Apps articles

android api google play sideloading

Android apps can now block usage if sideloading is detected

A new API, if leveraged, will force users to use Play Store versions instead
A hot potato: Apple's infamous "walled garden" approach is often cited as an example of limiting consumer freedom, but it seems the Android ecosystem is erecting restrictive fences as well. The most recent development in this direction is Google supercharging its Play Integrity API to give developers more power to block apps installed outside the Play Store.
entertainment app spending streaming netflix video apps max disney plus

Streaming spending hits record high as Max dominates US downloads and revenue

Netflix and Disney+ are lagging behind Max
In brief: There's been a backlash against streaming apps in recent years as the likes of Netflix and Disney+ raise prices and clamp down on password sharing. However, a new report shows that the negativity isn't impacting the apps' popularity or income: more than half of every dollar spent in the entertainment app category each quarter now goes to streaming.
apple virtual boy vision pro nintendo app store apps vr apple vision pro

Thanks to Apple's new policies on emulators you can play Virtual Boy games on the Vision Pro

Let's go retro: Lately, we've seen a lot of emulators popping up in Apple's App Store. Thanks to overseas antitrust pressure, Cupertino has loosened its stance on hardware emulation, resulting in everything from NES to PlayStation emulators flooding the marketplace. Now, an app for the Vision Pro brings Nintendo's Virtual Boy back from the dead.
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Google continues to "ruin" Fitbit for users by discontinuing web app interface

Editor's take: When Google was a lowly upstart, its motto was "Don't be evil." It even listed the phrase prominently in its corporate code of conduct. After the Alphabet restructuring in 2015, it was changed to the tamer-sounding "Do the right thing." It's telling that by 2018, Google no longer had a motto and had removed both phrases from the company CoC. It makes sense, considering the company no longer lives by either creed.
telegram ceo signal

Telegram boss throws accusations at Signal, claims rival has ties to US government

Distracting from Telegram's own issues?
A hot potato: Forget about Intel vs. AMD and Apple vs. Microsoft, the biggest, most intense public rivalry in the tech world right now is between messaging platforms Telegram and Signal. The latest attack came from Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who suggested Signal was not secure and accused it of having ties to the US government.