This Week in Apps is a weekly series on the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.
According to the latest year-end reports out this week, the number of downloads and consumer spending in the app industry has grown to a new high. The annual report from App Annie will show global spending on Apple's mobile devices is up to $135 billion in 2021, and it will likely be higher when it is released next year. Consumers downloaded 10 billion more apps this year than they did in 2020.
The apps are a big business. Mobile-first companies had a combined valuation of $544 billion, which was 6.5x higher than those without a mobile focus. The amount of capital poured into mobile companies in 2020 was up 27% from the previous year.
This Week in Apps gives a place to keep up with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and suggestions about new apps and games to try.
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The top stories.
Sensor Tower and App Annie released their year-end estimates on the app economy. By the end of the year, Apple's App Store and Google Play will see a combined record consumer spend of $133 billion and 143.6 billion downloads, according to Sensor Tower. The report came out first and we covered it here. We have App Annie's report in our hands.
App Annie estimates come in slightly higher than Sensor Tower on consumer spend, but lower on downloads. Global consumers will spend a record $135 billion on the App Store and Google Play in 2021, up from $112 billion in 2020, according to App Annie. 140 billion new app installs are reported, instead of 143.6 billion.
App Annie is the image.
The firm found that spending on the Apple product continues to be the top one. 65 cents in every app economy dollar is spent by Apple users. The person who spends the most is the person who is a gaming enthusiast. They will have a large part in the revenue of the two services in the years to come. The gaming industry contributed around $90 billion to the global spend in 2011.
The revenue growth in non-gaming categories, particularly entertainment and social apps, is rising to $12 billion next year, or double that of 2020, and App Annie saw many of the same trends as Sensor Tower did.
India contributed 20% of global downloads, followed by the U.S. and Brazil at 8%.
App Annie is the image.
TikTok was selected as a topbreakout app for consumer spending the year. It is the second highest ranked app on App Annie's "breakout" chart that ranks the biggest change in the past 12 months. TikTok is influencing other apps. A popular TikTok editing tool called CapCut was the top downloaded app.
App Annie is the image.
The traditional top apps by downloads and consumer spending are not the focus of App Annie. It is an interesting way to look at the data, but it does not tell you which apps were the biggest of the year. The report is here.
App Annie is the image.
Apple doesn't have to change its store yet.
Andrew Harrer is the image credit.
Changes to the in-app purchase system and App Store guidelines will not be required by Apple as a result of the judge's ruling. The court ruled that Apple was not a monopolist. The company was ordered to stop preventing app developers from adding links that pointed users to other ways of paying for their in-app purchases outside the App Store. Apple disagreed with the ruling over in-app purchases, and that's why it appealed the original ruling.
Apple had until December 9 to update its App Store policies, but had asked the court for a stay on the injunction until the appeal was decided. The lower court denied Apple's request for a stay. The Ninth Circuit granted its latest attempt after Apple argued that it would have to come up with a new system to commission purchases outside the App Store. Apple doesn't think that allowing app developers to point to their own websites for payments means it can't still take a cut. Isn't that what Google decided to do in South Korea?
If the appeal came through in Apple's favor, they wouldn't get back the money, time and resources they spent on the new system. Until the appeals court hears the case, Apple won't have to make any changes.
The photo sharing website went to Congress.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI is a photographer for Agence France-Presse.
Adam Mosseri testified before Congress for the first time to defend the safety record of the app. The senators were not impressed with the 3 AM release of promised teen safety features the night before the testimony as a last-minute effort to look like the company had plans to fix its systems. The conversation between Mosseri and other Meta execs had been going on for a couple of years, and Sen. Blackburn felt like it was repeating itself. Nothing changes.
Mosseri denied that research showed that the products were addictive and said that the company had put into place protections for minor ages 13 to 17 on the app. Teens' accounts are still default to public when they are created on the web. Mosseri used the hearing to propose a new industry body that would create a series of best practices for apps around things like age verification, parental controls and product designs for teens and kids.
Mosseri revealed that the chronological feed would be coming back next year.
There is weekly news.
The image is from Apple.
Apple has two new features for the App Store that will help developers improve their listings. The results of the A/B tests will be displayed in App Analytics. New are custom product pages, which allow developers to create additional versions of their product page to highlight specific features or content, each with their own unique URLs. This could allow developers to link to ads that highlight a particular character, activity, or feature in the app.
Changes in taxes or foreign exchange fees can cause price changes on the App Store in Turkey. It said that prices on apps and IAPs will increase in Turkey.
The 15.2 release candidate was seeded by Apple. The minor safety feature, which warns parents of nudity in text messages, is one of the features that will be included in the next version of the software. The RC versions of tvOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3 are here, as is the macOS 12.1 RC which is still lacking the Universal Control feature.
Apple and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America have collaborated on a new coding program that will teach the basics of app design and development using Apple's "Everyone Can Code" curriculum. The program will be available in Atlanta, Austin, Miami-Dade, Wake County, Silicon Valley, as well as Atlantic City, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville and Newark, where it is already live.
The platforms are:
The first version of the Android 12L was designed for large-screened tablets and foldable devices. The devices that are eligible for the alpha are the Pixel, the Android Emulator and other eligible devices.
The bug only affected users who had Microsoft Teams installed but weren't logging in. The company said a limited number of users were impacted by the interaction between the Teams app and the underlying OS. Both Microsoft and Google are working on a fix.
The launch of the Play Games app for the PC will allow users to play games on a desktop PC after first playing them on a phone, tablet or Chromebook.
The new feature, called Quick Tap to Snap, lets users openSnapchat directly from their lockscreen. The function will only be available on the newer devices. There is a newPixel Face exclusive filter for these owners.
Users will be able to update the app on the Play store. There is a way to check for updates of the Play Store app.
Food delivery and e- commerce.
eBay introduced a new feature that lets sellers scans the shoes and sneakers they are selling to create an interactive "3D" view which buyers can view when shopping from the eBay app on mobile devices. The new feature will be rolled out this month to select sellers before a broader launch next year.
You can now gift alcohol to a friend with a barcode on it, thanks to the alcohol delivery app Drizly. TheDrink Scanner is available in the app for both theios andANDROID.
A series of live shopping events on the app will feature creators and celebrities like Lisa Rinna, as well as others.
DoorDash launched delivery in New York that arrives in 15 minutes or less. The feature will be expanded to more locations in the future.
TikTok has launched a new app called TikTok Seller in Indonesia, which allows sellers to manage their shops from their phone. The country is often a testing ground for new e-commerce features.
There is augmented reality.
Reporters were given a first look at its newest glasses, Spectacles, at the annual Lens Fest. The company announced updates to its augmented reality platform, which is gaining a new Sounds library, support for real-world physics that make AR elements react more realistic, and support for World Mesh, which was previously available.
A new feature called Lens Call-To-Action allows creators to include a link within a Lens so they can drive users to a destination.
Spectacles are still in a development mode, but allow users to learn, shop, experience art, play games and more. Clearly! Spectacles was described as a real-life version of the "deal with it" sunglasses, unlike Facebook's smart glasses which look fairly normal.
The augmented reality feature in Pokémon GO encourages users to look at nearby landmarks. The company will use the user-generated data to build out its concept of a real-world metaverse. To work in the game, players have to visit the real-world places that are represented in the game and then walk around the area to allow the camera to capture the data.
There are two types of financial and financial related things: Fintech and cription.
Meta announced it will begin testing cryptocurrencies on the platform. Stephane Kasriel, the head of the digital wallet for the company, announced the news on the social networking site, noting that the payments would appear in chats and messages during a trial run of the integration here in the U.S. Users can keep the money in their account or withdraw it.
There is a new way to try the wallet. Sending money to family and friends is now as easy as sending a message onWhatsApp, as a limited number of people in the US will be able to do today.
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Stephane Kasriel is on December 8, 2021.
Social.
The vertical video feed in the app is being tested. The company is testing out a video feed on its Explore page in the app, which has its own For You tab. The feature is being tested in English.
The image is from the social media site, Twitter.
The new system for identifying platform problems was rolled out by Twitter. The company says it will use data from the users who reported the tweets to automate the process of figuring out which rule the tweet is breaking. The user can either accept the suggestion or say it isn't right, which could give more information about the types of harmful activity happening on the platform which may fall into grayer areas. This could help with policy changes. A small group of U.S. users are being tested on the system.
Meta rolled out a suite of new features for creators this week, including an online store for buying stars to tip creators on the web, and over a dozen new features and discovery tools for Facebook Live creators. There is a new mode for Facebook profiles called Professional that is aimed at creators and new moderation tools.
The year-end review feature, Wrapped, was a big hit with users, so it was only a matter of time before the year-end feature, Reddit Recap, was introduced. The recap includes a summary of the time spent on the platform, a look at the content that you interacted with or contributed, topics you engaged with and communities you viewed or joined. When sharing a recap on other social media apps, users will be able to hide their usernames and passwords.
The image was taken on the website Reddit.
The year-end list of the top TikTok trends, moments and videos of the year were shared by the platform. The company will be taking over from YouTube as the presenting sponsor of the VidCon U.S.
People can look back and reshare their highlights on Facebook andInstagram with their "Year in Review" features. A personalized "Year Together" card on Facebook highlights the friends, places and feelings that mattered the most. A time capsule that uses their Story archive is offered by the photo sharing website.
The image is on the social media platform, IG.
There are photos.
The feature gives users a way to lock private photos behind a password. Reports say it has been arriving on devices made by the three companies.
There is a message.
Stan Chudnovsky will leave Meta next year. The departures include head of Facebook app Fidji Simo, now CEO of Instacart; former head of Facebook Marketplace, Deborah Liu, now CEO of Ancestry.com; and former Chief Revenue Officer David Fischer.
The Messenger Kids app has new features, including the ability to start games from within the chat thread, as well as support for a dark mode and voice effects for audio messages. The features will be on the iPad first.
The seven-day period announced last year has been replaced by a new feature that allows users to set all their messages to disappear by default after 24 hours or 90 days.
Dating.
The year in Swipe is a look back at 2021. There was a 40% increase in the side-eye emoji in the year, as well as more interesting metrics like a 52% increase in mentions of video call in bios, and 20% increase in close by and near by. Vax badges were the most popular badges among Gen Z users.
Users can hear a 30-second preview of a match's chosen song when checking out their profile on the new Music Mode feature.
The image is from the dating app, Tinder.
Streaming and entertainment.
Wattpad is an app that hosts an original stories community where projects are often adapted into books, TV and film by major companies. Wattpad and Webtoon are owned by Naver and will be working with ViacomCBS to develop original content for its sites and networks.
Premium memberships are a new feature that allows community members to pay for content.
The feature is available on the web, too.
Listening Controls replace everything under the video window with dedicated controls for play/pause/next/previous buttons and other options, like saving to a playlist or controlling the speed of the video.
The launch of the 2021 recap landing page in the YouTube Music app gives users a chance to see personalized stats, like top artists, songs, videos and playlists of the year. The app added its own top hits.
There is gaming.
Three more casual gaming titles, "Dominoes Cafe," "Knittens" and "Wonderputt Forever," have been added to the mobile gaming lineup by the streaming service. The company has at least 10 games.
The new feature, called "Play with Streamer," allows viewers to play games with their favorite creators. The feature is launching with a version of the classic that viewers can join to play. Worlds FRVR is a clone ofMinecraft.
The fans of the company are opposed to the move tocryptocurrencies and are not happy with the reuse of assets from the game Feral. The debate got so heated that some employees of WildWorks had to step back for their mental health after threats and hate were directed at them.
The image is from WildWorks' Cinder.
Government and policy.
A report by The Information states that Apple CEO Tim Cook signed a five-year agreement with the Chinese government in order to help develop China's economy and progress through investments, business deals and worker training.
The U.S. Justice Dept. is looking at how Apple handles Roblox and how it handles Fortnite, owned by Epic Games, which is appealing its own antitrust lawsuit. After an Apple executive said in court that Apple wouldn't consider a game from Roblox, the company changed its website and app to say "experiences".
Apple sued Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service over a warning it received about its App Store policies, which say developers can't tell customers in-app about other ways to pay for goods and services beyond the app. Apple could face fines for failing to comply with the changes requested.
The DPC sent a draft decision to other EU data protection agencies in relation to the investigation into the handling of children's data by the social media company. A final decision on the complaint could take more than a year.
China ordered the app stores to remove 106 more apps, including the social networking app Douban and karaoke app Changba, over data privacy and security violations.
Privacy and security are related.
A report by The Markup shows how Life360 is a large location data broker that sells data to a number of companies. The first two are in the privacy policy. Data brokers resell the information gathered from apps to other customers. SafeGraph has sold to the CDC in the past. Life360 did not sell data to government agencies as of last year. The company says it re-identifies individuals after it anonymizes their data. Two former employees of Life360 confirmed that the company takes precautions to remove location histories from individuals, but said that it doesn't further fuzz or aggregate or reduce the precision of the location data. The app does not sell data to users under 13 years old. The company says millions of its customers have used the opt-out option on its Permissions screen.
According to The Financial Times, Apple has allowed companies like Facebook and Snap to continue tracking user data from those who have asked the apps not to track them as long as the data is not tied to specific user profiles. This allows companies to target ads at a cohort level, which some argue is a looser interpretation of the "do not track" rules.
According to a report by Input, some users of the network are getting data about their browsing history, location, apps and contacts. The data is shared if the customer doesn't want it.
M&A and funding.
The team that was working on improving the product of the Messenger product will now be focused on improving it. The company had raised $16 million by the time of the deal. Some businesses were not happy with the fast shutdown because they were on the system.
Upmesh raised $7.5 million in a pre-Series A round led by Monk's Hill Venture and launched its first live commerce app on the social network.
The Indonesian fintech Flip raised $48 million in Series B funding, led by Sequoia Capital India, Insight Partners and Insignia Venture Partners. The company will use the funds to grow its team, improve its tech and expand its business.
Lydia raised $100 million in Series C funding and was valued at over $1 billion. Dragoneer and Echo Street are new investors.
Cerebral raised $300 million in funding in a round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, which valued the business at $4.8 billion. Simone Biles is an investor in the app, which has provided care to over 200,000 patients.
Majority raised $27 million in Series A funding. The company lets users sign up for a bank account without an SSN, and they can use a government ID for any other country with proof of a U.S. address. The app has culturally specific features like discounts at local businesses, as well as mobile bank services and a Visa debit card.
Nearside raised $58 million in Series B funding. The bank has checking accounts with no fees, a Mastercard card and rewards. The startup's userbase has grown 800% since it was first mentioned.
KRAFTON, the South Korean game developer behind the hit gamePUBG, invested in Jordan-based mobile game publisher Tamatem, marking its first investment in the Middle East and North Africa. In the last three years, the company has published more than 50 games. It has over 120 million downloads and 3.5 million downloads on its top games.
The U.K.-based social audio app Wisdom raised $2 million in seed funding. Users have shared 600,000 minutes of content on the company's website.
Flink raised $750 million in Series B funding, led by DoorDash, for its service that runs in 60 cities around the world, reaching 10 million customers.
Downloads.
ScreenKit is the image credit.
Not your home, but your phone, is that what you're looking to decorate for the holidays?
The holiday features allow users who celebrate to theme their icons,widgets and wallpapers to get into the Christmas spirit. There are tons of Christmas themes in the apps that are promoting the new App Store Events. You can launch the Christmas section of the app if you come across an event. The winter themes could be a good look if you are not into Christmas. Motivational quote widgets like Motivation and I Am have been added to other apps that focus on Christmas-themed quotes andAffirmations, which are great for those trying to survive a trip home to see the fam.
The home screen customization trend has remained popular since the launch of the iOS 14widget. People figured out how to use Apple's Shortcuts to update their icons' look to match their widgets and wallpapers, creating a whole new category of apps as app makers emerged to simplify the process through the use of downloadable profiles that can install all your icon designs at once. For now, Apple is blind to the use of profiles for this purpose. Who knows if Apple will come out with its own version of Material You.
Some apps offer custom icons for their paying customers, but others are taking things further. It is making icons that are seasonal, even though it doesn't just offer alternative icons. The winter collection is about to be released.
The image is courtesy of the Twitter screenshot.
The browser is called UBrowser.
The image is from the UBrowser.
We don't know if Apple meant to approve this one, so get it while you can. The limited mobile browser experience for Apple Watch owners is offered in the new app. It is kind of like a real browser in that it allows you to create bookmarks, see your recently visited pages and search the web using DuckDuckGo. jаvascript-laden pages or those that would require video viewing can not run on watchOS through the app. Web pages that require a login will not work. The app uses the Authentication dialogue to open a website on watchOS, which is meant to allow users a way to provide their credentials to an app that requires web authentication. You can manage your bookmarks with the app.
Arno Appenzeller says he agreed to work on the app after seeing complaints that the new Series 7 watch needed a browser. He wanted to see if his app would pass App Review. The other browser apps are different and this was a risk as the watchOS app Parrot requires an iPhone to be nearby and Lazer only supports a reader mode experience. UBrowser was approved twice, once for launch and a second time for an update, so maybe it isn't a mistake. 99 cents is the price on the App Store for the app.
