This Week in Apps recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.
According to the latest year-end reports, the app industry has continued to grow, with a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the Apple and Google Play stores. In the year 2021, global spending on third-party app stores in China grew 19% to reach $170 billion. Downloads of apps grew by 5%, reaching 230 billion in 2021, and mobile ad spend grew 23% year over year to reach $295 billion.
Consumers now spend more time in apps than ever before, even topping the time they spend watching TV. The average American watches 3.1 hours of TV per day, but they spend 4.1 hours on their mobile device in the year 2021. They are not the world's heaviest mobile users. Users in Brazil, Indonesia, and South Korea spent five hours per day on mobile apps.
It's not just a way to pass time. They can become big businesses. There were 233 apps and games that generated over $100 million in consumer spend. This was up 20% from the year before, when just eight apps topped $1 billion.
This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and suggestions about new apps to try, too.
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Top Stories
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Apple this week announced it will allow a subset of applications sold on its App Store to link to an external website where users can create or manage their accounts with the app developer. The change to Apple's App Store Review guidelines only applies to apps that provide access to digital content. Apple's plans were first announced last September in the context of the tech giant's settlement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission.
When the changes go live, the company said they would apply to all reader apps on the App Store, but did not give an exact launch date.
The External Link Account Entitlement is something Apple instructs developers to apply for in order to provide this in their own apps. To make the change, developers must apply for the entitlement and be approved.
Whenever Apple is pushed to update its App Store rules in an area, it uses the use of entitlements. It is still in compliance with the letter of the law, but it places an additional burden on those developers who want to take advantage of the new options. Apple could easily update its App Store rules to show that this type of new feature is allowed in certain use cases, but it still wants to exert control over the whole process and make sure developers who don't meet the requirements slip through the cracks.
It's disappointing to see Apple fighting so hard against this larger turning of the tide for its app marketplace, even getting itself entangled in expensive lawsuits like the one with Epic Games, instead of having earlier simplified commissions across the board. One wonders if Apple could have taken a different path from the complicated carve-outs it has embraced. The company can't afford to make as much money from App Store purchases. In the future, it could find a variety of ways to monetize its app developer ecosystem. Apple is looking into bringing payment processing technology in-house in a bid to generate more revenue and reduce reliance on fintech partners. This effort would affect all parts of Apple's business, but it could also help the company with its App Store losses.
Roblox sides with Apple
The image is from Roblox.
March 31, 2022, was the deadline for the submission of briefs in support of Apple. Vice admiral Mike McConnell, former director of the National Security Agency and two former CIA directors were among the new signers. The officials agree with Apple that its commission structure is fair and allows it to create a safe and secure environment. The impact of app market regulations on the business of a platform maker is likely to be aware of.
The need for platforms to set the standards for, review and approve software, user-generated content and apps that appear on platforms was pointed out by Roblox. It explained how Apple's App Review system provides a level of safety and security for all of its apps, including its own mobile Roblox app. The company didn't say that Apple should be protected from antitrust scrutiny, but it made a strong argument against removing the platform model entirely.
Wrote Roblox.
None of this is to say that Apple necessarily has it right whereas other platform models have it wrong, or that all decisions Apple might make regarding its App Store platform and related policies are sacrosanct or should be de facto protected from antitrust scrutiny. But the key point is that Apple’s model does provide real benefits to security and privacy. No platform is going to be perfect in its efforts to rid an ecosystem of bad actors, but it is core to Roblox’s beliefs that real, tangible results can be obtained where there is an enhanced focus on safety and security. The evidence at trial did not show that all of these benefits necessarily can be retained while eliminating the platform model that has allowed for them. Roblox’s experience, consistent with the evidence presented here, is that these particular procompetitive aspects of the App Store are real and intertwined with the way Apple structures its platform. The district court was right not to cast them aside as mere “pretext,” and neither should this Court.
In order to tighten its grip on the country's citizens, Russia banned the popular social networking site in mid-March. The ban has resulted in another app being sent to the top of the Russian App Store. Fiesta, a Russian app, became the top free iPhone app in the country on March 29 and 30. The first time it was in the top free apps was on March 26.
There isn't much information about Fiesta, though it appears to be Russian-made. The website doesn't give much information beyond what the app looks like and a form to join the trial. The site also displays photos of the app and links to Fiesta's social accounts, which are never posted. The app has many similarities to the popular photo sharing app, but it also has features for finding and joining local events.
Most of the installs occurred this past week, according to Sensor Tower's preliminary estimates. Between March 27 and March 30 the app had 184,000 installs, or more than 30 times the 6,000 it saw in the previous period.
Weekly News
The image is from Apple.
Apple launched Apple Business Essentials, designed to help smaller businesses manage devices without necessarily having IT expertise in-house.
Apple released iOS 15.4.1, iPadOS 15.4.1 and macOS 12.3.1, which includes a fix for battery issues on iPhone and iPad and two zero-days that “may have been actively exploited.”
Apple is said to be building its own payments technology to reduce its reliance on partners. According to Bloomberg, the project is dubbed “Breakout” in-house and indicates the company’s interest in expanding into fintech beyond Apple Pay, Apple Card and the transactions it processes across the App Store and iTunes.
Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, responded to a user’s emailasking why there was a delay in receiving iOS software updates automatically. Surprisingly, the exec answered, explaining that Apple incrementally rolls out new iOS updates by “first making them available for those that explicitly seek them out in Settings, and then 1-4 weeks later (after we’ve received feedback on the update) ramp up to rolling out devices with auto-update enabled.” (So, I guess if you want updates sooner, go hit up Settings!)
Platforms: Google
Google Play’s new billing payments policy began on April 1. The company had announced back in 2020 that developers would need to come into compliance with the policy that requires apps selling digital goods and services to use Google Play’s own billing system. Unless developers were approved for an extension, they will no longer be able to submit app updates until they’re in compliance, barring any critical security issues. On June 1, 2022, non-compliant apps will be removed from Google Play.
It looks like Google is working on its own AirTag detection features. Google Play Services 22.12.13 includes code referring to “unfamiliar device alerts” and “unfamiliar tag detection notifications.”
E-commerce & Food Delivery
Rapid delivery firm Jokr launched a new mobile appoffering a personalized experience and automated content curation in order to feature lists of items for users based on past shopping behaviors, locally sourced items from their communities and more.
Barcelona-based Glovo is running its food and grocery delivery app in Ukraine as a nonprofit. The company has 2,000+ couriers in the war-torn country running groceries, restaurant meals and prescriptions to people in need. Glovo said it decided to reopen in cities after finding some couriers were already donating their time to ad hoc groups that were working to help keep supplies flowing; this way, those couriers can get paid for that work.
Augmented Reality
Snap announced its annual summit will be held on April 28. Last year, the company introduced its AR Spectacles (AR glasses). This time around, we’re expecting more AR-focused updates for the Snapchat app.
Fintech
Bengaluru-headquartered Slice, which recently became a unicorn, has plans to introduce UPI payments for its users within a matter of weeks. The startup also appears to be redesigning the app to make the UPI transactions intuitive. The support will put Slice in competition with Walmart-backed PhonePe and Google Pay.
Robinhood’s stock popped 25% on news of its support for extended trading hours. Previously, the app offered trading from 9 AM ET to 6 PM ET — 30 minutes before the market opened and two hours after its close. The app’s new trading hours are now 7 AM ET to 8 PM ET.
Social
TikTok is an image.
TikTok partnered with GIPHY on a new feature called the TikTok Library, an in-app creator tool that allows users to select content from GIPHY, including GIFs and “GIFs with sound” (short videos). The company plans to add more content to the library over time, including audio, sounds and text templates.
Twitter added “Professional Accounts.” The feature allows users to convert their accounts to include business information, and provides access to pro tools, like Twitter Shopping and the Ads Ecosystem, including Quick Promote, among other things.
Twitter dies on iPhone 6. The app abruptly stopped working on older iPhones as the latest version now requires iOS 14 or higher.
An analysis of Facebook and Instagram’s Reels found that 73% of the top 20 Reels were anonymous and 82% were reposted. Two out of the top 11 were also recycled directly from TikTok.
A letter signed by 44 attorneys general asked TikTok and Snap to support third-party parental control apps, which would help parents better monitor and manage app usage beyond what built-in controls can do. They noted the apps don’t necessarily allow for control over things like private messaging, nor can parents block certain content from the main feed. (This isn’t entirely true — TikTok offers parents the ability to set a curated feed as the default for younger users and can limit their messaging. Only Snap hasn’t yet launched parental controls.)
Meta paid a “right of center” digital consulting firm Targeted Victory to orchestrate a campaignagainst TikTok in the U.S., including by placing op-eds in local news outlets, The WaPo reported. Targeted Victory confirmed its involvement, but blasted the reporting on Twitter.
Instagram is testing a feature that makes it easier for users to support social movements through hashtags. When you search for specific hashtags associated with social movements, you have the option to spread the word about the cause to people in your community or create a fundraiser.
Pinterest said it will invest an additional $1.2 million in its Creator Fund for underrepresented groups. The investment includes a combination of cash grants, ad credits and other creator resources. It’s separate from the $20 million in Creator Rewards being doled out in the U.S., which pays creators directly for their content.
TikTok tests a “watch history” feature that would make it easier to find videos you had recently viewed, but forgot to like or save.
Messaging
The image is on the social media site.
Instagram upgraded its DM inbox with over a half dozen new features, including the ability to share music previews in DMs, the ability to send a message silently, the ability to see who’s online to chat with, the ability to reply to messages while you browse your feed, a quick send feature for sharing with four friends with a tap, plus a new theme and polls.
Messenger introduced Slack-like “@everyone” functionality that will notify all participants in a chat about a new message, and other shortcuts like a “/silent” feature, similar to Instagram’s new “@silent” option and more.
WhatsApp upgraded its voice message functionality with several new features, and announced that people are now sending 7 billion voice messages on the platform daily.
The Ukrainian government created a chatbot in the Telegram app that allows users to report precise sightings of Russian troop movements. Telegram and secure messaging app Signal have seen their installs increase by 1.7 million between February and March, up 197% from 573,000 in January.
Streaming & Entertainment
The image is from Apple.
Apple announced its MLB livestreaming schedule for the 2022 season. The Apple TV+ service will livestream 12 weeks of Friday night doubleheaders and other MLB content, initially for free during the first half of the season — even if users don’t have an Apple TV+ subscription. The livestreams will be available across platforms, wherever Apple’s TV app is available.
Streaming audio app Clubhouse added a new “protected profile” setting option in response to concerns over the Russia-Ukraine war and the safety of users from those regions connecting online. Since the war began, Clubhouse has become a platform for anti-war Russian civilians to coordinate, but has also been home to Russian propaganda at times.
YouTube TV finally added support for picture-in-picture viewing on iOS 15 and higher. As for the main YouTube app? That’s still in the works for “the coming months,” the company said.
YouTube is also working on a plan to ingest RSS feeds to build out a Podcasts homepage on its platform and likely help power podcasts on its streaming music app, YouTube Music.
China’s second-largest short video company, Kuaishou, reported earnings with Q4 revenue up 35% year-over-year to $3.8 billion, with a roughly $1 billion net loss, and MAUs up 21.5% year-over-year to 578 million. Daily time spent rose 32% to 118.9 minutes.
TikTok is running a global in-app competition of short-form films for its inaugural #TikTokShortFilm contest, in partnership with the Cannes Film Festival.
Spotify expanded Blend, its playlist creation feature that originally let two users merge their musical tastes in one playlist. Now the feature supports up to 10 users and even select artists, including BTS and Charli XCX.
Spotify added COVID-19 content advisories to its app on podcasts that discuss the virus, two months after the Joe Rogan uproar over misinformation.
Spotify also began testing a new podcast discovery feature that presents clips from episodes in a vertically scrolling, TikTok-like feed where you can click a “+” to add the episodes to your saved list of things to listen to. The feature is based on the company’s acquisition of Podz, a podcast discovery platform with a similar user interface.
1. Update Spotify on iOS2. Open Safari on iOS3. Paste this into the URL bar: spotify:internal:podcastclips4. Paste and Go
5. Open in Spotify
You are welcome.
Chris Messina wrote on March 30, 2022.
Gaming
Epic Games had earlier announced that all its Fortnite proceeds from March 20 through April 3 are being donated to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. Now the company has revealed via its website its donations have reached $100 million with still a few days to go.
Pokémon GO ran an April Fool’s prank where Ditto appeared disguised as Pokémon. The game maker also announced it will bring back its Pokémon GO Fest global event on June 4-5.
Health & Fitness
Yelp expanded restaurant health ratings in partnership with the food-tech startup Hazel Analytics. The app will now provide hygiene data on nearly 700,000 Yelp pages, and lists health inspection info on jurisdictions representing nearly 70% of the U.S. population.
Utilities
Microsoft’s Phone Link, formerly known as Your Phone, links Android phones with a Windows PC. The tool has now been updated with a new design for Windows 11 and is rolling out to users in China through a new partnership with HONOR.
Google will add “highly cited” Search labels to point to original reporting, local news stories, press releases and more coming soon in the U.S. on mobile devices, and “in the coming weeks” globally.
Misc.
Data.ai (formerly App Annie) launched a new product called App IQ, which offers competitive intelligence about app features, from monetization methods to social features, so businesses can identify both competitive threats and partnership opportunities.
Government & Policy
In its battle with Dutch regulators, Apple has now dropped its requirement to require developers to create a separate app binary in order to take advantage of the new antitrust order that permits third-party payments in dating apps. The regulator had earlier said the requirement was an “unreasonable” demand on Apple’s part. The change means developers can use either the StoreKit External Purchase Entitlement or the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement to sell their services through a payment system other than Apple’s own. Apple’s refusal to meet the antitrust guidelines has seen the company rack up 10 €5 million fines, totaling €50 million to date.
Also in the Netherlands, Apple is now facing a multibillion-euro lawsuit led by nonprofit Consumer Competition Claims Foundation that alleges Apple is using anti-competitive practices to overcharge consumers and restrict their payment options for in-app purchases. Bloomberg said the suit claims the harms add up to nearly $5.5 billion USD.
India’s Competition Commission probe found Google Play’s billing guidelines are “unfair and discriminatory,” suggesting that India could be the next market to regulate app stores. The regulator also examined allegations Google used “search manipulation” to push Google Pay.
The U.S. Dept. of Justice voiced its support for the antitrust bill (the American Innovation and Choice Online Act) targeting Apple, Google and Amazon. In a letter to the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the DoJ said it views “the rise of dominant platforms as presenting a threat to open markets and competition, with risks for consumers, businesses, innovation, resiliency, global competitiveness, and our democracy.”
Security & Privacy
An FT report said Russia’s Yandex has been sending data harvested from millions of iOS app users to Russia, via the Yandex AppMetrica SDK. The toolkit has been installed in messaging apps, games, location-sharing tools and hundreds of VPN tools, including seven made specifically for Ukrainians.
Funding and M&A
Quona Capital led the $38 million Series A funding for the financial super app. The app has a range of services, including cash advances, bill pay, and more.
Insight Partners led a $100 million Series C funding for London-based Builder.ai, which offers low-code tools for building apps. Over the past year, the company claims to have increased revenues by 300%.
The stealth mode startup raised $18 million in seed funding from Microsoft, TPY Capital and Playtika to build a mobile games development platform. The company wants to soft launch this year.
India's Games 24x7 raised $75 million in a new round. The company claims to have more than 100 million users.
Tweets
Who knew you could copy stuff from one device to another?
