Authority to explain how our approach promotes competition and choice, while ensuring consumers’ privacy and security are always protected.”

A Google spokesperson also provided a statement:

“Android gives people a greater choice of apps and app stores than any other mobile platform.  It also enables developers to choose the browser engine they want, and has been the launchpad for millions of apps.  We’re committed to building thriving, open platforms that empower consumers and  help developers build successful businesses.”

The CMA already has an open investigation into Apple’s App Store, which it opened in March 2021 — looking at the T&Cs Cupertino imposes on third party developers seeking to distribute mobile apps on iOS. That probe remains ongoing.

While, in May this year, it opened a formal investigation into Google’s adtech stack — a few months after announcing it would probe allegations of collusion between Google and Facebook over ad bidding (aka the ‘Jedi Blue’ claims). Both of which are also still in train.

The CMA has also previously conducted a deep dive study into online advertising which raised a raft of competition concerns and convinced it of the need to press the case for digital competition law reform. (Albeit, the latter is still a work in progress under the current UK government.)

The UK competition regulator also continues to closely monitor Google’s online advertising proposal to deprecate support for third party tracking cookies in its Chrome browser and bring in a different bundle of ad targeting technologies (aka Privacy Sandbox) — a recent intervention that looks likely to contribute to shaping a core replacement adtech stack (meaning it could be highly influential for the future of the ad-supported web), even while it’s likely to slow down that migration-evolution process since Google has had to, for example, build in more fulsome consultations with industry players to ensure it’s complying with its regulatory commitments to the CMA.

So the regulator has a growing suite of investigations and other activity focused on addressing the market power of Apple and Google — with what looks like more interventions coming down the pipe for their mobile ecosystems.

UK confirms antitrust probe of Android-iOS ‘mobile duopoly’ focused on browsers and cloud gaming by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.

Global app spending reached $65 billion in the first half of 2022, up only slightly from the $64.4 billion during the same period in 2021, as hypergrowth fueled by the pandemic has slowed down. But overall, the app economy is continuing to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports. Global spending across iOS and Google Play last year was $133 billion, and consumers downloaded 143.6 billion apps.

This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more.

Do you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsletters

Top Stories

The Apple-Epic antitrust battle resumes

Image Credits: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg / Getty Images

This week, Apple’s antitrust battle against Fortnite maker Epic Games returned to the courtroom after both sides appealed last year’s ruling in a potentially precedent-setting case over Apple’s alleged anti-competitive behavior. Last year, a U.S. District Court judge had largely favored Apple by ruling the tech giant was not acting as a monopolist with regard to its App Store practices. Epic Games was unhappy with that decision, of course, as it had wanted the court to force Apple to support third-party payments and/or third-party app stores which would have allowed Fortnite to maximize its revenues. Meanwhile, Apple didn’t want to agree to the court’s order that said it would have to permit apps that provide links to alternative payments.

Oral arguments kicked off this week at the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit, in what will be an even higher-stakes trial for determining Apple’s future in the app market and its ability to set its own rules around payments and commissions. This time around, the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of California were granted time to present their own arguments to help explain the proper legal framework for evaluating the antitrust claims against Apple. Though both were technically being neutral, they expressed concerns over how the lower court had too narrowly interpreted parts of U.S. antitrust law, the Sherman Act, among other issues. The DoJ, notably, is in the early stages of filing its own antitrust suit against Apple, so how the appeals court rules on this matter could ultimately shape its own ability to effectively prosecute Apple further down the road.

In the opening arguments, the lawyer for the DoJ, Nickolai Levin, began by stating the district court erred in saying the Apple Developer Program Licensing Agreement (DPLA) is not concerted action. He explained that Section 1 of the Sherman Act prohibits contracts that restrain trade, which would include the licensing contract Apple is enforcing here. While the U.S. government wasn’t prepared to call out Apple’s contract as either reasonable or unreasonable, it wanted the court to understand that it was not above Section 1 scrutiny.

One of the judges pushed back against this claim, asking if Epic had actually agreed to Apple’s Developer Program Licensing Agreement with the intention of “going forward to restrain trade?” He suggested Epic signed in order to get into a market, actually. The lawyer responded that’s true, but the terms of the contract are binding, with one party forcing terms on another — so excluding contracts from Section 1 scrutiny would allow anti-competitive terms to go unpunished.

The court also asked for information on how the government believes the pro-competitive and anti-competitive effects should be weighed against one another to make a judgment, as there was no specific formula to make such a calculation. Levin explained that this boiled down to whether or not the effect of the restraint was to suppress or restrict competition, and cited legal precedent to guide the judges’ understanding.

The U.S. government also believed the lower court misapplied the rule of reason and erred in how it analyzed monopoly power. For example, Apple was able to set prices and keep them there regardless of what its competition did. “And, as Microsoft explained, that’s something only a monopolist can do,” Levin noted.

Of course, Apple’s legal team came well-prepared too. And, as one judge discovered, Apple’s lawyer, Mark Perry, who had been a longtime partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, was now at a new firm, Weil. But that didn’t mean Apple had changed firms — it just meant it now had two. Or as Perry put it, “we are one big happy family.”

Perry’s arguments re-iterated points from the lower court’s decision, particularly noting that the iPhone was designed to be more secure than the Mac, which is why there’s no “sideloading,” and instead puts apps through human review. And it’s a requirement that’s hard-coded into the iOS, the lawyer explained. “That’s a technical requirement. Apple then reflected that in the DPLA,” he said.

The lawyer also told the court Apple does allow developers to communicate with their users, and there are “no restrictions on communications.” Expect, of course, the restrictions he mentioned in his very next breath: that “Apple does not allow links and buttons because we can’t review them. We can’t track them. We can’t protect users from malware, fraud, porn, hackers, and all those other things. It would be a breach in the wall, an opening that bad actors could exploit. And it’s not well-thought-out.”

The case will likely continue for six months or more, so don’t expect any near-term resolution. And, if neither party is satisfied, it will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court, delaying the decision even longer.

Apple faces a potential class action lawsuit over data collection practices

Image Credits: TechCrunch

While the Epic-Apple antitrust battle is one of the most significant lawsuits facing Apple right now, the company was also sued this week over another matter.

Another lawsuit is taking on Apple’s data collection practices in the wake of a recent report by independent researchers who found Apple was continuing to track consumers in its mobile apps, even when they had explicitly configured their iPhone privacy settings to turn tracking off. The proposed class action lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Elliot Libman on behalf of himself and other impacted consumers, alleges that Apple’s privacy assurances are in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act.

As reported last week by Gizmodo, app developers and independent researchers Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry discovered that Apple was still collecting data about its users across a number of first-party apps even when users had turned off an iPhone Analytics setting that promises to “disable the sharing of Device Analytics altogether.” In their tests, the researchers examined Apple’s own apps including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, and Stocks, and found that disabling this setting as well as other privacy controls didn’t impact Apple’s data collection.

The plaintiff is looking to have the lawsuit certified as a class action and is seeking compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages in addition to other equitable monetary relief.

More on TechCrunch here. 

Google Play revamps policies around kids’ apps

Google Play rolled out a series of changes to its programs and policies around apps designed for children. The company described the update as an expansion of its previously launched “Teacher Approved” program, which includes a review process where teachers and experts vetted apps not just for safety and security elements, but for educational quality and other factors. The newly revamped policies will now impact how apps qualify for this program, which allows apps to gain entry to the Play Store’s “Kids” tab.

Before, Google Play ran two (sometimes overlapping) programs around apps aimed at kids.

App developers were required to participate in Google’s “Designed for Families” program if their app was aimed at children, and could optionally choose to participate in the program if their app targeted both kids and older users. The Designed for Families program included a number of requirements around the app’s content, its functionality, use of ads, data practices, use of warning labels, feature set, underlying technology components, and more. Any apps in this program were also eligible to be rated for the Teacher Approved program, which had stricter guidelines, but entry was not guaranteed.

Now, the additional policy requirements for the Designed for Families program are being rolled into the Play Store’s broader Families Policy. This simplifies the rules for developers building apps for kids and opens up a broader selection of apps to be eligible to be rated for the stricter Teacher Approved program, as well.

The changes aren’t just about serving developers or consumers — they also help Google to meet stricter regulations being considered, drafted, and enacted worldwide around how software is permitted to handle kids’ data — such as the EU’s GDPR and the U.K.’s Age Appropriate Design Code. Failure to meet these requirements can result in significant penalties, as Meta recently learned when it was fined roughly $400 million for how it treated children’s data on Instagram, for instance.

More on TechCrunch here. 

Weekly News

Platforms: Apple

Image Credits: Apple

• Apple launched Emergency SOS via Satellite, the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro’s new feature that uses satellite to route calls in the event of an emergency when cellular access isn’t available. The feature is first becoming available in the U.S. and Canada, and will expand to France, Germany, Ireland, and the U.K. next month.
• Apple released iOS 16.2 beta 3, iPadOS 16.2 beta 3 tvOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2 beta 3, and macOS Ventura 13.1 beta 3.
• Apple’s iOS 16.2 beta added new watchlist sorting options for the Stocks app, which are reflected in an updated Home Screen widget. Now, users will be able to sort manually, by price change, percent change, market cap, symbol, or name.
• The newest beta also introduced new toggles for the Always On Display that let users turn off the Wallpaper and Notifications when the Always On Display is enabled.
• A new report by The Information seemingly refutes an earlier Bloomberg report which claimed Apple was targeting to 3x the revenue from its ad business. Instead, the new report claims Apple isn’t planning to introduce more ads on iPhone and is satisfied with the current revenue growth. It notes also that Apple killed a plan in 2018 to run ads in Spotlight Search on iPhone.
• Craig Federighi reportedly responded to a customer’s email complaint about how Apple’s software beta program isn’t effective in listening to user feedback, saying “I agree that the current approach isn’t giving many in the community what they’d like in terms of interaction and influence,” and “We haven’t yet figured out how to achieve that in a practical and constructive way. We’ll keep thinking.”

Platforms: Google

• Google wrapped up its Android Dev Summit on Monday, Nov. 14, with a track that included nearly 20 talks focused on developer features and guidance around Android 13, like how to migrate apps to Android 13, how to build user trust with privacy-respecting workflows, how to improve a social app’s quality with the Android camera and much more. This was the last of three tracks for this year’s Summit, following the two prior tracks: Modern Android Development and Form Factors. The keynote, recaps and full sessions playlists can be found on YouTube.
• Google released its Android Health Connect app into public beta. The new app helps to centralize access to health and fitness data from various eligible apps, starting with a launch group of 10, including MyFitnessPal, Oura and Peloton.
• Google Play added support for UPI (Unified Payments Interface) subscriptions in India. UPI is the most popular mobile payments technology for p2p and merchants in the region but had not yet been available as a payment option for subscriptions on the Play Store until now. It has been available since 2019 for app sales and in-app purchases, however.
• A new Google Play test that involved a discovery feature for finding new apps and games with ongoing events and updates was mistaken for a new ad unit by 9to5Google. The test appears to actually involve the merchandising units previously called LiveOps, now rebranded to “Promotional Content,” which Google had recently said would begin to appear more deeply integrated in the Play Store going forward.

E-commerce/Marketplaces

• YouTube launched Shorts shopping features that let select creators tag items in their videos to diversify their revenue streams. The feature is being piloted with U.S. creators, while viewers in the U.S., India, Brazil, Canada and Australia can view and interact with these tags for the time being. The shopping functionality will expand to more creators next year. The move follows last week’s launch of a TikTok Shop test in the U.S. YouTube is also testing an affiliate program in the U.S. where creators could earn commissions when viewers purchase recommended products.
• Shopify’s Shop app is testing a universal search feature with some users. The feature offers a “Search for anything” box that lets consumers search across their purchases, merchants matching the search term and products sold by Shopify merchants.
• Mobile marketplace OfferUp is laying off about 19% of its staff, noting it had grown headcount at a rate that had outpaced revenue growth over the past few years. The company had just under 500 employees on LinkedIn at the time of the announcement.
• 3D scanning app NetVirta announced a partnership with Victoria’s Secret that will allow the retailer to use its tech to help customers find the perfect-fitting bra.

Augmented Reality

• Just in time for the COP27 climate conference, Meta released a climate card game using Meta AR Filters, built by creator Okhule Fallet, which displays question prompts around key climate issues designed to get people talking.
• Snapchat added a set of new features to celebrate the upcoming FIFA World Cup, including new AR experiences that let fans virtually try on official team jerseys and show their team pride.

Image Credits: Snap

Social

• Instagram’s Marketing API has been updated to allow for ads on the Instagram Explore home page, through the existing Marketing API endpoint where a new INSTAGRAM_EXPLORE_HOME placement option has been added. Instagram recently announced its plans to increase its ad load, as Meta fights a revenue decline. This included the addition of ads on the Explore home page and in the profile feed.
• Twitter appointed an “acting” data protection officer (DPO) after a series of resignations of senior Twitter privacy and security staffers late last week which included the abrupt departures of Twitter’s CISO Lea Kissner; chief privacy officer (and DPO) Damien Kieran; and chief compliance officer Marianne Fogarty. Now, an existing employee, Renato Monteiro, will serve as Twitter’s “acting DPO.”
• In addition to layoffs and voluntary departures, Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has also now fired around 20 employees who criticized him in the company Slack.
• When he’s not destroying Twitter’s workforce (or morale) or asking remaining workers to commit to “hardcore” hours, the company seemingly began work on a long abandoned project to encrypt Twitter DMs, code in the Android app revealed.
• TikTok is said to be approaching laid-off Twitter and Meta engineers to join its Silicon Valley office. The video app aims to roughly double its staff in Mountain View, Calif., to about 2,000, The Information reported.
• Social livestreaming app Yubo, popular with Gen Z, is expanding its audio moderation technology to the U.K., Australia and Canada. The tech works by recording and transcribing 10-second snippets of audio in livestreams of 10 or more people. The text is then scanned using AI to detect problematic content. If found, Yubo sends users alerts to warn them. Text that contains policy violations are also flagged for human review.

Messaging

• WhatsApp’s head of India Abhijit Bose and Meta’s public policy head for the country Rajiv Aggarwal have both left the company, just days after Meta’s India chief Ajit Mohan quit to join Snap. The departures are not related to Meta’s layoffs of 11,000 — the execs left of their own accord.
• WhatsApp introduced new Yellow Pages-like features to help its users find businesses from within the instant messaging app. This includes “Directory,” a feature launching in Brazil to help users discover small businesses nearby, as well as another feature, “Business Search,” for finding larger businesses by category. This latter feature launches select markets, including Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico and the U.K.

You can now search for businesses on WhatsApp

Streaming & Entertainment

• Apple is launching another original podcast, “After the Whistle” from “Ted Lasso” co-creator Brendan Hunt and NBC Sports host Rebecca Lowe. The show, launching Nov. 17, will see the hosts reacting to all the World Cup action and will be featured within Apple News in the U.S. and in Apple Podcasts in 103 markets.
• Netflix added a new feature that lets subscribers remotely log out of devices they don’t recognize or don’t want to be logged into — like those where friends, family members or an ex is mooching off your account. The feature could push more freeloaders into paid accounts, the company likely hopes.
• YouTube addressed one of YouTube Shorts creators’ chief complaints: to date, the music and sounds added to videos could only be 15 seconds in length, even though Shorts themselves can be as long as 60 seconds. Thanks to revised licensing deals, YouTube now says the majority of music on Shorts will be available in durations of up to 60 seconds. In addition, creators can “remix,” or sample, up to 60 seconds of sounds from other videos, instead of only 15 seconds, as before.
• Spotify expanded its video podcasting capabilities to Anchor creators in more than 180 markets worldwide, after initial launches in select markets, including the U.S. and parts of Europe. The company is working to offer video in competition with YouTube, but won’t share metrics about video podcasts’ adoption to date.

Gaming

Image Credits: Newzoo

• For the first time since it began reporting, Newzoo is expecting games market revenues to decline year-over-year. The firm estimates the games market will generate $184.4 billion in 2022, down -4.3% year-over-year — a corrective year after two years of lockdown-fueled growth. The PC segment is expected to generate $40.5 billion in 2022, up +0.5% YoY, but mobile and console will decline. The mobile games market is forecast to generate $92.2 billion in 2022, down -6.4% YoY, while console gaming will drop -4.2% YoY to $51.8 billion.
• Mobile gaming accessory maker Backbone launched an Android version of its gaming controller which swaps in USB-C in place of Lightning connectivity.

Dating

• Match-owned dating app Hinge added a new feature that caters to those looking for non-monogamy. The app will add an option for adding a “Relationship Type” to the user’s profile, including “monogamous,” “non-monogamous” or “figuring out my relationship type.” Historically, Hinge had catered to those seeking a “serious” relationship, as opposed to casual hookups on Tinder, but it hadn’t well-served those with different ideas of what serious relationships look like.

Travel & Transportation

• Indian gig workers, like Uber drivers and those who work for apps like Ola, Zomato and Swiggy, are trying to reverse engineer how the apps’ algorithms and technologies work, reports Rest of World. They then share their findings in Telegram groups to help each other out with issues around why they sometimes don’t get orders, how much they’re being paid, how they’re being matched to orders, and more.

Security & Privacy

• A Reuters investigation discovered thousands of iOS and Android apps were using technology from Russian company Pushwoosh for their notifications, including apps by the CDC, U.S. Army, NRA, and Unilever.
• Google paid $70,000 to Hungary-based security researcher David Schütz, who had privately reported a bug that had allowed anyone to unlock Google Pixel phones without knowing the user’s passcode. However, the exploit required physical access to the device to work. Google took five months to fix the bug, Schütz said.
• DuckDuckGo announced App Tracking Protection is open for all Android users, in beta. The feature helps to block 3rd-party trackers in apps, even when you’re not using them.

Image Credits: DuckDuckGo

Funding and M&A

Dubai-based investment app baraka raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Valar Ventures. The app offers commission-free investments in U.S. stocks and ETFs.

Mobile chat app Geneva raised $21 million in a Series A extension led by cryptofund Multicoin Capital. The app, which focuses on having users join interest groups, is popular with Gen Z and creators who use it to talk to fans.

Note-taking app Evernote agreed to be acquired by Milan-based app developer Bending Spoons, for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to close in early 2023. Evernote had raised $290 million to date.

Downloads

Vimcal

Image Credits: Vimcal

The Y Combinator-backed company Vimcal launched the iOS counterpart to its existing web and desktop calendar applications, available for Windows, Mac and Chrome. Similar to apps like Fantastical, users can type in meeting information in natural language, like “lunch with Lisa at 1 pm tomorrow.” It also offers a more customizable solution for finding timeslots for meetings, compared with existing players like Calendly.  The iOS app, in beta since this April, has also optimized the software’s keyboard shortcuts for the touchscreen interface and adds other features. You can read a full review from TechCrunch’s Ivan Mehta here.

This Week in Apps: Apple-Epic antitrust battle resumes, Apple sued over tracking, Google’s new rules for kids’ apps by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Google Play today announced a series of changes to its programs and policies around apps designed for children. The company is describing the update as an expansion of its previously launched “Teacher Approved” program, which includes a review process where teachers and experts vetted apps not just for safety and security elements, but for educational quality and other factors. The newly revamped policies will now impact how apps qualify for this program, which allows apps to gain entry to the Play Store’s “Kids” tab.

These changes should help to streamline some of the policies around apps made for children which, in turn, will increase the number of apps that become eligible to be reviewed for the Teacher Approved program. In addition, these policy updates and other changes will push Android app makers to come into compliance with stricter regulations and laws around software targeting children.

Before, Google Play ran two (sometimes overlapping) programs around apps aimed at kids.

App developers were required to participate in Google’s “Designed for Families” program if their app was aimed at children, and could optionally choose to participate in the program if their app targeted both kids and older users. The Designed for Families program included a number of requirements around the app’s content, its functionality, use of ads, data practices, use of warning labels, feature set, underlying technology components, and more.

Any apps in this program were also eligible to be rated for the Teacher Approved program, which had stricter guidelines, but entry was not guaranteed.

Now, the additional policy requirements for the Designed for Families program are being rolled into the Play Store’s broader Families Policy. This latter set of guidelines requires apps to comply with applicable laws and regulations relating to children, like the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example. The Families Policy also prohibits access to precise location data, prevents developers from transmitting device identifiers from children, and includes additional privacy and content restrictions, among other things.

For developers, the merging of the Designed for Families requirements into the Google Play Families Policy simplifies and strengthens the rules for developers around apps that target kids. And, with this change, all the apps that meet the now more robust Families Policy will become eligible to apply for the Teacher Approved program.

The Teacher Approved program’s requirements are not changing, however, and only a subset of apps meeting the overarching Families Policy will qualify.

The Teacher Approved program itself first arrived in April 2020 — at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. At this time, many schools had shifted to virtual learning, and children were spending more time on their devices to both learn and be entertained. Beyond meeting safety requirements and government regulations, the apps chosen for “Teacher Approved” were vetted by a panel of academic experts including more than 200 U.S. teachers.

The panel rated the apps on various aspects like age-appropriateness, quality of experience, enrichment, and whether kids enjoy using the app, among other things. This information would then be displayed on the app’s Play Store listing if the app was approved so parents could determine if the app was right for their child.

Consumers can find these Teacher Approved apps on the “Kids” tab of the Play Store or they can look for the Teacher Approved badge on an individual app’s listing. With the update, all apps that are compliant with the Families Policy will also soon receive an additional badge that’s displayed in the Data safety section of their app’s listing. This badge will indicate the app has committed to the Play Store’s Families Policy.

Image Credits: Google

In addition to the merging of its two families policies, Google also noted it recently updated its Families Self-Certified Ads SDK Program. Makers of SDKs (software development kits, or software used by developers to expand the functionality of their apps), must now identify which versions of their SDKs are appropriate for use in Families apps.

In 2023, Android app developers in the Families program will be required to use only the SDKs that are identified as appropriate — though Google suggests developers start to make the shift to these safer SDKs now.

These changes aren’t just about serving developers or consumers — they also help Google to meet stricter regulations being considered, drafted, and enacted worldwide around how software is permitted to handle kids’ data — such as the EU’s GDPR and the U.K.’s Age Appropriate Design Code. Failure to meet these requirements can result in significant penalties, as Meta recently learned when it was fined roughly $400 million for how it treated children’s data on Instagram.

Google Play streamlines policies around kids’ apps as regulations tighten by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.

Global app spending reached $65 billion in the first half of 2022, up only slightly from the $64.4 billion during the same period in 2021, as hypergrowth fueled by the pandemic has slowed down. But overall, the app economy is continuing to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports. Global spending across iOS and Google Play last year was $133 billion, and consumers downloaded 143.6 billion apps.

This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more.

Do you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsletters

Top Stories

It’s a Twitter dumpster fire and I can’t look away

Image Credits: Cloudytronics (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

Where to even begin? This week Twitter became one of the most chaotic, most disastrous social networks in history — and arguably, also the most interesting, in a sort of rubbernecking kind of way. There was something new taking place either on the platform directly or within the company itself at nearly every minute.

In just a handful of days since Musk’s takeover, Twitter has seen the following:

• The launch of Twitter Blue (11/9) followed by a pause (11/10), followed by its disappearance from the app entirely (11/11).
• Widespread impersonation of high-profile accounts, including Musk’s own, by Verified users — including, almost immediately, the $8/month Twitter Blue Verified users after the new subscription went live.
• The launch of Official badges (11/8) for high-profile accounts, followed by their disappearance (11/9) followed by their return (11/11).
• Elon Musk’s reveal of his plan to have Twitter enter the payments business.
• Further departures of key execs, including its most senior cybersecurity staffer Lea Kissner (11/10), chief privacy officer Damien Kieran (11/10), chief compliance officer Marianne Fogarty (11/10) Head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth (11/10) — the latter who has been one of the last remaining sane voices at the company amid the upheaval.
• Musk held a call with advertisers (11/9) that did not offer any solid assurances that all would be well.
• After this call, the call’s host and head of ad sales Robin Wheeler, quit. Later, she tweeted “I’m still here” after being persuaded by Musk to stay (11/10).
• After the departure of key executives across trust, safety, data governance and security, the FTC issued a rare warning to Twitter (11/10). The agency said had been “tracking the developments at Twitter with deep concern,” and that “no CEO or company is above the law.” Twitter was put under an FTC consent order in 2011 after being found to have misused user data. The order requires, among other things, that new product rollouts receive full security reviews and it dictates what Twitter can and cannot do with data. The number of rapid changes, eliminations of departments, departures of key personnel and fast launches and shutdowns of new products are now raising questions as to whether or not Twitter has managed to remain compliant with the FTC’s decree.
• The lead regulator in the European Union then came after Twitter, setting a meeting for next week to discuss concerns including the data protection officer’s departure and whether Twitter’s main establishment for GDPR purposes is still located in Ireland.
• Musk addressed employees at an all-hands (11/10) and warned them Twitter may have a net negative cash flow of billions in 2023 and suggested bankruptcy was not out of the question.

One can argue that Musk was right to take a new approach at Twitter, which was losing money and failing to grow its user base. Coming in with fresh ideas and swapping out the executive team isn’t that unusual in a takeover, nor are widespread layoffs when a company is in financial trouble. New product experimentation is also to be expected. And revamping Twitter Blue, which has so far failed to attract subscribers, makes sense too.

But it’s not the what that’s the issue here, really — it’s the how. Musk clearly had not thought through the impact of his changes and he laid off people who could have offered deeper insight. His move to immediately make deep cuts across Twitter (after weird ideas about code reviews, apparently), meant he missed the opportunity to actually listen to current staff who could explain what Twitter has tried, what’s failed and why they’re doing the things they are. Even if Musk disagreed with Twitter’s current direction, those understandings could be used to better inform his future decisions.

Instead, he’s approached Twitter as a toy to be played with, saying even “Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months.” And it already has.

Living up to its promise, the first project Twitter landed on saw it reinventing the wheel.

Musk, having only perceived the value of a blue Verified badge as a status symbol, believed a wide swath of Twitter users would pay for the privilege of owning one. What he didn’t understand (unlike most of Twitter’s user base), is that Verification is actually a service the platform provides its community, not just an ego-pleasing checkmark. In fact, many of those with the original badge don’t see it as a status symbol, and wouldn’t pay for the “honor” of having one. Instead, the original blue badge was a way to quickly see that someone is who they claim to be or that they’re a trusted source of news and information.

Musk, on the other hand, thinks “citizen journalists” and everyday folks (or as he likes to call them, “peasants“) deserve some sort of verification, too. Which is…well, okay, he’s free to have that opinion and test it out as a paid product after spending $44 billion on this thing, I guess. (We don’t have space to talk about his misunderstandings around citizen journalism right now!)

But it could have been implemented in a different way — perhaps as a verified badge of a different shade or symbol, or even just as a system that would boost Twitter Blue subscribers’ tweets and replies on the platform above the non-paying users. After all, this is the core value Musk envisions for Twitter Blue, believing this is what would appeal to subscribers. Not to mention, such a system would make sense to test, given that it’s one that’s already been proven to work elsewhere. Paid elevation is a monetization lever other social networks utilize — like YouTube and Instagram, where products like YouTube’s Super Chat and IG Badges allow people to have their posts highlighted above others.

Twitter’s twist could have been that paid elevation like this wouldn’t necessarily be about getting the attention of top creators, per se, but would gain subscribers entry into everyone’s Verified tab or at least bumped to the top of the “All” notifications tab. Or, a secondary filter on the Verified tab could allow people to toggle on or off the visibility of “official” accounts, addressing complaints that the Verified tab is now no longer useful when checkmarks are for sale.

What a great thing this would have been to A/B test with a small percentage of the audience before fully diving in! But alas.

Rather than moving forward more thoughtfully, Musk simply trashed the existing Verification program — and without seemingly foreseeing the potential for widespread abuse. He then retroactively realized that identifying “Official” accounts had value for the wider community and for those who wanted a certain type of experience in the Verified tab itself.

His haphazard leadership led to new products launching, being shut off, then relaunching in a matter of hours and days. As a result, Twitter became a dumpster fire of sorts — and one that could have been avoided if Musk simply listened and learned before acting.

Google Play rolls out User Choice Billing more broadly, Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney trashes it as a ‘sham’

Image Credits: SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty Images

Google announced it’s expanding its user choice billing pilot, which allows Android app developers to use other payment systems besides Google’s own. The program will now become available to new markets, including the U.S., Brazil and South Africa, and Bumble will now join Spotify as one of the pilot testers.

The company first announced its intention to launch a third-party billing option back in March of this year, with Spotify as the initial tester. Now, Spotify says it will begin rolling out its implementation of this program with Google’s blessing.

The user choice billing program has steadily expanded over the course of the year. Last month, for example, Google invited non-game developers to apply for the user choice billing program in select markets, including India, Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the European Economic Area (EEA). The company also introduced a similar policy for developers in the EEA region in July, but the new guidelines raised the commission discount from 3% to 4% for developers who opted in. With today’s expansion, user choice billing will be made available to 35 countries worldwide.

Google says it’s been working with Spotify to help develop the experience and now the streaming music service will begin to put the new features into action in supported markets. The experience could still change over time, Google warned, as this is still the early days of the pilot test. In addition, Bumble has now joined Google to test user choice billing in its own app, with plans to roll out the options to users in select countries in the coming months.

It’s not clear what sort of deal Spotify and Bumble have received as Spotify won’t say beyond noting it meets the company’s standards of fairness.

In the meantime, not all developers think the deal is a good one.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who is suing both Apple and Google for alleged monopolistic practices, called the new system a sham as Google still takes 26% of the revenue — a reference to the 4% discount for switching to another payment provider.

“This is Google’s dishonest attempt to thwart EU and Korean regulators by feigning compliance with their new rules for billing competition, while still collecting their monopoly rent and rendering competing payment services non-viable,” Sweeney wrote.

Mastodon and others gain in wake of Twitter chaos

The drama at Twitter has seen some users looking for an exit. In recent days, alternative social and microblogging platforms have seen strong gains, including, most notably, the open source decentralized Twitter alternative Mastodon. The service’s founder and CEO recently announced Mastodon had topped 1 million monthly active users, as more than half a million users joined the network since October 27.

App intelligence firm Sensor Tower noted Mastodon has seen approximately 322,000 installs from U.S. app stores in the 12 days following the acquisition (October 27 through November 7), which is more than 100 times the 3,000 it saw in the prior 12-day period. Globally, the app grew 657% to 1 million installs during that same October 27-November 7 time frame, up from 15,000 in the 12 days prior.

Other third-party Mastodon clients saw a bump, too, with Metatext and Tootle both growing from less than 1,000 installs to 19,000 and 7,000, respectively, between the two periods.

But Mastodon isn’t the only network seeing an uptick in installs, as it turns out.

Tumblr also saw its U.S. installs grow 96% from 47,000 to 92,000 between the two timeframes and saw global installs grow 77% from 170,000 to 301,000.

Image Credits: Sensor Tower

Alternative social app CounterSocial also grew 2,300% to 24,000 installs in U.S. app stores in the 12 days following the acquisition, and grew 3,200% globally, with 33,000 installs.

Another app intelligence firm, data.ai, sliced the data in a different way. It examined various social apps’ worldwide download growth during a seven-day period following the acquisition (October 27 through November 2), then compared that with the prior seven-day period. Its data also confirmed the sizable gains made by Mastodon and CounterSocial in terms of global install increases between the two timeframes. Mastodon’s installs jumped 2,200% and CounterSocial’s grew 1,200%.

Data.ai saw a number of other social apps seeing bumps, as well, beyond direct Twitter alternatives. This included David’s Disposable (up 83%), nFollowers (up 50%), CocoFun (up 46%), Substack Reader (up 24%), Tribel (up 11%), Tumblr (up 7%) and Pinterest (up 2%).

Read more about this here.

Weekly News

Platforms: Apple

• Apple is planning to launch its Emergency SOS with Satellite in November. The service will see the tech giant paying $405 million to the U.S. companies enabling the feature, with the majority going to Globalstar.
• A change in the iOS 16.1.1 update will now restrict the “Everyone” option in AirDrop to 10 minutes on iPhones purchased in mainland China. Apple said it is improving the AirDrop experience by automatically reverting the receiving setting back to “Contacts Only” after 10 minutes to help mitigate unwanted file sharing.
• Apple rolled out the ability for users in Colorado to store their driver’s license or state ID in the Apple Wallet app. The feature has only rolled out to select states so far, including Arizona and Maryland, though Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Utah are signed up.
• Apple released the second developer betas for iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, tvOS 16.2 and watchOS 9.2.
• Apple is said to be working on a Custom Accessibility Mode for iOS 16.2, beta 2, codenamed Clarity, that will make the iPhone and iPad’s interface more user-friendly for those who find it overly complicated today. (Could be a good tool for a tech-unsavvy grandma or grandpa, it seems.)
• Apple is reportedly working on simplifying its voice assistant trigger from “Hey Siri” to just “Siri,” said Bloomberg.
• Apple launched another week of its Ask Apple developer series, where developers can connect directly with Apple experts in one-on-one consultations and group Q&As. This latest series will run from November 14 to 18 across time zones.

Image Credits: Apple

Platforms: Google

• Google is now allowing users to preview its newly redesigned Google Home app for iOS and Android. The new app lets you favorite devices, run automation (coming), enable new triggers for routines and more.
• Google released the public beta of the new Android Auto UI, first announced at Google I/O. Some of the notable changes in this release include: the map will now be closer to the driver in the new dashboard with improved size and reachability; the dashboard media card has a completely new look and now grows and shrinks dynamically; the map fills the entire Android Auto area; a new app dock in the rail makes it easier to switch between recent apps; more Material You and modernized UI; music and media recommendations from Google Assistant can be accessed with a swipe of the dashboard media card; and it consolidates the old status icons and notification center bell into one tappable area on the rail that includes the number of unread messages.

Fintech

• The world’s once-third-largest crypto exchange, FTX, was struggling to stay alive after a bailout deal with Binance failed this week. Sam Bankman-Fried began winding down trading firm Alameda Research and was attempting to raise liquidity for FTX International after the FTX exchange experienced a liquidity crunch. Those efforts didn’t pan out and on Friday, FTX announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. About 130 additional affiliated companies — including FTX US and Alameda Research — also began the bankruptcy process.

Social

• Meta announced massive layoffs of 13% of its workforce, or 11,000 people, following Twitter’s layoffs of half its workforce, or 7,500 people after Elon Musk’s takeover. Meta employees will receive 16 weeks of severance pay, plus two extra weeks for each year of service, and six months of health insurance. Meta announced its first-ever quarterly decline in June, and saw its revenue decline again in Q3.
• Reddit launched a “community muting” feature that lets users mute an entire community on the platform. After muting, posts from that specific community will be removed from the user’s notifications, Home feed and Popular feed. The new feature is launching on Reddit’s mobile apps over the next few weeks and will later expand to the desktop.
• Instagram rolled out an in-app scheduling tool to all professional accounts. The tool allows creators and businesses to schedule posts in advance without having to use third-party apps or Creator Studio.

Photos/Creativity

Image Credits: Pinterest

• Pinterest’s new collage-making app Shuffles is now available to the public in select markets, after starting off as an invite-only app earlier this summer. Users can add their own photos or those from Pinterest boards to their collages as image cutouts. Shuffles grew in popularity with Gen Z users, who used the creative expression tool to make “aesthetic” collages, sometimes set to music and posted to TikTok, or shared privately with friends or the Shuffles community. The app is still considered a test, Pinterest says.
• Amazon Photos finally updated its Android app a year after the iOS version was redesigned. The new design is more modern with a focus on improved navigation, sharing, search and more. With a swipe up, you can access tools to filter photos by object, place or year. Prime members are offered unlimited full-res photo storage and 5GB of video storage.
• Popular third-party camera app Halide updated to version 2.10, which brought a 2X zoom to iPhone 14 Pro users, plus updates to Depth mode, a 48/12MP quick toggle and more.

Messaging

Image Credits: Telegram

• Telegram added several new features, including Collectible Usernames secured on the TON blockchain, voice-to-text for video messages new emoji packs, a redesign night mode on iOS, resizing text on Android, topics in groups and more. The company also threw shade at Apple for the update’s delay, writing it took two weeks for the update to be approved. Founder Pavel Durov added in a post, “Apple claims they review apps within 24 hours, but, in our experience, it takes at least 7-10 days for any meaningful product update to reach the App Store.”
• Signal launched a Stories feature on iOS and Android. The feature lets users share Stories that expire after 24 hours, much like other social apps. Users can choose who can see their Stories — which can be everyone in your phone’s contact list who uses Signal, anyone you’ve had a one-on-one conversation with in Signal or anyone whose message request you’ve accepted. The company plans to release Stories on the desktop soon.

Image Credits: Signal

Streaming & Entertainment

• Spotify redesigned its Apple Watch app with larger artwork, smoother animations and several new features. It’s now easier to see and select individual tracks and episodes from any playlist, podcast, artist or album directly on your watch, and you can swipe to “like” tracks and toggle shuffle mode “on” or “off ” before you start playing. Podcast pages have a new look too, and new episodes will be highlighted with a blue dot. Paying subscribers can also now download favorite songs, albums and playlists directly from the Watch app itself instead of using the mobile app, as before.
• All three major music labels — UMG, Sony and Warner — are asking TikTok to pay them a share of its ad revenues, hoping to reach a deal before their existing deals expire in the coming months, Bloomberg reported. The news comes at a bad time for TikTok, which is said to be cutting its revenue projections for 2022 to $10 billion, down from the $12-14.5 billion it had previously predicted, the FT said.
• TikTok also overhauled its U.S. operations after an advertising slump, which included moving GM Sandie Hawkins to TikTok Shop, per the FT.
• YouTube announced it surpassed 80 million YouTube Music and Premium subscribers globally, including customers using free trials, representing a year-over-year increase of 30 million subscribers.
• YouTube launched Shorts on TV to global users. The feature will require a smart TV from 2019 or later, a newer gaming console or a streaming device. The videos themselves can be found on the new Shorts shelf on the homepage of the YouTube app or on a creator’s channel page. It also added a “Live Q&A” feature to make it easier for fans and viewers to interact during livestreams.
• Disney said it now has 235.7 million global subscribers, above Netflix’s 223.1 million. Disney+ had 164.2 million, Hulu accounted for 47.2 million and ESPN+ had 24 million.
• Giphy launched its first connected TV app with GIPHY Arts for Roku. The app brings short-form video content made by artists to the big screen in select markets.

Gaming

• Nintendo and mobile games company DeNA are forming a joint venture company called Nintendo Systems that will aim to “strengthen the digitization of Nintendo’s business” and create “value-added services to further reinforce Nintendo’s relationship with customers,” Nintendo said. The two have worked together on a handful of titles, including Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Mario Kart Tour, Miitomo and Pokémon Masters.
• Netflix is bringing back the “Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales” game with new gameplay based on the content from Season 4 of the show. The app was originally released in 2021 but was removed from the App Store and Play Store in August after Netflix acquired the game’s publisher for $72 million.

Dating

• Motto, a new app for gay and queer hookups and casual dating, hailing from Grindr founder Joel Simkhai and Alex Hostetler, launched in New York City.

Travel & Transportation

• Airbnb said it will refine its search to show users’ charges inclusive of fees — like cleaning fees. The company will roll out this feature through a toggle next month and will also prioritize the total charges for your trip in search instead of the nightly price. The move comes as Airbnb customers are growing increasingly angry about hosts’ excessive cleaning fees, particularly when they’re being asked to do much of the cleaning themselves. But the company doesn’t have a policy on what hosts can ask — just a suggestion for them to be reasonable.

Security & Privacy

• New research indicates Apple is collecting data about iPhone app usage even when users set the iPhone Analytics setting to off. When off, the message says it will “disable the sharing of Device Analytics altogether.” However, two app developers and security researchers found that the setting had no impact on Apple’s own data collection in its apps — including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Book and Stocks. In fact, the App Store was collecting data about everything users did like what you tapped on, searched for, the ads you saw, how long you looked at an app and more.
• Western security advisors are warning delegates to the COP27 climate summit not to download Egypt’s climate summit Android app, which they say could be used to spy on emails, texts and voice conversations, according to Politico.

Funding and M&A

Paris-based photo-editing app PhotoRoom raised $19 million in Series A funding led by Balderton Capital for its app that allows users to quickly remove the background from photos of objects so e-commerce listings look more professional. The app has 7 million MAUs and plans to add generative AI.

Mem, an app that uses AI to organize notes, raised $23.5 million in funding led by the OpenAI Startup Fund, valuing the startup at $110 million. The app’s workflow revolves around search and a chronological timeline, and lets users attach topic tags, tag other users and add recurring reminders to notes. Mem is available across desktop and mobile, and has raised $29 million to date.

Seattle-based BrightCanary raised $4 million in seed funding led by Trilogy Equity Partners for its app that helps parents track their children’s activity on services like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Travel app Hopper raised $96 million in follow-on investment from Capital One, bringing the company’s total raise to $740 million. Capital One led Hopper’s Series F and will now work with the company to create new travel products aimed at Capital One customers.

Game engine maker Unity and adtech company ironSource completed their merger in a $4.4 billion all-stock deal. Unity’s stock is down around 75% and ironSource’s stock is down ~50% year-to-date. Both Unity and ironSource were impacted by Apple’s ATT and believed pooling their resources could help them address their declines. Unity earlier rejected an offer by AppLovin.

African super app Yassir raised $150 million in Series B funding for its platform offering ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, and payments. The funding was led by Mary Meeker’s Bond. Yassir has raised $193.25 million since its 2017 founding.

Car rental app Kyte raised $60 million in Series B funding, led by InterAlpen Partners. The company now has access to a few thousand cars across 14 cities and is looking to expand. The startup to date has raised $300 million in both equity and debt.

Downloads

Pineapple

Image Credits: Pineapple

TechCrunch’s Aisha Malik this week reviewed the launch of Pineapple, a new iOS app that aims to offer Gen Z users a new professional networking platform that relies on visual stories. The app allows users to create profiles that are a cross between LinkedIn and Instagram and showcase the user’s experience, projects and more using visuals. Users can also join Communities to connect with other members around topics and engage in thread conversations called “Jams.”

Pineapple feels TikTok-inspired with a main For You type of page where users keep up with their connections. The app has raised $1.1 million in a pre-seed round, which included investors like F7 Ventures, 500 Global,  Bradley Horowitz (VP of product at Google) and Julie Zhou (former VP of design at Facebook).

Apple’s Freeform

Image Credits: Apple

Though not yet launched to the public, Apple’s new whiteboarding app, Freefrom, is now available in the iOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1 betas. TechCrunch’s Ivan Mehta took the app for a spin this week, testing out its ability to use multiple media formats — like text, images, videos, notes, docs and more — all in one space and collaborate with others. The app may not replace professional tools like Figma, but could be useful for everyday design tasks, including things like event planning, home redesigns, journaling, making charts and more.

This Week in Apps: Twitter’s crazy week drives social apps’ growth, Google expands user choice billing by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Google today announced it’s expanding its user choice billing pilot, which allows Android app developers to use other payment systems besides Google’s own. The program will now become available to new markets, including the U.S., Brazil and South Africa, and Bumble will now join Spotify as one of the pilot testers. Google additionally announced Spotify will now begin rolling out its implementation of the program starting this week.

The company had first announced its intention to launch a third-party billing option back in March of this year, with Spotify as the initial tester.

Since then, the program has steadily expanded. Last month, for example, Google invited other non-game developers to apply for the user choice billing program in select markets, including India, Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the European Economic Area (EEA). The company also introduced a similar policy for developers in the EEA region in July, but the new guidelines raised the commission discount from 3% to 4% for developers who opted in. With today’s expansion, user choice billing will be made available to 35 countries worldwide.

Google says it’s been working with Spotify to help develop the experience and now the streaming music service will begin to put the new features into action in supported markets. The experience could still change over time, Google warned, as this is still the early days of the pilot test.

In addition, Bumble has now joined Google to test user choice billing in its own app, with plans to roll out the options to users in select countries in the coming months.

Developers interested in adopting user choice billing have to follow certain UX guidelines set by Google that detail how to implement the feature in their apps. These guidelines currently require developers to display an information screen and a separate billing choice screen. The information screen only has to be shown to each user the first time they initiate a purchase, but the billing choice screen must be shown before every purchase, the rules state. There are other requirements around when and how to display the screens and how the user interface should appear.

With the launch, Spotify users on Android will see a new user interface that allows them to choose how they want to pay for their Spotify subscription (see image below.). For the first time, the two options — Google Play billing and Spotify billing — will appear side-by-side. If the user selects Google Play billing, they’ll be transitioned to the usual experience and will be able to track their subscription in the Google Play Store’s Subscription Center. If the user selects Spotify billing, they’ll then continue within Spotify’s own checkout process and user experience.

This test will become available in a few markets at first, then expand to others over the coming weeks, Spotify says.

Image Credits: Spotify

“Spotify has been publicly advocating for platform fairness and expanded payment options for years. We believe that fair and open platforms enable better, frictionless consumer experiences that also empower developers to imagine, innovate, and thrive,” a Spotify blog post stated.

While the general terms offer a 4% reduction in commissions paid to Google when user choice billing is used, Spotify wouldn’t comment on its confidential deal with Google, but notes it meets the company’s standards of fairness. It’s unclear if the streamer has been offered more favorable terms as an early adopter.

These changes follow a period when the major app stores from Apple and Google have been under pressure from lawmakers and regulators in global markets to open up their app ecosystems. This includes pressure to give developers the ability to use third-party payment systems and allow developers to inform customers of other ways to pay, among other things.

In addition, some developers have taken to suing the app giants directly. In the U.S., for instance, Fortnite maker Epic Games sued both Apple and Google for their alleged monopolistic practices due to their restrictions around in-app payments and for the right to distribute apps and games directly to end users outside the official app stores. Dating app giant Match is suing Google as well. (Which makes Google’s choice to invite Bumble into the program that much more interesting!)

Other companies have been lobbying lawmakers for more app store openness, too, through organizations like the Coalition for App Fairness, which includes big-name developers like Epic Games, Spotify, Tile and others, including indie developers.

Google and Apple are also under investigation in various markets, with the Justice Department in the early stages of filing an antitrust suit against Apple and EU antitrust officials investigating the Play Store.

In a blog post, Google says the goal of its pilot is to “understand complexities involved in supporting user choice billing for developers and users in countries across the world while maintaining a safe and positive user experience.” The company has yet to say when it expects the pilot test to wrap.

Google Play to pilot third-party billing in new markets, including U.S.; Bumble joins Spotify as early tester by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Google today announced it’s making several changes to the Google Play Store that will impact Android apps’ discoverability, how developers can market their apps to consumers, and various trust and safety concerns. Most importantly, Google is now advising developers that the Play Store will begin to prioritize apps that deliver on both technical and in-app quality by promoting them in more places across the Play Store where they can be discovered by consumers.

The changes hint at Google’s intent to take a more editorial eye as to how apps are featured and distributed on the Play Store. That’s an area that’s typically been a heavier focus for Apple in prior years — especially following its own App Store revamp in 2017, which saw it separating games and apps into their own tabs and the introduction of editorial content, including articles and tips, on the store’s main page.

The Play Store isn’t going quite that far, however. Instead, Google says it will now begin to steer consumers away from lower-quality apps by changing how it determines which apps will be made more visible on the platform.

Specifically, it’s implementing new quality thresholds that will exclude apps that exceed certain crash rates and “app not responsive” (ANR) rates, both on an overall and per-phone model basis. Google says the apps that don’t meet these thresholds will be excluded from some areas of the Play Store, including recommendations, while others may even include a warning on their store listing to set appropriate user expectations.

Image Credits: Google

Beyond technical quality, Play Store editors will also look at a range of factors, like whether or not the app or game has a polished design, if the content keeps users engaged, if the onboarding process is clear, if the ads are well-integrated, if the app is accessible, and if the navigation, controls and menus are easy to use, among other things. They’ll also check to see if the app meets Android’s quality guidelines and best practices, detailed on the Android Developers website.  

In addition, the company will roll out to developers new promotional content formats and a new type of Custom Store Listing designed to help place apps in front of more users.

In the case of the former, developers will be able to leverage LiveOps — the special merchandising units for promoting apps on the Play Store. Today, these are used to promote discounts and offers, major app updates, in-app events, pre-registration announcements, and more. Apple has a similar feature, launched last year. The sorts of marketing units give app stores a more real-time feel as they can market on reasons to download and launch apps now, instead of just serving as a general promotion.

Image Credits: Google

Google notes that developers using LiveOps have seen a 3.6% increase in revenue and 5.1% increase in 28-day daily active users versus similar titles that don’t take advantage of the offering. Now, it will rename LiveOps to “Promotional Content” to reflect longer-term plans to expand the feature to support new content types — including those which will see the promotional units appearing more deeply integrated within the Play Store across users’ homepages, in search and discovery areas, in title listings, and directly in apps via deeplinks.

Developers will also soon be able to create a new type of listing that will allow them to specifically target churned users (people who tried the app or game, then abandoned it). This “Churned-user Custom Store Listings” format, which will roll out closer to year-end, will be able to display a specific message designed to re-acquire prior users.

Two other changes are focused on app safety and protecting developers — and the consumers downloading their apps — from coordinated attacks.

Google will update the Play Integrity API, which helps protect against risky and fraudulent traffic, with more features. Developers will be able to customize API responses, set up tests in the Play Console, and use new reporting to analyze their API responses. They’ll also be able to debug API responses from the Play Store app’s developer settings on any device.

Plus, Google says it’s launching a new program designed to address coordinated attacks on app ratings and reviews. The company didn’t offer much information on how this program would work, but it would give developers a way to fight back if their app was being unfairly targeted with fake reviews either by users or their competitors, presumably. This is an area of concern that recently made the news, in fact, when a top-ranked new social app, Gas, suddenly became the target of a hoax that claimed it was being used for human trafficking, leading users to delete their accounts.

The changes follow earlier updates to the Play Store designed to help consumers better discover non-smartphone apps that run on their smartwatches, TV, or tablets. Earlier this year, Google also warned developers it would hide and block downloads for outdated apps. Google alerted developers they must now, as of Nov. 1, 2022, target API level 30 (Android 11) or above if they want their app to be discoverable on the play Store by new users running newer versions of the Android OS.

Google Play revamp to highlight higher-quality apps, offer new promotional capabilities by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Following the recent introduction of parent-controlled watchlists on Google TV and the revamp of its parental control app Family Link, Google today announced it’s also now bringing parental controls to its Google Assistant platform. The new features will roll out over the next several weeks to Google Home, as well as the Family Link and Google Assistant apps on iOS and Android, and will allow parents to limit or even entirely disable certain Assistant functionality, configure kid-friendly settings, adjust downtime, and more.

In addition, the settings will allow parents to configure default services, restrict kids from making calls, and limit what sort of answers they can get from the Assistant. The update will also introduce new kid-friendly features and new voices.

Image Credits: Google

With the new Assistant features, parents will be able to select which music and video providers the child has access to, including YouTube Kids, YouTube, and YouTube Music. This limits them from being able to explore content from other services.

With the parental controls, parents and guardians can specify what features their child can access through Assistant — like whether they can make phone calls on smart speakers, whether they can use  Google Actions, what kind of answers they receive (basic or all, the latter which could contain mature content), whether they can play music or videos, whether videos are filtered, and more. Parents can also choose to shut off access to news and podcasts on their child’s devices if they prefer.

A new feature called Kids Dictionary is being added, as well, in order to offer the option of having Google Assistant provide more age-appropriate answers. When the Assistant detects by way of the voice matching feature that a child is asking a question, it can switch to the Kids Dictionary to respond with easy-to-understand definitions better suited to younger people. This will work across smart speakers, smart displays and mobile devices, Google notes.

In addition, Google Assistant will gain four new kid-friendly voices that speak a little slower and in a more expressive style, designed to enhance the Assistant’s storytelling capabilities and aid in comprehension.

To complement Google’s existing screen time controls for other devices, parents will be able to set up downtime hours for Assistant, too. That way kids couldn’t stay up past their bedtime asking Assistant questions or playing music or games, for instance.

Image Credits: Google

The changes are a part of a broader set of reactions among tech giants in the face of increasing scrutiny by regulators and lawmakers over how their tech products are used by children, how they do or do not protect children’s privacy, what sort of data is collected and how it’s used. In light of these developments, Google last year introduced increased protections for minors on its platforms, including Search, YouTube, and other apps.

More recently, however, Google’s focus has been on empowering parents to adjust specific settings across select Google services to offer further protections that are more customized to their own family’s needs. This month, for example, the company redesigned its main parental controls app, Family Link, which now allows parents to configure geofences with alerts and make one-off adjustments to screen time without changing their normal schedule, among other things. The company also introduced new parent-controlled watchlists to its TV platform, Google TV, as well as A.I.-suggestions for kids.

The new Assistant features can be changed in the supported apps or with voice commands, like “Hey Google, open Assistant settings” or “Hey Google, change your voice.” They’ll become more broadly available in the weeks ahead.

Google Assistant gains new parental controls, kid-friendly answers and voices by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.

Global app spending reached $65 billion in the first half of 2022, up only slightly from the $64.4 billion during the same period in 2021, as hypergrowth fueled by the pandemic has slowed down. But overall, the app economy is continuing to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports. Global spending across iOS and Google Play last year was $133 billion, and consumers downloaded 143.6 billion apps.

This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more.

Do you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsletters.

Top Stories

Musk buys Twitter

It’s official, Elon Musk now owns Twitter. In typical Musk fashion, the transition has been nothing but chaotic, with the deal closing just ahead of the deadline set by the Delaware Chancery Court — the court where Musk was planning to try to exit the deal by claiming Twitter had misled him about the number of bots on the platform. (He was really looking to get the price down, of course!) In any event, the Telsa and SpaceX exec now has a new toy and everyone is waiting to see what comes next. Earlier, Musk had hinted at layoffs, then later retracted his statements, saying he wouldn’t fire 75% after all. However, he did immediately clear out the C-suite, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, General Counsel Sean Edgett and Head of Legal, Trust and Safety Vijaya Gadde — a sign that he’s planning to fill out Twitter’s top ranks with execs who will do his own bidding and not fight for the Twitter of days past.

Still, Musk’s talk about a Twitter that’s more permissive of “free speech” doesn’t quite align with his message to advertisers posted shortly after the deal’s close: He promised marketers that Twitter can’t turn into a “free-for-all hellscape.” That’s clearly a tacit acknowledgment on Musk’s part that advertisers don’t want to post their content next to hate speech-filled tweets. And despite Musk’s plans to grow Twitter’s subscription business, around 90% of Twitter’s revenue today comes from advertising. Given what he had to pay to own Twitter, Musk probably doesn’t want to have to pay to keep it running, too.

App Store Review Guidelines now give Apple a cut of NFTs, in-app advertising

Image Credits: TechCrunch

Along with the launch of iOS 16.1, Apple also introduced new App Store Review Guidelines. Among the major changes were two new rules designed to give Apple a bigger slice of the NFT market and Meta’s core advertising business.

The company said apps will be allowed to list, mint, transfer and let users view their own NFTs, but clarified that owning an NFT could not be a shortcut to unlocking any more features in an app. In other words, the ownership of an NFT shouldn’t be a way to route around Apple’s in-app purchases. In addition, Apple said NFT apps can’t display external links or other calls-to-action to purchase NFTs — that can only take place through Apple’s own in-app purchases system, as well.

This change is not all that surprising. As the web3 market grows, Apple wanted to find a way to stake its claim on the revenue and transactions that are occuring inside these new apps. Plus, it’s a better consumer experience for NFT marketplace apps to not just function as a showcase for users’ purchases, but as a place where users can actually transact.

The other big rule adjustment, however, is a bit more startling. In a bold move, Apple essentially said it deserves a cut of Meta’s ads business as well as any other social app. The new rule around social media apps now states that purchases of “boosts” have to flow through Apple’s in-app purchase system.

This could impact any app that sells the ability to boost a post to a wider audience, like Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, Twitter, dating apps and others. Meta, of course, took significant issue with this change, saying that Apple’s policy undercuts others in the digital economy after Apple had previously said it wouldn’t take a share of developer ad revenue. While Meta isn’t exactly a sympathetic player here, it’s concerning that Apple has decided it can now tax advertising inside iOS apps at the same time it runs its own expanding ads business. That seems like a move regulators will need to look into asap.

App Store gambling ads backlash

Speaking of Apple’s ads business…The company’s App Store ads platform expanded this week to include new ad slots like the main Today tab and a “You Might Also Like” section at the bottom of individual app listings. The slots are available in all countries as of October 25, except China. The ads have a blue background and an “Ad” label to differentiate them from other listings.

Developers, however, were immediately disturbed by the instant deluge of gambling ads that appeared marketed alongside their own, including against kids’ applications and, in at least one case, a gambling addiction recovery app. This was a poor look for Apple. After all, the gambling category itself is already controversial — many developers would rather not share an app marketplace with these often predatory apps in the first place, much less have them advertised alongside their own.

Apple at least moved quickly to respond to the backlash by “pausing” gambling ads and a few other categories on App Store product pages, but the company didn’t say how long this pause would last or what it planned to do about the situation in the long term.

Spotify accuses Apple of anti-competitive behavior, this time around audiobooks

Just ahead of its Q3 earnings, Spotify published a blog post that again accused Apple of anti-competitive behavior with regard to its launch of audiobooks in the U.S. On an accompanying website, Spotify noted that its app update to include the audiobook expansion was rejected three times without “clear direction” as to what needed to be changed to come into compliance. The site details Spotify’s criticisms of Apple’s platform, explaining how Apple requires audiobook purchases to use Apple’s own in-app purchases — or, if selling elsewhere, prevents Spotify from telling users why, where or how to make those purchases outside of iOS.

Because Spotify wants to avoid the 30% IAP commission, it doesn’t let users buy audiobooks in its app. Instead, users select the book they want to purchase and are emailed a link that points to a website where they can complete the transaction.

“The Audiobooks purchase flow that Apple’s rules force us to provide consumers today is far too complicated and confusing — confusing because they change the rules arbitrarily, making them impossible to interpret,” Spotify’s blog post stated.

The company has regularly battled with Apple over its App Store policies but is sometimes seen as an unsympathetic victim due to its size, revenues and its role in moving the music industry to streaming, which artists say doesn’t pay.

Weekly News

Platforms: Apple

Image Credits: TechCrunch

• Apple released iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, macOS Ventura and watchOS 9.1. The updated software delivers new features like iCloud Shared Photo Library, Continuity Camera, Stage Manager for the Mac and iPad, Live Activities, Apple Fitness+ for iPhone and more.
• Apple expanded its App Store ads platform to include the main Today tab and a “You Might Also Like” section at the bottom of individual app listings in all countries on October 25, except China. The ads have a blue background and an “Ad” label to differentiate them from other listings.
• SKAdNetwork 4.0, which lets advertisers measure ads’ success, became available in iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1 this week.
• Apple also released the first betas of macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS 16.2, and iPadOS 16.2 which included the new Freeform app, announced at WWDC. The app is a whiteboard app that lets you create sketches notes, files, documents and more, which can be accessed across devices.
• Apple reported its Q4 earnings with iPhone revenue up 9.67% YoY to $42.63 billion, Mac up 25.4% to $11.51 billion, but iPad revenue down 13.06% to $7.17 billion. Wall Street was expecting iPhone revenue of $43.21 billion, sending the stock down in late trading. Other products were $9.65 billion (up 9.95%) and the Services division, which includes the App Store, was up 4.98%.

Platforms: Google

• Google filed a brief opposing Epic and Match’s recent motion to amend and expand their antitrust claims in the ongoing antitrust lawsuit against the Android maker. In it, Google disputes that its incentive program for developers to publish to the Play Store would prohibit developers from creating competing app stores, as alleged. It also noted the motion from Epic and Match comes too late, after the December 3, 2021 amendment deadline.
• Google hosted its Android Developer Summit where it announced the first stable release of Compose Material 3, the library that allows developers to build Jetpack Compose UIs with Material Design 3.
• The company also announced updates across three main areas of Jetpack: architecture libraries and guidance, application performance and user interface libraries and guidance. It noted that 90% of the top 1,000 apps use Android Jetpack.
• Google introduced a Gradle Bill of Materials (BOM) specifying the stable version of each Compose library. The first BOM release, Compose October 22, contains Material Design 3 components, lazy staggered grids, variable fonts, pull to refresh, snapping in lazy lists, draw text in canvas, URL annotations in text, hyphenation and LookAheadLayout. And it launched the first alpha of Compose for Android TV.
• Android Studio got updates, too, including updated templates for Wear OS. And Google launched a stable Android R emulator system image for Wear OS.

E-commerce & Food Delivery

• The FTC sanctioned Uber-owned Drizly, an alcohol delivery service, and its CEO Jason Rellas for data security abuses that saw the personal information of the company’s 2.5 million customers exposed. Drizly will have to implement a security program, destroy unnecessary data, implement new security controls and train employees and cybersecurity.
• Amazon began letting select U.S. customers pay with Venmo on its website and in its mobile app, with plans to roll out the support to all U.S. customers by Black Friday.

Blockchain

• Twitter began testing a blockchain-agnostic tool that allows users to display their NFTs in tweets in partnership with Dapper Labs, Magic Eden, Rarible and Jump.trade. The feature is only available to select users at this time.

Fintech

• PayPal added support for Apple Passkeys on iOS, iPadOS and macOS, with more platforms to come. Passkeys are a new industry standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium — in partnership with Apple, Google and Microsoft — that are designed to replace passwords.

Social

• New analysis indicates India’s homegrown TikTok clones, like Moj and Josh, haven’t been able to replicate TikTok’s success in the country following its ban, leaving Instagram and YouTube to take over the short-form video market locally.
• Meta added Reels to Facebook Groups, noting that most Facebook users are members of at least 15 active groups and that there are 100 million-plus group joins every day.
• Snap reported its slowest quarterly revenue growth ever in the third quarter. The social app maker missed analyst expectations with $1.13 billion in revenue, versus $1.14 billion expected, leading the stock to drop from $11 to $8 in late trading on the day of the earnings announcement. DAUs, however, were up 19% YoY (up 53 million) to 363 million in Q3. The company said it also plans to close its San Francisco office, which was only lightly used due to remote work policies.
• The Snapchat app rolled out Director Mode, a feature offering TikTok-like tools including a green screen, quick edit and camera speed features, as well as a BeReal-like dual camera mode.
• Pinterest reported its Q3 revenue was up 8% YoY to $684.6 million, above estimates of $666.7 million. However, global MAUs remained flat YoY at 445 million, above estimates of 437.4 million. The stock jumped 11% on the news.
• Meta announced its Q3 earnings with revenue down 4% YoY to $27.7 billion, net income down 52% YoY to $4.4 billion, DAUs across its apps up 4% YoY to 2.93 billion. The stock dropped 25% on the revenue decline as investors voiced concerns about how much Meta is spending on its metaverse ambitions.

Dating

Image Credits: Bumble

• Bumble open sourced its AI, Private Detector, which the app uses to detect unsolicited nude images. (Get it?) The app gives the user the choice as to whether or not to open the image when a potentially lewd photo is detected. Now other apps can access the same technology.
• Match-owned dating app Hinge will add a profile verification feature in November that will ask users to take a video selfie in the app as part of a crackdown on scammers.

Messaging

• Telegram said it plans to auction usernames via the TON blockchain, a move inspired by an auction for wallet usernames that saw some selling for as high as $200,000. Founder Pavel Durov suggested other elements of the Telegram ecosystem could become a part of this marketplace in the future, including channels, stickers or emoji.
• Apple’s communication platforms, iMessage and FaceTime, went down on Tuesday afternoon, following an earlier more than two-hour outage from WhatsApp, making it a pretty bad day for trying to text and call.
• WhatsApp now has 2+ billion DAUs, Meta announced during its Q3 earnings.

Streaming & Entertainment

Image Credits: Apple

• Apple raised prices for Apple Music, Apple TV+ and its Apple One bundle in the U.S. Apple TV+, which is getting its first price hike, will increase by $2 monthly and $10 annually. Subscribers will be charged $6.99 per month or $69 per year. Apple Music is getting a price increase of $1 for individual subscribers and $2 for families. The individual plan will now be $10.99 per month and the family plan will be $16.99 per month. And the Apple One bundle will cost $16.95/month, $22.95/month and $32.95/month, respectively, for the individual plan, family plan and Premier plan.
• YouTube is raising the rates for its Premium Subscription for families across several countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada and Argentina, effective November 21. In the U.S., the price is going up from $17.99 to $22.99. The plan allows up to five family members to watch ad-free videos, download videos for offline access and play videos in the background.
• Deezer also bumped its monthly premium price to $10.99 in the U.S.
• Given the competitors’ increases, Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek noted on the earnings call that the company is considering a price hike as well. Spotify’s revenue in Q3 was up 21% YoY to €3.04 billion, MAUs were up 20% YoY to 456 million, and Premium subscriptions were up 13% YoY to 195 million. But Spotify’s stock dropped 6% after earnings due to a miss on advertising growth.
• YouTube’s mobile app on iOS and Android got a makeover that includes a new look, precise seeking, new buttons, ambient mode, darker dark mode and a “pinch to zoom” feature to see more details in a video. Later, the company rolled out an update across platforms that separated long-form, Shorts and Live videos into their own tabs on channel pages.

Gaming

• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that more than 20 million people have now streamed games through Xbox Cloud Gaming, up from 10 million in April 2022. The gaming subscription service allows consumers to stream games to their phone via a web browser. This year, Microsoft brought the popular game Fortnite to the platform.
• TikTok is expanding further into games, according to the FT, which said the app would add a dedicated gaming tab by November 2, which would feature ad-supported mobile games and in-app purchases.

Government & Policy

• The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority said it plans to investigate Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta’s moves into retail financial services over competition and consumer harm concerns, the FT reported.
• Turkey’s competition authority fined Meta 346.72 million lira ($18.6 million) for combining user data across Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
• India’s antitrust watchdog, the Competition Commission of India, fined Google $113 million for abusing the dominant position of its Google Play Store. It ordered the company to let app developers use third-party payments for in-app purchases or for purchasing apps and to drop any anti-steering guidelines. Google has three months to comply.

Security & Privacy

• Square parent company Block was reported to be selling access to customers’ email addresses used to receive receipts. While not illegal, privacy experts argue this means of selling marketing information is “walking a fine line,” per Protocol’s report.
• Apple patched a bug in iOS 16.1 and macOS Ventura that could have allowed apps with Bluetooth access to record users’ conversations with Siri without requiring microphone access.
• TechCrunch’s Zack Whittaker offered an inside look into TheTruthSpy, the stalkerware operation that’s spying on thousands of people worldwide, including in the U.S., via Android apps planted by someone with physical access to a person’s device. Leaked data from the operation includes call logs, texts, location data and other personal info.

Funding and M&A

Free banking app Crowded raised $6 million in seed funding led by Garage, with participation from Deel co-founder Philippe Bouaziz, Innoventure Partners’ Michael Marks and a group of former bank executives. The app targets member-based nonprofits, like fraternities, sororities and booster clubs.

Onward, an app designed to help co-parents navigate and managed their shared expenses, raised $9.7 million in Series A funding led by Atlanta-based TTV Capital.

Joro, an app that helps people track and reduce their carbon footprints, raised a $10 million Series A led by existing investors Sequoia Capital and Amasia. Also participating were Norrsken, Nest co-founder Matt Rogers’ Incite, Jay-Z’s Arrive and Mike Einziger, the lead guitarist of Incubus.

Downloads

Duolingo Math

Image Credits: Duolingo

Language-learning company Duolingo officially launched its math app to the public this week, following beta trials. The app represents the first expansion beyond language learning and literacy for the company. The app allows users to choose between an elementary version that focuses on basic concepts like multiplication and division and an adult version that’s more optimized for “brain training” exercises that put skills into practice. A future version may even expand into higher-level math, like linear algebra or college-level math. The app is remaining free to use for the time being.

Pixel Pals

Apollo developer Christian Selig thought he’d have a little fun with the new iOS 16 feature, Dynamic Island, so he added a feature to his popular Reddit client called “Pixel Pals” that let users collect and care for small, animated pets that run atop the black bar at the top of the screen. The feature took off as people adopted their pixelated pets, fed them and played with them to earn their love.

Taking a cue from users’ interest, Selig launched a standalone app for Pixel Pals, which now allows pet owners to do more with their animated friends, including pinning them to the Home Screen as transparent widgets, adding them to the Lock Screen as animated widgets and enjoying them through iOS 16’s Live Activities, among other things. If anything, the app works to demonstrate iOS 16’s new features in a clever and entertaining way. Users seem to enjoy the new experience, too — as Selig noted this week, the app hit the top 3 in the Graphics & Design category on the App Store.

This Week in Apps: Elon buys Twitter, new App Store rules, gambling ads backlash by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch