Tech Roundup: Apple E.U. App Store Changes, Google Lumiere & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• Sri Lanka passes a Online Safety Bill to regulate online content, raising concerns that the law could be misused to muzzle free speech; proposes jail terms for content that a five-member commission considers illegal and making social media platforms liable for such content on their platforms, as the government says the bill is aimed at battling cyber crime including child abuse, data theft and online fraud.
• Meta offers users in the E.U. the ability to unlink their Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as other Meta services ahead of the bloc's new Digital Markets Act (DMA) coming into force in March; says users can also opt to create a stand-alone new Messenger account. (The development comes more than two months after it launched an ad-free subscription in the region.)
• Apple announces sweeping App Store policy changes in the E.U. to comply with DMA by allowing game streaming apps and services globally; announces support for alternative app stores in the E.U., charging no commission but instead an annual €0.50 Core Technology Fee for every app install over one million installs (apps distributed via third-party app stores will still be "notarize" by Apple), plans to allow default third-party browsers, like Chrome, Edge, and Brave and web engines with iOS 17.4, and permit third-party apps to use the iPhone's NFC chip in the EU, letting third-party payment services and banks offer their own tap-to-pay options.
• Apple, however, said it will not offer its App Store updates "outside of the E.U. because this is not the safest system for our users." In another move, Apple has announced a reduced commission structure for apps in the region, including a 17% commission, or 10% for small developers, plus 3% if the app uses Apple's in-app purchase method.
• As for third-party web browsers, users in the bloc will be presented with a list of the 12 most popular web browsers from their country's local App Store at the time, with the options shown in random order for every user.
• Another notable change is that Apple now no longer requires apps with third-party login services to also use Sign in with Apple but it emphasised that apps using third-party or social login services "must also offer as an equivalent option another login service" that offers additional privacy features.
• It's also worth pointing out that the changes do not apply uniformly to all platforms and are limited to iOS, meaning iPad users will miss out on third-party app stores, browser engines and others.
• Epic Games, which plans to launch its Epic Games Store on the iPhone in the E.U. later this year, says Apple's "anticompetitive scheme rife with new junk fees" is illegal, forcing developers to choose between App Store exclusivity and the store terms, and that it's an example of "malicious compliance."
• Mozilla said it's disappointed with Apple's proposed plan to limit third-party browser engines to the E.U., stating it will force the vendor to "maintain two separate browser implementations" and that it's "another example of Apple creating barriers to prevent true browser competition on iOS."
• Spotify, on the other hand, has labelled the new terms a "farce" and that "Apple is forcing developers to stay with the status quo." It further noted "this alternative that offers no alternative at all completely negates the goal of the DMA." Hey and Basecamp exec David Heinemeier Hansson has described the terms as an "extortion regime."
• The E.U. has reiterated that it "will not hesitate to take strong action" if the proposed solutions are not good enough.
• "As to the core technology fee, this is a new 'junk' fee, which will disproportionately affect those app developers that have limited revenues, but whose apps are widely downloaded," The Platform Law Blog said. "Apple clearly has no intention to comply with the DMA. Apple is introducing new fees on direct downloads and payments they do nothing to process, which violates the law," the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) said.
• If anything, Apple's new terms and conditions for iOS app distribution in the E.U. risks inviting more regulatory scrutiny, not to mention burn developer goodwill.
• Meta's WhatsApp tests its own take on Apple AirDrop and Android Quick Share with a new feature that allows users to share files with nearby devices; rolls out direct message limits on Facebook and Instagram to "help protect teens from unwanted contact by turning off their ability to receive messages from anyone they don’t follow or aren't connected to, by default."

• Apple pays Russia a fine of 1.2 billion roubles (US$ 13.65 million) to address allegations the company abused its dominant market position concerning in-app payments.
• Social network Tumblr discontinues Tumblr Live to refocus on the "core Tumblr experience."
• X (formerly Twitter) adds support for passkeys for U.S.-based iOS users for additional account security after removing SMS-based two-factor authentication in February 2023.
• Movie streaming service Netflix says it's looking to retire its ad-free Basic plan in some countries where ad-supported plans are available, starting with Canada and the U.K. in Q2 2024, as paid memberships jump 12.8% to 260.3 million; also comes as the company agrees to a US$ 5 billion deal to screen World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) flagship Raw program over the next decade starting January 2025, in its biggest foray so far into streaming live events. (The company also said "as we invest in and improve Netflix, we'll occasionally ask our members to pay a little extra to reflect those improvements, which in turn helps drive the positive flywheel of additional investment to further improve and grow our service.")
• Google adds voice messages to Google Chat, tests an ARM64 version of Chrome for Arm-based Windows devices, and announces AI features for Chrome on Mac and Windows, allowing users to organise tabs, create custom themes, and offer writing suggestions; unveils a new Gemini-powered chat-based tool in Google Ads to build Search ad campaigns in the U.S. and U.K.
• Mozilla updates Firefox browser (version 122.0) for Android with support for Global Privacy Control, which "informs websites that the user doesn't want their data to be shared or sold."
• France's data protection authority fines Amazon €32 million for excessively monitoring employees in its large warehouses and for not deleting that data in a timely manner in contravention of GDPR laws in the region.
• Amazon's Ring home doorbell unit says it will stop letting police departments request footage from users' video doorbells and surveillance cameras via its Neighbors app, retreating from a practice that was criticised by civil liberties groups and some elected officials and forcing law enforcement to obtain warrants or evidence of emergency.
• New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issues a public health advisory officially designating social media as an "environmental toxin", blaming it for a youth mental health crisis.
• Swedish fintech company Klarna launches Klarna Plus, a US$ 7.99/month subscription plan in the U.S. that allows users to waive service fees when using its One Time Card, collect double rewards points and get discounts.
• BeReal plans to let brands and celebrities join the social media platform starting February 6; says it now has 23 million daily active users, up from 20 million in August 2023.
• Oppo and Nokia sign a patent cross-licensing deal, ending a years-long dispute, letting the Chinese smartphone maker sell in key European markets like Germany.
• Telegram rolls out new features, including view-once video and audio messages and the ability to pause recording while sending a video or an audio message and new read-time controls.
• Google shows off Lumiere, a space-time diffusion model for generating realistic AI videos.
• Chinese smartphone shipments decline 5% YoY to 271.3 million units in 2023; Apple gains the top spot with 17.3% marketshare, followed by Honor with 17.1%.
• Adobe unveils new AI-powered audiot featues in Premiere Pro to remove unwanted noise and improve poorly recorded dialogue; also adds support for "interactive fade handles on clips in the timeline so editors can simply click and drag to create a variety of custom audio fades."
• Apple releases iOS 17.3 with support for Stolen Device Protection, Apple Music collaborative playlists and streaming to more hotel TVs; adds support for transcripts to the Podcasts app in iOS 17.4 beta and says transcripts will be generated automatically after an episode is published.
• Microsoft launches Mesh, its 3D meeting platform in Teams, with custom environments, games and spatial audio; only supports Meta Quest for VR at launch.
• ByteDance-owned TikTok tests 30-minute video uploads as it inches closer to YouTube territory and moves away from the short-form video format that made it popular.
• New findings show that iPhone apps including Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and X/Twitter are skirting Apple's privacy rules to collect user data through push notifications, including details such as system uptime, locale, keyboard language, available memory, battery status, storage use, device model and display brightness.