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  • Apple tries to steal Google’s I/O thunder, pronounces WWDC 2025 occasion dates

    What you should know

    • A couple of hours earlier than Google’s I/O 2025 occasion, Apple dropped the dates for WWDC 2025.
    • The corporate says the festivities will start on June 9 at 10 am PT; nevertheless, the occasion will run from June 9-13.
    • Apple detailed its Classes, one-on-one experiences, and extra for customers and builders to get into.

    Do not suppose anybody had this on their bingo card. Apple steps into Google’s limelight to announce information for its upcoming WWDC occasion.

    Simply this morning (Could 20), Apple posted a snapshot of its upcoming WWDC 2025 occasion, stating it can happen on June 9 at 10 am PT (1 pm ET). The corporate teases people can tune in to witness its subsequent “software program and applied sciences.” With the tagline “On the Horizon,” WWDC 2025’s official page went reside not way back, giving customers somewhat extra perception. Your complete occasion runs from June 9-13.

    Customers and builders alike ought to put together for Apple’s major keynote on June 9 at 10 am PT. Nevertheless, the web page states there might be a “Platform State of the Union” occasion following the principle keynote at 1 pm PT. Apple says it can clue customers into the “latest developments to your apps and video games.”

    The festivities proceed as Apple highlights its Classes. The web page says customers might be taken via over 100 movies regarding Apple’s design, tech, and instruments. These are inspired to obtain Apple’s Developer app and subscribe to its Developer YouTube web page.

    Lastly, Apple states customers can arrange one-on-one lab experiences. These are on-line appointments that can information customers via subjects they discover essentially the most attention-grabbing. There’s extra to it; nevertheless, Apple will walk you through how this may be achieved if desired.

    WWDC reveals what Apple’s cooking

    A banner stating Apple's WWDC 2025 event will take place on June 9.

    (Picture credit score: Apple)

    WWDC is beginning at some point sooner than final yr, however Apple’s 2024 convention really dug into the model’s AI efforts. The primary occasion talked about Apple Intelligence, which we have all develop into conversant in in current months. Apple Intelligence was all about bringing many AI options to help customers day by day, just like what we have seen from Samsung and Google. Nevertheless, one other speaking level was the way it might enhance the well being and health expertise.

    Then again, Apple kind of pushed RCS messaging to the back burner final June, which wasn’t stunning. As an alternative of talking on it in depth, we got the expectation of RCS in iOS 18, which occurred a few months later in September. The RCS replace lastly introduced the textual content message replace Android customers had been ready for with iPhones. Briefly, the replace introduced learn receipts, sharper photographs, and extra.

  • Decide pressures Apple to approve Fortnite or return to courtroom

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    A federal choose is asking Apple to approve Fortnite’s submission on the U.S. App Retailer or return to courtroom to elucidate the authorized foundation as to why it has not completed so.

    In a brand new filing, U.S. District Decide Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers confirms the courtroom has obtained Epic Games’ latest motion, the place it calls for that Apple approve Fortnite for distribution on the App Retailer.

    The clearly irritated choose asks Apple to point out the courtroom the “authorized authority upon which Apple contends that it will possibly ignore this Courtroom’s order.” Gonzalez Rogers additionally means that Apple might want to return to courtroom to elucidate if the state of affairs shouldn’t be addressed.

    “Apple is totally able to resolving this situation with out additional briefing or a listening to,” Gonzalez Rogers reminds the tech large, earlier than including that Apple title the corporate official who’s chargeable for guaranteeing compliance with the courtroom’s choice.

    Studying between the strains, the demand for the title of the Apple official within the new submitting means that Gonzalez Rogers shouldn’t be above contemplating contempt prices for failing to adjust to the courtroom’s injunction.

    This follows her earlier ruling, the place the choose skewered Apple for attempting to route around the court’s orders and accused the tech firm of mendacity underneath oath.

    After winning the best to incorporate hyperlinks to exterior cost mechanisms in its app, Epic Games resubmitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store. Nevertheless, Apple told the game maker that it determined to not take motion on Epic Games’ submission till after the Ninth Circuit guidelines on Apple’s pending request for a partial keep of the brand new injunction. (In different phrases, Apple stated it didn’t should approve the app till the authorized proceedings round its appeal totally performed out.)

    Epic Video games on Friday filed a motion to compel the courtroom to implement the injunction, given Apple’s choice.

    The newest authorized menace follows a years-long courtroom battle over Apple’s App Retailer insurance policies, which had lengthy denied app builders the best to hyperlink to exterior cost choices with out paying Apple a fee. Apple initially complied with the courtroom’s choice within the lawsuit by permitting U.S. builders to use for an exception to its App Retailer guidelines, however it nonetheless collected a 27% fee on these different purchases, down from the standard 30%. Apple additionally required builders to make use of “scare screens” that warned shoppers once they have been clicking by way of to make a purchase order exterior its App Retailer.

    In a serious victory for builders, Gonzalez Rogers dominated Apple was in “willful violation” of the courtroom’s injunction on anticompetitive pricing and commissions, which might have seemingly allowed Fortnite to return to the App Retailer. However Apple sat on the submission for per week as an alternative, neither approving nor denying the sport’s publication, whereas its legal professionals crafted a response.

    What occurs subsequent might be vital for Apple, as it could encourage related authorized motion or regulation in different world markets.

    Apple was the victor in Epic’s unique antitrust lawsuit in opposition to the tech large, because the courtroom declared it was not a monopolist. Nevertheless, Epic Games carved out a win in one area when Gonzalez Rogers agreed that iPhone customers ought to have entry to different cost choices if a developer needed to make use of its personal web site for in-app purchases, like these for digital items or subscriptions.

    Following the choice, Apple updated its App Retailer insurance policies for the U.S., and apps, together with Spotify, Amazon Kindle, and Patreon shortly rolled out new variations of their apps to reap the benefits of the brand new performance.

    Epic Video games declined to remark. Apple didn’t reply to a request for remark.

  • Apple approves Spotify replace so US customers can purchase audiobooks throughout the app

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    Spotify announced on Monday that Apple has authorised a brand new app replace, permitting iPhone customers within the U.S. to buy particular person audiobooks straight throughout the app. Customers may view audiobook costs and simply purchase further listening hours past the preliminary 15 hours.

    “This variation lowers the limitations for extra customers to embrace their first — or tenth — audiobook, whereas permitting publishers and authors to achieve followers and entry new audiences seamlessly,” the corporate wrote within the announcement. 

    This long-awaited replace follows a recent U.S. court ruling that ordered Apple to cease charging charges on purchases made exterior of the App Retailer.

    The power to purchase audiobooks straight throughout the iOS app and see pricing will probably be a pleasant enchancment for customers who beforehand had to purchase audiobooks on the internet earlier than they might entry them throughout the app. Spotify removed audiobook purchases again in 2022 as a consequence of Apple’s strict guidelines round in-app purchases. Now, customers should buy an audiobook with only a few faucets.

    Moreover, iPhone customers had been beforehand required to go to the net to buy extra listening hours, known as “top-ups.” With the replace, they will now make these purchases straight throughout the app. Every top-up prices $13 for 10 further hours.

    Earlier this month, Spotify started permitting iPhone customers to buy subscriptions exterior the App Retailer, as Apple authorised an replace enabling entry to pricing data and exterior cost hyperlinks. 

  • Epic Games asks judge to force Apple to approve Fortnite

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    Epic Video games is escalating its efforts to strain Apple to permit its recreation Fortnite into its App Retailer, with a new court filing asking Choose Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to require that Apple “settle for any compliant model of Fortnite onto the U.S. storefront of the App Retailer.”

    Epic and Apple have been engaged in a years-long authorized battle over Apple’s App Retailer insurance policies, notably the commissions Apple fees for in-app purchases.

    The Fortnite writer scored a major victory last month when Choose Rogers dominated that Apple was in “willful violation” of an injunction on anti-competitive pricing — a ruling that appeared to pave the way in which for Fortnite to return to the App Retailer, and extra broadly, for builders to supply different cost choices of their apps.

    Nevertheless, Apple stated it is going to enchantment the ruling, and on Friday, Epic said Friday the company is blocking Fortnite from each its U.S. App Retailer and stopping it from being launched on the Epic Video games retailer in Europe: “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will likely be offline worldwide till Apple unblocks it.”

    Apple disputed this characterization, particularly the suggestion that it was blocking Fortnite outdoors the USA. As an alternative, the corporate stated it requested Epic Sweden to “resubmit the app replace with out together with the U.S. storefront of the App Retailer in order to not affect Fortnite in different geographies.”

    However why block Fortnite in the USA? Epic launched a letter signed by Mark A. Perry, an legal professional representing Apple, telling Epic’s legal professionals that “Apple has decided to not take motion on the Fortnite app submission till after the Ninth Circuit guidelines on our pending request for a partial keep of the brand new injunction.”

    In its submitting, Epic argues that Apple is denying it “the power to benefit from the pro-competitive guidelines it helped usher in,” and “punishing” Epic “by shutting it out of the very promote it has fought so exhausting to open — whereas sending a transparent message to different builders to not problem Apple’s practices.”

  • After adding its own billing option on iOS, Apple asks Patreon to move it to an external browser

    Creator platform Patreon has to change its app to adjust to Apple’s tips after a recent update allowed U.S. customers to make purchases by way of the net.

    The corporate says that its personal web-based checkout choice is now the default for U.S. followers, nevertheless it has to replace its app in order that this checkout choice opens in an exterior browser as a substitute, per Apple’s instruction.

    This creates extra steps for followers who wish to pay utilizing Patreon immediately, nevertheless it nonetheless permits the corporate to forgo having to pay Apple a 30% fee on in-app purchases.

    Patreon first updated its app shortly after a court docket ruling within the Apple-Epic authorized battle that pressured Apple to support external payments in apps revealed on its U.S. App Retailer with out charging commissions. Final week, the Patreon iOS app (model 125.5.0) added an choice that allow customers pay by way of the net utilizing a wide range of fee strategies, together with bank cards, Venmo, PayPal, and even Apple Pay.

    These choices appeared inside an in-app browser, offering a extra seamless checkout expertise for Patreon customers. Now, Patreon’s checkout movement opens in an exterior browser as a substitute — a change Patreon made based mostly on Apple’s suggestions.

    As well as, the corporate says creators on older billing fashions may even be capable of settle for funds by way of Patreon’s iOS app.

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    Picture Credit:Patreon

    Beforehand, Apple didn’t assist billing fashions outdoors of subscription billing, and it required the unique use of its personal in-app purchases system. That restricted the choices for creators on legacy billing fashions, like first-of-the-month and per-creation billing, Patreon says.

    With the replace, creators will be capable of use these billing choices on iOS, which might make a big affect on their backside line.

    Inside the week, Patreon says that U.S. followers will be capable of buy memberships from these creators on the value they’ve set for his or her tiers within the iOS app. (Nonetheless, creators will nonetheless want to supply subscription billing to promote new memberships outdoors the U.S.)

    At the moment, roughly 95% of energetic creators are already utilizing subscription billing, the corporate notes, because it permits them to make use of different instruments like free trials, reductions, gifting, tier repricing, autopilot, and extra. However now it may well tackle the wants of the remaining 5%.

    Due to this new flexibility, Patreon’s deadline to modify creators to subscription billing is not in impact, it says. Final August, Patreon stated Apple had given it a deadline to switch all creators to Apple’s iOS in-app purchase system by November 2025 or danger removing from the App Retailer.

    “We’ve stayed in shut dialog with Apple and have continued advocating for a extra versatile method — one that offers creators extra time and selection,” Patreon shared in a blog post. “Because of the current ruling and adjustments on Apple’s finish, the November 2025 deadline is not in impact, and as of at this time, no new deadline has been set. Which means that, as of now, we may give creators extra time and adaptability in when and the way they swap whereas we concurrently work to resolve points which have blocked them from switching within the first place,” it stated.

  • Epic Games says Apple is blocking Fortnite from the US and EU App Stores

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    Epic Video games claims that Apple is obstructing its Fortnite app from the U.S. and EU App Shops.

    After winning a decisive victory for app developers in a authorized battle with Apple, forcing the tech big to permit exterior funds in its U.S. App Retailer with out charging fee, Epic Video games tried to resubmit Fortnite to the U.S. App Store on Could 9, 2025.

    Nonetheless, Apple failed to simply accept its submission for per week, main Epic Video games to tug its request and take a look at once more. In response to Epic Video games CEO Tim Sweeney, the update was pulled because Epic Video games must launch a weekly Fortnite replace with new content material, and all platforms should be up to date concurrently.

    The corporate then submitted a brand new model to the U.S. App Retailer for assessment on Wednesday, Could 14, with the up to date content material.

    In a Friday morning put up on X, Fortnite stated that Apple has blocked its newest U.S. submission and has made it so Epic Video games can’t launch its app to the European Union, both.

    “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS can be offline worldwide till Apple unblocks it,” the post from Fortnite reads.

    TechCrunch reached out to Epic Video games and Apple for remark.

    Apple disputed Epic Video games’ characterization of the problem. A spokesperson for Apple stated the next:

    “We requested that Epic Sweden resubmit the app replace with out together with the U.S. storefront of the App Retailer in order to not influence Fortnite in different geographies. We didn’t take any motion to take away the reside model of Fortnite from different distribution marketplaces within the EC.”

    Up to date after publication with Apple’s remark.