Google has been accused of playing favorites in treating Android app developers. The Verge reports that a recently unsealed consumer lawsuit against Google is being offered the company to make a “significantly reduced” cut in revenue from Netflix’s Play Store in an attempt to quell “the streaming giant’s displeasure.” Netflix, Spotify, and Tinder all reportedly … Read more
Apple has agreed to change several rules for its app store as part of a settlement with developers who filed a class action lawsuit against the company. The main change is that Apple is “making it clear” that developers can send emails to users “using payment methods outside of their iOS app.” The company has … Read more
Whether you are an Android or iOS user, there is a good chance that you will check out user reviews and ratings before deciding to download an app to your device. Hoping to make this more useful for everyone, Google is planning two optimizations to the Play Store. Starting in November, the ratings displayed will … Read more
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. The app industry continues to grow, with a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also spent 3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android devices alone. … Read more
Of all aspects of normalcy that Americans missed during the Covid-19 pandemic, physical contact was a common theme. The touch associated with browsing a record store is no exception – clicking a download button can’t feel like entering a store with fellow music fans, flipping through album art, and getting a new disc in hand … Read more
Fakespot, an app that analyzes Amazon reviews to determine which are fake, is no longer available for iOS. Amazon successfully convinced Apple to remove it from the App Store after the company raised concerns that the application was providing misleading information and creating potential security vulnerabilities. The e-commerce giant has confirmed to Engadget that it … Read more
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. The app industry continues to grow, with a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also spent 3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android devices … Read more
Amazon’s new Amazon Fresh Store in the Seattle area features the company’s Just Walk Out technology that eliminates the need for cashiers. (Amazon photo) Amazon’s newest physical grocery store, opening this week in the Seattle area, is unique in that it will feature the company’s Just Walk Out cash-free technology. It is the first time … Read more
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said in the latest Epic study that the App Store would be a “toxic mess” without the company’s rigorous review process. However, its approval process apparently still allowed a significant number of bad apps through. Of the 1,000 top-selling apps in the store, nearly two percent were some form of … Read more
The Amazon Go grocery store in Redmond, Washington is closing. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper) The news: According to GeekWire, Amazon is renaming its Amazon Go Grocery brand to “Amazon Fresh” and is closing its Amazon Go Grocery store in Redmond, Washington, near Microsoft headquarters. The other Amazon Go grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill … Read more