New top story from Time: Apple Has Loosened App Store Payment Rules as Part of a Lawsuit Settlement

https://ift.tt/38h7s3j

BERKELEY, Calif. — Apple has agreed to let developers of iPhone apps email their users about cheaper ways to pay for digital subscriptions and media by circumventing a commission system that generates billions of dollars annually for the iPhone maker.

The concession announced late Thursday, which covers emailed notifications but does not allow in-app notifications, is part of a preliminary settlement of a nearly 2-year-old lawsuit filed on behalf of iPhone app developers in the U.S. It also addresses an issue raised by a federal court judge who is expected to soon rule on a separate case brought by Epic Games, maker of the popular video game Fortnite.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Apple announced the news in a “background” briefing with reporters in which it insisted on anonymity for participating executives and would not allow any direct quotations.

Under long-standing Apple rules, makers of iPhone apps were forbidden to email users with information on how to pay for services outside the app, which would circumvent Apple commissions of 15% to 30%.

The concession now opens one way for app developers to more aggressively encourage its users to pay in other ways, so long as the companies obtain consumer consent.

Apple will also set up a $100 million fund to pay thousands of app developers covered in the lawsuit sums ranging from $250 to $30,000. App developers will get more flexibility to set different prices within their apps, expanding the options from about 100 to 500 choices.

The compromise addresses a concern that U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers repeatedly raised while presiding over the high-profile Epic-Apple trial. She openly wondered why Apple couldn’t allow developers to display a range of payment options within their apps, much like brick-and-mortar retailers can show a range of different credit cards they accept in addition to cash.

Apple still isn’t allowing developers to use in-app notifications to prod consumers to explore different payment options.

But just being able to email users to explain why they should pay outside the app is a breakthrough for developers who have complained about Apple’s commissions as a form of price gouging for years.

Richard Czeslawski, one of the app developers that filed the lawsuit Apple is settling, hailed the freedom to email users as a “game changer” in a declaration field with the court in Oakland, California. App developers “will take fill advantage of this change in customer communications as a way to further reduce the commissions paid to Apple,'” predicted Czeslawski, CEO of Pure Sweat Basketball.

Apple already has been tinkering with its app store commission system in response to legal pressure and mounting scrutiny among lawmakers and regulators around the world taking a harder look whether the company ironclad control of the store is stifling competition and innovation.

Earlier this year, Apple lowered its in-app commissions from 30% to 15% for developers with less than $1 million in annual revenue — a move covering most of the apps in its store. As part of the settlement announced Thursday, Apple is guaranteeing the lower commission for small developers will be extended for at least three more years.

But the lower commissions don’t help the largest app makers like Epic and Spotify, which are the leaders in a coalition trying to topple Apple’s so-called walled garden that prevents outsiders from offering other options. Apple maintains it prevents alternative stores from offering apps on its iPhone to protect its own customers’ security and privacy while its critics contend the company is simply trying to protect a cash cow that that generates billions of dollars in profit annually.

Those tensions are likely to come to a boil when Gonzalez Rogers issues her ruling in the Epic case.

Gonzalez Rogers will also approve or disapprove the proposed settlement announced Thursday. A hearing on that is scheduled Oct. 12.

Comments

New top story from Time: Hongkongers Line Up to Buy Last Edition of Pro-Democracy Apple Daily Newspaper

https://ift.tt/3vYZQfu (HONG KONG) — Across Hong Kong, people lined up early Thursday to buy the last print edition of the last remaining pro-democracy newspaper. By 8:30 a.m., Apple Daily’s final edition of 1 million copies was sold out across most of the city’s newsstands. The newspaper said it would cease operations after police froze $2.3 million in assets, searched its office and arrested five top editors and executives last week, accusing them of foreign collusion to endanger national security — another sign Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city. In recent years, the newspaper has become increasingly outspoken, criticizing Chinese and Hong Kong authorities for limiting the city’s freedoms not found in mainland China and accusing them of reneging on a promise to protect them for 50 years after the 1997 handover from Britain. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The pressure on the paper — and Hong Kong’s civil liberties — increased after authorities r...

Creating a Better Market Street: Car-free Enforcement to Resume

Creating a Better Market Street: Car-free Enforcement to Resume By Mariana Maguire It’s been over a year since Market Street went “car-free” on January 29, 2020 , but shortly afterwards, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down our city and changed how people move through San Francisco. As the city begins to reopen and vehicle traffic is increasing, we are by stepping up compliance and enforcement efforts to keep Market Street car-free starting March 29, with the help of SFMTA’s Parking Control Officers (PCOs) and the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). Under the year-old car-free rules established as a part of Better Market Street , no private vehicles are allowed to travel along Market Street eastbound from 10th to Main streets or westbound from Steuart Street to Van Ness Avenue. Traffic is still allowed to cross Market Street, but there are no turns allowed onto the street in the car-free area. These restrictions apply to all private vehicles, including Uber, ...

New top story from Time: Simone Biles Is Already the Best Gymnast Ever. She’ll Be Even Better for Tokyo

https://ift.tt/3qlhBnM When you’ve won seven national championships, 19 world titles, five Olympic medals ( four of them gold ), and your leotards are already decorated with a rhinestone goat (a nod to Greatest of All Time status), is there anything left to prove? For most people, the answer is no. But Simone Biles is not like most people, or even most Olympians. The 4 ft. 8 in. 24-year-old from Spring, Texas, is not only the most dominant gymnast of her time—she is likely the greatest in history. With an unmatched blend of skill, power and daring—and more than a splash of charisma—Biles has won every all-around national, world and Olympic competition she has entered since 2013. Her record haul of 25 World Championship medals is five more than that of her closest rival—who retired in 2004. Biles has four gymnastics skills named after her, an honor reserved for the first competitor to execute a new move in a major international competition. And she has a fifth that she is lik...

New top story from Time: The Pandemic Caused the Biggest Decline in U.S. Life Expectancy since World War 2. Black and Hispanic Americans Have Suffered the Most

https://ift.tt/3j8iYEM Although James Toussaint has never had COVID-19, the pandemic is taking a profound toll on his health. First, the 57-year-old lost his job delivering parts for a New Orleans auto dealership in spring 2020, when the local economy shut down. Then, he fell behind on his rent. Last month, Toussaint was forced out of his apartment when his landlord—who refused to accept federally funded rental assistance —found a loophole in the federal ban on evictions. Toussaint has recently had trouble controlling his blood pressure. Arthritis in his back and knees prevents him from lifting more than 20 pounds, a huge obstacle for a manual laborer. He worries about what will happen when his unemployment benefits from the federal government run out, which could come as early as July 31 . “I’ve been homeless before,” says Toussaint, who found a room to rent nearby after his eviction. “I don’t want to be homeless again.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] With coronavirus ...

FOX NEWS: Firefighter helps veteran suffering from PTSD episode on airplane Firefighters don’t just fight fire.

Firefighter helps veteran suffering from PTSD episode on airplane Firefighters don’t just fight fire. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3ddRzO9

FOX NEWS: Rattlesnake bites 5-year-old girl multiple times in dad's backyard, revealing previously unknown allergy Education is the best way to prepare for emergencies.

Rattlesnake bites 5-year-old girl multiple times in dad's backyard, revealing previously unknown allergy Education is the best way to prepare for emergencies. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3vOQO4j

Delhi's air quality hits 'very poor' level first time this season https://ift.tt/2IqcAsn

The national capital's air quality was in the “very poor” category on Tuesday morning, the first time this season, with calm winds and low temperatures allowing the accumulation of pollutants. According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, an increase in farm fires in Punjab, Haryana and neighbouring regions of Pakistan is also going to impact the air quality in Delhi-NCR.

FOX NEWS: Texas nurse loses 109 pounds while she cared for coronavirus patients Megan Hill, 35, from Fort Worth, Texas, lost 109 pounds despite the stress of the coronavirus pandemic and the end of her marriage.

Texas nurse loses 109 pounds while she cared for coronavirus patients Megan Hill, 35, from Fort Worth, Texas, lost 109 pounds despite the stress of the coronavirus pandemic and the end of her marriage. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/35SQG9s

New top story from Time: What’s the Song of the Summer for 2021? Here Are Our Predictions

https://ift.tt/3xM71ZI It’s officially summer—and a weird one at that. While many Americans are enjoying a return to big group gatherings (weddings! Block parties! Live music!), others are still hesitant to jump back in with the specter of COVID-19 not fully in the rearview. Through this uneasy reentry weaves our summer soundscape: the teen angst of Olivia Rodrigo , the lazy sweetness of Justin Bieber and “Peaches,” the disco and soul vibes of Dua Lipa and Silk Sonic. Here’s how we think the annual song of the summer debate could—and should—play out as these hot months unfold. What do the charts say? [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Raisa Bruner: It depends what chart you look at, of course, but Olivia Rodrigo’s pop-punk hit “Good 4 U” was sitting pretty on both Spotify’s global charts and and Billboard’s Hot 100 as the respective number one and number two in mid-June, making that anthemic send-off song a bona fide summer hit. After that, it gets a little more complicated...

A Look Back at Muni's Original Headquarters

A Look Back at Muni's Original Headquarters By Jeremy Menzies Located on the corner of Geary Boulevard and Presidio Avenue is a historically significant yet frequently overlooked public transit facility. Known today as Presidio Division, this massive building was home to Muni's headquarters for nearly 100 years. Here’s a quick look back through time at the history of this 109-year-old property. In-progress construction of Muni’s headquarters in October 1912, two months prior to the opening of the city’s publicly owned streetcar line in December. This photo was taken from Calvary Cemetery, the present-day location of a shopping center. Constructed in 1912 and known then as “Geary Car House”, this building was the operations hub of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, the nation’s first publicly owned transit agency in a major US city. Built on bedrock from reinforced concrete, the original building had a shops and storage garages for streetcar operations, a three-story ...

My precise view

Search This Blog