The body subsequently launched parallel investigations into both companies for alleged anticompetitive behaviour
A federal judge has indicated he will order major changes in Google's Android app store to punish the company for engineering a system that a jury declared an illegal monopoly that has hurt millions of consumers and app developers. Over the course of a three-hour hearing in San Francisco, US District Judge James Donato on Wednesday made it clear that the forthcoming shake-up he is contemplating will probably include a mandate requiring Google's Play Store for Android phones offer consumers a choice to download alternative app stores Donato has been weighing how to punish the Google since last December when a jury declared the Play Store a monopoly following a four-week trial. The verdict centred on Google's nearly exclusive control over distribution of apps designed for Android phones and the billing systems for the digital commerce occurring within them -- a system that generates billions of dollars in annual revenue for the company. In protesting the judge's potential requirements
Apple has updated app review guidelines, allowing mini apps, mini games, streaming games, chatbots, plug-ins, and game emulators
The new law prohibits Apple and Google from restricting third-party companies from selling and operating apps on their platforms beyond their own app stores
Sarah Bond says the store is launching on the web, versus an app, so it's accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what, independent of the policies of closed ecosystem stores.
Previously, the Google app store for Android devices, called Play Store, allowed one download at a time, pushing other requests for apps download to the queue
Sean Ennis, a competition law professor and economist, is spearheading the case which was filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) last year
Indus Appstore thrives with rapid user adoption and developer interest
PhonePe said it has partnered with Nokia and LAVA, and is in advanced talks with several other smartphone manufacturers, targeting pre-installation on over 250 million devices by the end of this year
Rise of India's mobile economy has everyone scrambling for a piece
Windows 11 users can no longer download and install Android apps on PCs through Windows Subsystem for Android service, but can access already installed apps until March 2025
The European Commission's decision was triggered by a 2019 complaint by Swedish music streaming service Spotify over this restriction and Apple's 30% App Store fees
Among app categories, gaming led the download numbers with 9.3 billion, followed by social (over 2.36 billion), and photo and video (1.86 billion)
The loss - handed down by a San Francisco jury on Monday - is a blow to the two companies' business model in apps, where they charge commissions of as much as 30 per cent
A federal court jury is poised begin its deliberations in an antitrust trial focused on whether Google's efforts to profit from its app store for Android smartphones have been illegally gouging consumers and stifling innovation. Before the nine-person jury in San Francisco starts weighing the evidence on Monday, the lawyers on the opposing sides of the trial will present their closing arguments in a three-year-old case filed by Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite video game. The four-week trial included testimony from both Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who sometimes seemed like a professor explaining complex topics while standing behind a lectern because of a health issue, and Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, who painted himself as a video game lover on a mission to take down a greedy tech titan. Epic alleged that Google has been exploiting its wealth and control of the Android software that powers most of the world's smartphones to protect a lucrative payment system within its Play Stor
PhonePe on Saturday announced the launch of the Indus Appstore developer platform, and invited all Android app developers to list their applications on it. These apps will be listed on the soon-to-be launched "Made-in-India" Indus Appstore, offering a localised experience in 12 languages, tailored for Indian audiences, according to a release. "PhonePe, today announced the launch of the Indus Appstore Developer Platform... Indus Appstore is inviting all Android app developers to register and upload their apps using the self-serve developer platform "www.indusappstore.com," it said. App listings on the Indus Appstore Developer Platform will be free for the first year, following which a nominal annual fee will apply. "The Indus Appstore will not charge developers any platform fee or commission for in-app payments. Developers will be free to integrate any payment gateway of their choice inside their own apps," the release added. The Appstore will also have a 'Launch Pad' for new ...
Justice Elena Kagan said she wouldn't let a federal appeals court decision take effect immediately, as Epic had sought
Developer billings and sales increased by 27 percent between 2019 and 2020; 27 percent between 2020 and 2021; and 29 percent between 2021 and 2022
Announced earlier this year, WhatsApp companion mode allows users to access the same account across multiple devices, primarily phones, without having to logout from the first device
Apple's move would be in response to EU law, kicking in from 2024, which requires technology companies to allow the installation of third-party apps and let users change default settings