Apple is reportedly preparing to allow third-party app stores on iOS

Apple is reportedly preparing to open iOS to competing app stores. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company’s software and services teams are redesigning the platform to “open up key elements.” That effort is likely to end in Apple giving iPhone and iPad users the option to download third-party apps without going through the App Store. In turn, that would allow developers to avoid the company’s infamous 30 and 15 percent commissions on payments. Gurman reports the forthcoming charges are primarily designed to placate European Union lawmakers, who recently passed the bloc’s sweeping Digital Markets and Services Act, and will be initially implemented on the continent before potentially rolling out to other regions.     

Apple did not immediately respond to Engadget’s comment request.  

According to Gurman, Apple plans to have the changes ready to release alongside iOS 17 next year. Companies have until 2024 to be in full compliance with the Digital Markets Act. The legislation is particularly problematic for Apple, as it outlaws many of the speedbumps the company has relied on to make it difficult for consumers to leave iOS. For instance, the act calls for interoperability between different messaging platforms and equal access for outside developers to core operating system features. Critically, it also mandates that platform holders allow for sideloading. 

Apple has consistently lobbied against sideloading, calling it a security and privacy risk. Gurman reports the company is considering whether it should enforce certain security requirements on software distributed outside the App Store. “Such apps also may need to be verified by Apple — a process that could carry a fee,” he suggests.  

There are other major changes that could come to iOS as a direct result of the Digital Markets Act. Apple could open up major APIs and features, including those that control the iPhone’s NFC and camera technologies, to outside developers. Historically, only the company’s Wallet app and Apple Pay service have had access to the iPhone’s NFC chip. What’s more, the company is considering whether to drop its longstanding requirement that third-party browsers must use its WebKit framework. Apple may also further open up its Find My Network to competitors like Tile.

At the same time, it appears there are some golden eggs the tech giant may be much more reluctant to give away. Specifically, Gurman reports RCS integration within iMessage is currently not on the table. Google has pushed the messaging protocol for years, going so far as to criticize Apple publically for not adopting it. How likely Apple is to make those same concessions in the US is hard to tell. Gurman notes the work the company is undertaking could “lay the groundwork” for similar changes in other markets. However, while American lawmakers are considering similar legislation to the Digital Markets Act, their version, the Open App Markets Act, has yet to pass.  

iPadOS 16.2 includes Freeform collaboration app and Stage Manager on an external display

iPadOS 16 launched a little later this year than its predecessors, and a few key features weren’t quite ready. With iPadOS 16.2, which just arrived this afternoon, I think Apple has caught up with what it planned. There are two major new features on bo…

Apple releases iOS 16.2 with always-on display changes and tighter security

Apple is finishing 2022 by releasing major software updates for its devices. The upgrades are headlined by iOS 16.2, which should be particularly useful for the security-conscious. The new version adds an Advanced Data Protection option that brings end-to-end encryption to more of your iCloud data, including device backups, Messages content, notes and photos. And like it or not, Apple is limiting AirDrop sharing — you’ll now have 10 minutes to swap files with “everyone” before the feature reverts to contacts-only. The restriction first arrived in China, allegedly in a bid to appease officials trying to stymie protests, but may be useful if you’re worried someone might push unwanted content to your device.

This is also a particularly important update if you’re an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max owner. You can now hide your wallpaper and notifications when the 14 Pro’s always-on display kicks in. Yes, that makes it behave more like some Android phones, but it could also reduce distractions (some say it still looks like the phone is awake with the wallpaper on) and bolster privacy. Live Activities are now available for MLB, NBA and Premier League games on all iPhones courtesy of the TV app, although you’ll need one of the 14 Pro models to see them on your home screen through the Dynamic Island.

Other improvements largely focus on new apps and expected revisions. The long-promised Freeform digital whiteboard app is finally here, offering a visual collaboration tool for brainstorming sessions and meetings. Apple Music’s karaoke mode is now available and the Weather app now includes a news section. If you use your iPhone to control a smart household, you’ll be glad to know that Apple has given the Home app with a new architecture that promises to be faster and more reliable. This may be helpful now that Matter devices are ready (Apple added Matter support in iOS 16.1).

The company has simultaneously released iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1. Not surprisingly, these bring cross-platform feature additions like Advanced Data Protection, Freeform and the revised Home app. WatchOS 9.2, meanwhile, adds the Home update as a workout for cyclists and runners wanting to improve their performance on a previously-completed route. These updates won’t offer as many conspicuous changes as on the iPhone, but they should still be worthwhile if you’re immersed in Apple’s ecosystem.

Instagram launches its BeReal clone, Candid Stories

Instagram’s BeReal clone is now official. Meta introduced “Candid Stories,” a new feature with Instagram Stories that recreates BeReal’s signature once-a-day selfies. The feature will be testing in South Africa to start, according to a company spokespe…

Flipboard’s new community features make it feel more like a social network

After more than a decade, Flipboard is adding a new layer of social features to its platform. The service is adding new commenting and creation tools to its magazines as part of a broader “shift in emphasis towards community and conversations.”

Flipboard has had commenting features for years, but it’s been fairly basic, and hasn’t been a prominent part of the service, which until now has mostly been known as a place to read and share articles rather than a destination to talk about them. But with its latest update, the company is hoping to turn its signature magazines into the types of communities you might find on Reddit or Twitter.

To start, Flipboard is introducing “notes,” which allow users to add original content — whether it’s photos, video embeds, links or commentary — and add it to shared magazines. Other members of the magazine can then jump in with their own comments and add to the conversation. The idea, according to Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, is for these notes to become lively areas of discussion for people interested in the same “micro-communities.”

The company is also adding a new “communities” section to its app, which will highlight magazines and specific curators (Flipboard’s term for the people who manage topic-based magazines) to follow. All the new features are out now on the web, and are launching on its iOS and Android apps in January.

The company has been quietly testing the updates since July. It says there’s already been a noticeable uptick in engagement in magazines where the new interactivity is enabled.The changes also help make Flipboard into more of an alternative to Twitter for those who primarily use the Elon Musk-run service for consuming news. McCue says that Flipboard’s new social features predate Musk’s takeover of the company, and that he’s still a “Twitter believer.” But he acknowledges Flipboard’s shift is well-timed as some people are increasingly looking for different spaces to interact.

“It’s not like you’re in a giant open town square, and everyone’s just shouting at the top of their lungs,” McCue tells Engadget. “It’s more like we’re the little restaurants around the town square and people are at different dinner tables talking. There’s a different tone when you have these smaller groups.”

小學生自主完成 Swift 編程作品，引進機器學習靠看 YouTube

編程 coding 是過去幾年在教育界的一個火熱話題，因為要把一個原先以先進技術的學問，陸續引入學校課程中，到底成效如何？教材怎樣安排？一個又一個的問號跑了出來。數年過後，教材成熟了，曾經的小學生也成長得可以交出功課來了。…

Elon Musk says Twitter is developing a feature that shows if you’ve been ‘shadowbanned’

Elon Musk has announced that Twitter is currently working on a software update that will give you access to a tool that can clearly show whether you’ve been shadowbanned. The term means different things for different platforms, but being shadowbanned typically makes your posts invisible to other users or makes your profile hard to find without your knowledge. Musk says the upcoming tool will also explain the reason why you’ve been shadowbanned and will give you instructions on how to submit an appeal. 

Instagram has just launched a similar feature with its latest update, letting you know whether you’re currently blocked from recommendations. At the moment, it can only show if you’ve been blocked from recommendations in Explore, Feed and Reels, but Instagram is working on expanding the tool so that you can see if you’re also blocked from showing up in “suggested accounts.” 

Musk didn’t talk about how Twitter will be implementing the feature, but he made the announcement shortly after Bari Weiss released part two of The Twitter Files. In the thread, Weiss said that Twitter used “Visibility Filtering,” which is apparently just another term for shadowbanning, on some conservative personalities. Musk once called himself a “free speech absolutist.” After taking control of Twitter, he started lifting the bans on several controversial users, including former President Donald Trump, The Daily Stormer’sinfamous neo-Nazi creator Andrew Anglin and other white nationalists. 

Advertisers have been fleeing the platform since Musk took over due to concerns about policy changes and the reinstatement of banned accounts. In a blog post late last month, Twitter assured advertisers that “none of [its] policies have changed.” And according to a new report by Reuters, Twitter is gearing up to release a set of ad controls in an effort to lure advertisers back to the website. The controls, which could launch as soon as next week, will reportedly allow advertisers to prevent their ads from appearing above or below tweets with the specific keywords they choose.

Waze is getting its own dedicated Android Automotive app

Waze is France’s most popular navigation app, to the point that it was recently updated with three regional accents (Toulouse, Provençal and ch’ti). So it makes sense that Waze elected to partner with French automaker Renault to launch a new, dedicated…