Tech Giants Feud
Microsoft claims App Store’s 30% fee “makes it impossible” to monetise its cloud gaming service
"The 30% fee imposed by Apple on IAPs is the result of a lack of competition in the distribution of native iOS apps"
Company Profile
Apple
Website
www.apple.com
About
Best known for its hardware products, including the Macintosh line of personal computers, the iPod line of portable media players, and the iPhone. Apple's software products include Mac OS X, iTunes, iLife suite, and Final Cut Studio.
Related People
Amar Subramanya
VP of AI
Armando Soto
Creative Producer
Tim Cook
CEO
Philip Schiller
Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing
John Ternus
VP of hardware engineering
Isabel Ge Mahe
VP and MD of Greater China
Ann Thai
Director of Product
+4 more
Articles featuring Apple
Hot Five
Hot Five: Squad Busters undergoes radical changes, Apple’s NFC update, and the winners of the Mobile Games Awards 2024 are…
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Apple play fair, Animal Crossing stops play and Pokémon goes back to basics | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Bowing To Pressure
Apple roll over and allow EU users to change default browser, delete stock apps and more
“The App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera, and Safari apps will now be deletable for users in the EU"
Breaking Up
Apple’s App Store to split in two following the departure of its vice president
Apple’s long-term head of worldwide App Store and Apple Arcade, Matt Fischer is stepping down as part of the changes
Contactless Payments
Apple will be unlocking iPhone NFC chips for third-party apps everywhere
After relenting in Europe thanks to the DMA, it now looks like alternative contactless payment options are coming to iPhones everywhere
Friends In High Places
AltStore PAL goes free thanks to Epic Games' MegaGrant
The grant is to support the development of innovative projects that might lack sufficient funding. Or…
Apple Fees
Popular creator's platform Patreon just got hit with Apple's 30% app fees
The fund-raising and small-scale publishing platform beloved of amateur makers had previously dodged Apple's 'app tax'
Week That Was
Apple's acquiescence, Google's guilt, and what to expect from Nintendo's S(Wii)tch… | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
New Deal
Apple revamps business terms in the EU to enable App Store link-outs and out-of-store promotions
Developers can communicate and promote offers for purchases at a "destination of their choice"
Battle Of The Giants
Apple makes new enemies as it pushes Tencent and Bytedance to cough up their 30%
Never one to shy away from a fight, Apple are seeking to close loopholes in WeChat and TikTok that allow users to bypass their fees
Apps And Att
Fewer than 19% of mobile games receive ATT consent as game CPIs rise 6% on Apple
Mobile game CPIs increased on Apple during Q2 2024 while becoming cheaper on Android
Updated Emulation
Nintendo emulator Delta adds iPad support in its latest update
The new update lets users switch between iPhone and iPad
Change Of Heart
Apple approves the first PC emulator on iOS
Apple initially rejected the emulators submissions but weeks later UTM SE is now freely available on iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS
Antitrust Heat
India's antitrust investigation hits Apple for market abuse
Apple has denied wrongdoing stating it's a small player in India as Android devices are more dominant
Nfc Now
Apple to allow third-party 'tap to pay' alternatives in Europe
The European Commission has accepted the tech giant’s offer to enable access to the iPhone's NFC chip at last
Hot Five
Hot Five: Apple fees hit ads, Squad Busters’ first month reviewed, and Pokémon Go's eight years on top
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
It's Not Over Yet
Apple's store police just rejected Epic's App Store submission
Epic's App Store is trapped in limbo as Apple's notorious policy police reject Epic's first stab at getting onto the newly 'open' post-DMA iOS
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple's gateway price cuts, World of Tanks crazy crossovers, and who needs game devs anyway?
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Expansion On Hold
Rumour: Apple is delaying its plans for an East Coast campus by four years
The tech giant has taken on over 600 workers in Raleigh, North Carolina to date
Apple Rebound
Apple's iPhone shipments in China surge nearly 40% in May, fuelled by aggressive price cuts
The smartphone giant is likely the driving force behind increase in foreign-brand shipments in China
Apple Ads
Apple 30% fee extends to Instagram and Facebook ads worldwide today
The fee was imposed on the US earlier this year and rolls out globally today, July 1st
Apple Vs Epic Games
Fortnite and Epic Games Store with Apple for review as EU launch approaches
Apple’s policies require apps to undergo "notarisation" and human review before being allowed through
Podcast | Episode 18
The EU's App Store crackdown and Square Enix's buzzword bingo | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 18...
Week That Was
Regulation with teeth, Game Freak’s new IP, and Square Enix’s AI backtracking | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Tough Talk
EU: Apple not launching AI iPhone features a "stunning declaration" that it's "disabling competition"
The latest spat between Apple and the European Commission centres on the tech giant's unwillingness to launch Apple Intelligence features in the region
Apple In The Dock
Game over for Apple as the European Commission wades in against their DMA dodge
It's official. The European Commission is going to take apart Apple's half-hearted adherence to the Digital Markets Act
Podcast | Episode 17
The history and future of the mobile games industry | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 17...
Virtual Sanity
Apple's Vision Pro failures are only setting the scene for their real AR/VR moves
While dwindling Vision Pro sales might seem like bad news, it's likely that they're hardly a surprise and all part of a bigger plan
Legal Upset
Apple on track to fall foul of DMA legislation with a potential penalty of $50M per day
Leaks suggest that Apple has failed to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, costing the firm 5% of its daily global revenue
Platform Plans
Hello Kitty Island Adventure journeys beyond Apple Arcade as PC and Switch versions announced
During yesterday’s Nintendo Direct event, Hello Kitty Island Adventure made an appearance confirming an upcoming expansion to the Switch
Legislation Looming
Fortnite and The Epic Games Store will be arriving on iOS in Japan in 2025
The Epic Games Store will be available as an alternative to Apple’s App Store in Japan next year, based on new legislation
Week That Was
Week in Views - Pre-reg record breakers, Apple's endless upgrades and out-of-order ads
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Aiming High
Assassin's Creed Shadows on iOS is setting a new standard for mobile gaming
Apple aims to unify the gaming experience across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with a little help from some big name triple-A partners
Podcast | Episode 16
Stop sexist UA ads, and is Netflix's games division falling off the rails? | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 16...
Looking Back
A brief history of the mobile games industry
We take a look back at the last decade and a half of mobile gaming, analysing the key trends that built the industry we have now, and what the future holds for the sector
Wwdc 2024
What Apple's iOS 18 Game Mode means for your games
One of the more discreet roll outs at WWDC is iOS 18's attempt to get games looking better on iPhones than Android
Ios18 At Wwdc
The key takeaway from Apple's AI-laden WWDC keynote? It's time to buy a new iPhone
As expected Apple went in hard on AI-powered features for iOS18, but it's the limited number of handsets that can use them that's surprising
Discoverability Updates
App Store developers can start nominating their games for featuring later this year
Apple also unveils new discoverability options including deep links and notifications of store promotions
Spatial Computing
Apple Vision Pro heading to UK, Germany, China, Japan and more
Headset will launch in select Asia countries on June 28th, and in the UK and other regions on July 12th
Everybody Loves Ai
Apple joins generative AI revolution with Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT support
New AI tools will be available in iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and MacOS Sequoia
Winners Revealed
Apple unveils its 2024 Apple Design Awards winners ahead of WWDC
This year there's a new Spatial Computing category to showcase apps that utilize their Vision Pro
Week That Was
Week in Views - Squad Busters goes global, broken app stores, and Hill Climb Racing gets the LEGO treatment
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Place Search Ad Here
Mobile's broken app store discoverability
How Steam, Google Play and Apple's App Store compare and how platform holders prioritise ads over useful recommendations for users
Subbed Off
There’s no room for a successful subscription service in games
Despite offering a great deal, it makes little sense for platform holders and developers and doesn't fit with player habits at scale
Podcast | Episode 11
Xbox in turmoil, Krafton champions AI development, and Apple's iPad challenge | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 11…
Week That Was
Week in Views - Xbox's mobile games store is doomed to fail, Sonic meets the Angry Birds, and Apple's iPad problem
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Ios Upgrades
Apple's iPad problem isn't new hardware - it's new software
This week we got a new iPad with a new M4 processor… And it's precisely what nobody wanted. But a solution could be coming soon…
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple back themselves bigstyle, Clash bags Haaland and dreams come true at King
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Emulation Sensation
Apple and Nintendo's Delta blues: A legal timebomb or just the new normal?
Changes to EU law have placed an app able to grant free access to Nintendo games at number one on Apple's own store. So what the 'hack' is going on?