Filipe Espósito:
While the number of users opting to let apps track them was low at first, a new research from Adjust shows that some people have been changing their mind about this option.
According to the research firm, the industry feared that the new App Tracking Transparency in iOS would hurt the mobile app market, which heavily relies on advertisements. In May 2021, opt-in rates were at around 16%. Now that number has grown to 25% a year later.
When it comes to games, the number is even higher – 30% of users have allowed developers to collect their data for advertisements.
Nick Heer:
The most puzzling thing to me is that these four games have exactly the same first-launch flow for gaining consent to track users, yet they are producing wildly varying results.
Previously:
App Tracking Transparency iOS iOS 15 Privacy
Kosta Eleftheriou:
I didn’t think this was possible:
This App Store app [My Metronome - Tempo Keeper] immediately asks you for money and then disables the “Quit” option so that you can never close it!
And it’s been like that on the App Store for years!
The developer has grossed almost a million dollars on the App Store.
Stephen Warwick:
Users say the app forces users to pay by locking a user’s computer, with some unable to close ads or the program itself until they had paid for the service, almost akin to ransomware.
Jeff Johnson:
This developer “Music Paradise, LLC” appears to be the exact same developer as “Groove Vibes”. Registered at the same street address in Novosibirsk, Russia!
Also, both apps lock up your Mac and can’t be quit, which is what led me to investigate.
But they are catching some good developers. Jacob Eiting:
One of our employees apps just got banned from the App Store for “trying to deceive users” because we used it to test price change behavior: they created a new SKU, subscribed to it, then raised the price from $4/wk to $9/wk to get screenshots of the flow.
This must have flagged something in the App Store looking for fraudulent price increases (even though it was opt-in) and they got a notice that the app will be removed in 14 days.
They told Apple it was just a test, and that wasn’t a good enough reason for them.
It was ONE PURCHASE. That’s obviously not fraud.
Meanwhile, Disney gets a special flow for increasing the subscription price without the customer opting in.
Previously:
Update (2022-04-16): See also: Hacker News.
Update (2022-04-19): Mitchell Clark:
Eleftheriou told The Verge that it “seems like this developer has experimented with various techniques over the years of preventing people from closing the paywall,” pointing us to several other apps that are still on the store with similar behavior — we’ll get to those in a moment.
[…]
Apple didn’t respond to The Verge’s request for comment about whether it was the one to take the app down, or how it passed App Review in the first place.
App Store Scams App Subscriptions In-App Purchase Mac Mac App Mac App Store macOS 12 Monterey Malware
Michael Fey:
Over the last couple years we’ve been making a concerted effort to unify our design language. We built a user interface that’s cohesive across all our apps, but also makes you feel right at home on the platform where you’re using it. The updated designs result in a modern take on 1Password that is both familiar and fresh.
[…]
Written primarily with SwiftUI and Rust, a secure systems programming language famous for its performance and safety, 1Password is more stable, more performant, and more secure than ever before.
[…]
All of us have slightly different use cases for our favorite security app, and the new Home tab enables you to set it up just the way you like it.
[…]
1Password 8 on iPad is next-level. With a gorgeous layout that takes full advantage of the screen real estate, this is the iPad app I’ve always wanted us to build.
Ryan Jones wants to be able to see frequently or recently accessed items on the home screen.
Previously:
1Password iOS iOS 15 iOS App iPad iPadOS Passwords SwiftUI
Josh Centers:
I always somewhat regretted switching away from KeePass, which stores its encrypted database in a standardized, open format. The original KeePass has always been Windows-only, but there are multiple KeePass-compatible apps for all platforms, and you’re free to pick whichever one is right for you. With KeePass, I always felt like I had complete control of my password database.
[…]
If you want total control over your data and have the time and skills to maintain it securely, KeePass may be a good option. If what I describe below sounds like too much trouble, but you still want an open-source solution, check out Bitwarden, which offers both a cloud service and a self-hosted option (though the self-hosted option is a total pain to set up).
[…]
With KeePass, there is no cloud service. You are given an encrypted database in the open KDBX format, and you choose where to store it. That could be on your Mac, on a NAS, or in a cloud service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud.
[…]
The developer of the iOS KeePassium app has written excellent documentation for making the switch, explaining how to export your 1Password vault locally and then import it into KeePassXC on the desktop. (KeePassium is not available on the Mac.) The main limitation is that 1Password doesn’t export attachments, so you’ll have to add them back to the corresponding KeePassXC entries manually.
These days I’m using PasswordWallet for passwords and Apple Passwords for TOTP codes.
Previously:
1Password KeePass Mac Mac App macOS 12 Monterey Passwords PasswordWallet
