Macro Arment (Mastodon):
What’s in this beta:
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Transcripts of most podcasts (swipe on the episode art during playback, it’s a new page past the info screen)
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Live-scrolling of transcripts during playback
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Tap to seek on any line of text
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Music detection
All of this should work even with dynamic ad insertion… and even with private/membership podcasts!
And if you play an episode that isn’t transcribed yet, you can transcribe it right on your iPhone (if you’re running iOS 26+).
This is really impressive, and I think it will be transformative for podcast listening and triage. There’s a long discussion with more technical details in the latest Accidental Tech Podcast.
Christian Bender:
The way you can follow along as the audio plays, or jump to a place in the episode by tapping a paragraph in the transcript, is just so convenient. It made me seriously consider using Apple Podcasts. And of course, I immediately tested the Overcast implementation.
[…]
It’s the kind of feature that fits how I use podcasts. Like chapters, it supports choice. It lets you cut through the noise and get straight to the topics that interest you.
Previously:
iOS iOS 26 iOS App Mac mini Overcast Podcasts Speech Recognition
Ryan Whitwam (Hacker News):
With its new limits on sideloading, Android phones will only install apps that come from verified developers. To verify, devs releasing apps outside of Google Play will have to provide identification, upload a copy of their signing keys, and pay a $25 fee. It all seems rather onerous for people who just want to make apps without Google’s intervention.
Apps that come from unverified developers won’t be installable on Android phones—unless you use the new advanced flow, which will be buried in the developer settings.
[…]
Google swears it’s not interested in the content of apps, and it won’t be checking proactively when developers register. This is only about identity verification—you should know when you’re installing an app that it’s not an imposter and does not come from known purveyors of malware.
[…]
So a rootkit can be malware, but a rootkit you downloaded intentionally because you want root access on your phone is not malware, from Samat’s perspective. Likewise, an alternative YouTube client that bypasses Google’s ads and feature limits isn’t causing the kind of harm that would lead to issues with verification. But these are just broad strokes; Google has not commented on any specific apps.
Adamya Sharma (via John Gruber):
When Google execs previously said sideloading would become a high-friction process on Android, they really weren’t kidding.
The company is finally sharing what Android’s new sideloading flow will look like in practice, and if you’re someone who installs apps outside the Play Store, you’re going to feel it immediately, and you’re going to feel it deeply.
[…]
It’s a deliberately slow and almost impossible-to-rush-through process that will allow advanced Android users to sideload apps from unverified developers, while giving them plenty of caution to keep them safe from malicious apps and bad actors.
[…]
Yes, really. There’s a mandatory one-time, one-day waiting period before you can proceed and sideload an app from an unverified developer. Google calls it a “protective waiting period.”
Horrific. Can we finally dispense with this notion that Apple’s App Store can be as restrictive as they want because if you don’t like that you can just buy an Android phone?
tavavex:
The part in the flow where you select between allowing app installs for 7 days or forever is a glimpse into the future. That toggle shows the thought process that’s going on at Google.
I can bet that a few versions down the line, the “Not recommended” option of allowing installs indefinitely will become so not recommended that they’ll remove it outright. Then shrink the 7 day window to 3 days or less. Or only give users one allowed attempt at installing an app, after which it’s another 24 hour waiting period for you. Then ask the user to verify themselves as a developer if they want to install whatever they want. Whatever helps them turn people away from alternatives and shrink the odds of someone dislodging their monopoly, they will do. Anything to drive people to Google Play only.
Gregory:
At this point I’m convinced that there’s something deeply wrong with how our society treats technology.
Ruining Android for everyone to try to maybe help some rather technologically-hopeless groups of people is the wrong solution. It’s unsustainable in the long run. Also, the last thing this world needs right now is even more centralization of power.
Previously:
Android Antitrust Google Play Store Malware Security Sideloading
Hartley Charlton:
Apple has quietly blocked AI “vibe coding” apps, such as Replit and Vibecode, from releasing App Store updates unless they make changes, The Information reports.
[…]
Apple told The Information that certain vibe coding features breach long-standing App Store rules prohibiting apps from executing code that alters their own functionality or that of other apps.
[…]
An Apple spokesperson said the policy is not targeted specifically at vibe coding apps.
If the apps are in breach of longstanding rules, why is it the updates that are blocked? It seems like either Apple should have rejected the apps long ago or else they’re trying to retcon the new policy, which remains unclear to me.
Malcolm Owen (9to5Mac):
Report sources say that the apps in question are close to being approved for the App Store again, but after agreeing to make changes to the way they function. These changes include updating previews of the vibe-coded apps, or removing functions like making apps specifically for Apple devices.
That sounds like removing the core functionality.
The report adds that there are other apps that exist in the App Store that didn’t get the same limitation, such as Vercel’s v0. Other apps that offer similar capabilities that aren’t coding-specific, such as design app Canva, could potentially be hit by the same issues, since they can be used to create filters, quizzes, and other items using AI.
For the most part, the report focuses on the issue being one of competition and revenue protection. Apple could lose revenue due to these vibe coding apps creating software that doesn't pass through the App Store itself.
Previously:
App Store App Store Rejection Artificial Intelligence iOS iOS 26 Replit Strategy Tax
