Dr Jaime Gonzalo, Huawei: On tackling global challenges with HMS

Developer caught up with Dr Jaime Gonzalo, VP of Huawei Consumer Mobile Services for Europe, to learn more about the company’s latest ecosystem developments.

Huawei is no stranger to global challenges and discusses them openly. A major blow was dealt to the firm in 2019 when the US added Huawei to its ‘Entity List’ which bans American companies from trading with it.

Regardless of views on whether such moves are warranted or politically-motivated, it’s hard not to...

17 November 2022 | App Stores

Apple bans using NFTs to circumvent App Store fees

Apple has updated its rules to ban developers from using NFTs to circumvent App Store fees.

Regulators and developers are becoming increasingly critical of Apple for blocking third-party app stores and payment options. With no alternative, this leaves Apple to abuse its market position to take high cuts.

“The fundamental problem for us is the lack of choice,” Basecamp CEO Jason Fried once wrote in a letter. “And [Apple Fellow] Phil Schiller’s suggestion that we...

26 October 2022 | App Stores

Apple begins Small Developer Assistance Fund payouts

Apple has started paying out to small developers that qualify for a fund established as part of a class-action lawsuit.

A lawsuit was brought against Apple by US developers over the company’s “profit-killing” App Store commissions. As part of the settlement, Apple agreed to create a $100 million Small Developer Assistance Fund.

The fund was open to US developers who sold paid apps or offered in-app purchases through the App Store between 4th June 2015 and 26th...

24 October 2022 | App Stores

Windows Subsystem for Android is now considered stable

Microsoft is making good on its promise to fully support Android apps on Windows.

Following the demise of Windows Phone, Microsoft has put its weight behind Android. The company adopted Google’s OS for its Surface Phone and said that Android apps will run on Windows 11 as if they were native.

In reality, Android app support on Windows has been limited in functionality and limited to Windows Insiders in some markets. However, as of this week, Windows Subsystem for...

21 October 2022 | Android

‘Ask Apple’ is an interactive Q&A series for developers

Apple is introducing an interactive Q&A series for developers that will provide opportunities to connect directly with the company’s experts.

‘Ask Apple’ is an extension to Cupertino’s existing ‘Tech Talks’ and ‘Meet with App Store Experts’ initiatives. Apple says the new series will “provide developers with even more opportunities to connect directly with Apple experts for insight, support, and feedback.”

“We’ve been listening to feedback...

12 October 2022 | App Stores

App Store revenue hit a seven-year low in September

According to a Morgan Stanley report, App Store revenues in September were rather disappointing.

Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring published a report this week that highlighted App Store revenues hit a seven-year low in September.

The analysis used data from mobile intelligence specialists Sensor Tower and represents a drop of five percent year-on-year, the steepest drop since the bank started modelling data in 2015.

Games revenue suffered the most, with a...

6 October 2022 | Android

Google expands third-party billing support to more countries

Android developers in more countries now have the option to offer third-party billing options.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Google quietly expanded its ‘User Choice Billing’ pilot which allows third-party billing options in non-gaming apps.

Registered developers in the European Economic Area (EEA), India, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia can now participate in User Choice Billing.

A Google spokesperson said:

“Android has always been a uniquely open...

6 September 2022 | Android

Apple opens registrations for next App Store Sessions

Apple developers wanting to optimise their listing and marketing strategies can now register for the next round of App Store Sessions.

The sessions connect developers with Apple’s experts to learn more about all things App Store, including:

Improving your listing pagesAttracting customersTesting marketing strategiesImplementing subscriptionsSuccessfully using TestFlight for beta tests

App Store Sessions were first introduced in February to significant interest. They...

27 July 2022 | Analytics

Snowflake Native Application Framework aims to help developers build and monetise apps

Piles of Euro notes.

Snowflake, the Data Cloud company has launched a Native Application Framework to empower developers to build, monetise and deploy applications.

Currently in private preview, developers can build applications and monetise them on Snowflake Marketplace, and consumers can securely install and run those applications, directly in their Snowflake instances, reducing the need for data to be moved. Snowflake is committed to providing its customers and partners with the best platform for...

20 June 2022 | App Stores

Judge rejects Apple’s bid to dismiss lawsuit by Cydia’s creator

California District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has denied Apple’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the company by Cydia’s creator.

Cydia was a third-party app store which, as you will be well aware, is officially a no-no in Apple’s books. The store was popular among the “jailbreak” community and even pre-dates the official App Store.

The creator of Cydia, Jay Freeman (AKA ‘Saurik’), ended up shutting his app store down in...

30 May 2022 | App Stores