Microsoft joins App Store backlash after xCloud game streaming blocked

Microsoft has joined the growing number of developers who are disgruntled with the App Store’s policies after its game streaming service xCloud is blocked.

Apple’s notorious “walled” platforms have become more open in recent years, but some frustrating policies remain which restrict developers and lead to a poorer experience for Cupertino’s customers.

Game streaming services are growing in popularity – especially with 5G rolling out – but there's a notable...

7 August 2020 | App Stores

Microsoft’s Brad Smith tells antitrust committee the App Store is anticompetitive

Microsoft President Brad Smith recently spoke to a US House antitrust committee where he called out Apple’s App Store.

During the hearing, Smith highlighted concerns about the App Store which aren’t entirely new or unfounded.

The first complaint Smith has is with Apple’s approval policy for App Store apps. Last month, Basecamp CEO Jason Fried penned a letter over Apple’s rejection of his company’s email app called Hey.

In his letter, Fried said he...

21 July 2020 | App Stores

Letter criticises App Store policies as EU opens antitrust investigation

A developer has penned an open letter criticising the App Store’s policies just a week after the EU announced it’s launched an antitrust investigation.

In a letter, Basecamp CEO Jason Fried set out his issues with the App Store’s payment policies.

Fried admits that money, specifically the 30 percent cut which Apple takes, is “a large part of the story” – but it’s the “absence of choice and how Apple forcibly inserts themselves between [the] company and...

22 June 2020 | App Stores