Instagram and Facebook Ads ‘Apple Tax’

Apple Tax For Facebook

Meta has announced that it will be passing on Apple’s 30 per cent service charge (often referred to as the “Apple tax”) to advertisers who pay to boost posts on Facebook and Instagram through the iOS app.   This move is a response to Apple’s in-app purchase fees, which apply to digital transactions within apps available on the…

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Stolen Device Protection Update Rolled Out

Stolen Iphone

Apple iPhone users are being urged to use a new feature called ‘Stolen Device Protection’ which was rolled out in a recent update to iOS.  As the new feature’s name suggests, it can help prevent someone who has stolen your device and knows your passcode from making critical changes to your account or device. It…

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Apple Tests Contingent Pricing To Retain Developers

Apple-Contingent-Pricing

To keep its App Store appealing to developers after they gain the right to distribute apps through their own channels when the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) comes into force, Apple is introducing a pilot test of “contingent pricing.”  This means that developers can bundle subscriptions for two apps at a discounted price in the…

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Apple Makes EU Concessions To Avoid Antitrust Fine

Apple Antitrust

It’s been reported that The European Commission is now seeking feedback from Apple’s rivals and customers over concessions agreed by Apple relating to its tap-and-go mobile payment systems, based on the independent technology called Near-Field Communication (NFC).  Following an antitrust investigation and the threat of a fine, Apple had agreed to open up these systems…

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Apple To Allow Sideloaded EU App Stores

Sideloading iPhones

In compliance with the regulations in the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), and following the iOS 17.2 update, it’s been reported that Apple will soon be allowing iOS users to sideload app stores in the EU. This means that iOS users will be able to download and install apps from sources other than its official…

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Apple Pays After Throttling iPhones Settlement 

Apple Pays After Throttling iPhones Settlement

Following a US case dating back to 2017 which led to Apple admitting that it has deliberately slowed down some older models of iPhones (throttling), a settlement for compensation payments to affected iPhone owners has been reached.  After agreeing in 2020 to pay, this settlement of the lawsuit means that each of the 5.5 million…

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Apple Watches Back On Sale In The US After Ban

Apple Watch Back On Sale

The latest version of the Apple Watch has gone back on sale in the US after being removed from sale by the US Government from 26 December 2023. Its removal from sale followed claims by medical technology company Masimo that the watch’s pulse oximetry sensors (used to measure how much oxygen is in the blood)…

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Push Notification Policy Change 

Apple Data Protection

Following U.S. Senator Ron Wyden revealing that governments can secretly force Apple and Google to hand over the contents of push notifications sent to customers’ phones, Apple has said it’s changed its policy and will no longer do so without a valid judge’s order. This will be either a court order or a search warrant.  …

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$4 Jobs Cheque Sells For $46,063

Steve Jobs Cheque

A single 1976 $4.01 cheque from (and signed by) Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has been sold at auction for a whopping $46,063.  The cheque, written just four months after Apple was founded, was written for a purchase at Radio Shack, where co-founder Steve Wozniak famously bought a TRS-80 Micro Computer System.   The components from…

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Police Warnings Over iOS 17’s NameDrop

Police Warnings Over iOS 17’s NameDrop

It’s been reported that iOS 17’s new NameDrop feature has prompted the Police to issue warnings to parents on social media (in the US) about its potential to be abused, possibly posing a risk to their children.  NameDrop, introduced with iOS 17.1 in November allows those with iPhones and Apple Watches running watchOS 10.1 to share their contact information,…

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