apps

Threads: Your Next Big Competitor – Unlock API Access & Explore Documentation with Meta

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For instance, those who want to track analytics around Threads’ posts can use an Insights API to retrieve things like views, likes, replies, reposts, and quotes. There are also details on how to publish posts and media via the API, retrieve replies, and a series of troubleshooting tips. So far, Threads API beta testers have included social tool makers like Sprinklr, Sprout Social, Social News Desk, Hootsuite, and tech news board Techmeme. Instead, users still have to visit their settings in the Threads app itself to publish to the fediverse. Meta says the new documentation will be updated over time as it gathers feedback from developers.

Global Liberalization: Apple Embraces Retro Game Emulators with New App Store Regulations

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Apple updated its App Store rules Friday to allow emulators for retro console games globally with an option for downloading titles. Apple’s update will probably encourage some of those developers to bring their emulators to the App Store. With Apple having to tweak App Store rules because of regulations, these kinds of games would provide another revenue stream for the company. Plus, it updated App Store rules at that time to support in-app purchases for mini-games and AI chatbots. “Apps may offer certain software that is not embedded in the binary, specifically HTML5 mini apps and mini-games, streaming games, chatbots, and plug-ins.

“Meta’s Repeat Outage: WhatsApp Experiences Major Service Interruption”

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For the second time in just over a month, Meta’s apps including WhatsApp, and possibly Messenger and Instagram, are facing outages and intermittent issues. WhatsApp also confirmed the outage in an update to its X account. (In our own tests, Meta’s apps were loading and we could send messages via WhatsApp which indicates either the outages were not global in nature or they’ve already been fixed.) This is not the first time Meta’s apps have seen a sizable outage this year. At the time, Meta’s status page had signaled problems with products like Ads Manager as well.

Top Performers: AI Companies in Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 Cohort

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These AI startups stood out the most in Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 batchDespite an overall decline in startup investing, funding for AI surged in the past year. So it’s not exactly surprising that AI startups dominated at Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 Demo Day. The Y Combinator Winter 2024 cohort has 86 AI startups, according to YC’s official startup directory — nearly double the number from the Winter 2023 batch and close to triple the number from Winter 2021. As we did last year, we went through the newest Y Combinator cohort — the cohort presenting during this week’s Demo Day — and picked out some of the more interesting AI startups. Datacurve hosts a gamified annotation platform that pays engineers to solve coding challenges, which contributes to Datacurve’s for-sale training data sets.

“Experience an Exclusive App Store in the EU with The AltStore’s Patreon-Powered Selection”

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As a result, we’re beginning to see what an app store ecosystem could look like when other developers are allowed to compete with the default iPhone App Store. One notable case in point is the AltStore, an alternative app store that’s preparing to take advantage of the DMA to launch an updated version of its app marketplace in the EU, with plans to support Patreon-backed apps. To comply with the new European law, Apple is introducing APIs and frameworks that allow developers to distribute apps independently of the App Store. “It all works virtually the same as the App Store now,” Testut says. In the screenshots he shared, the AltStore looks much like a modern-day app store, with categories like Games, Lifestyle and Utilities, as well as buttons to download its free apps, as on Apple’s App Store.

“Transform Your Business: The Key to Successful Mobile Apps Lies in Emulating Consumer Favorites”

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And they’re calling their company… The Mobile-First Company. Too many companies that offer B2B tools treat mobile apps as companion apps and second-class citizens. Small companies don’t need a complicated enterprise software solution. While Siel Brunet is more experienced with the needs of large companies, he has also seen how B2B apps don’t work well with small businesses. Many small companies simply rely on consumer apps to fill their needs.

LinkedIn to Introduce a TikTok-Inspired Video Feed on its App

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LinkedIn is testing a new TikTok-like short-form video feed, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Wednesday. With this new test, LinkedIn joins numerous other popular apps that have launched their own short-form video feeds following TikTok’s rise in popularity, including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Netflix. Null posted a short demo on LinkedIn showcasing the new feed, which lives in the app’s navigation bar in a new “Video” tab. LinkedIn’s new feed would give creators a new place to share their video content and potentially reach more viewers. It’s possible that LinkedIn may also monetize the feed at some point in the future to entice creators to post their video content on the app.

DOJ Accuses Apple of Using Privacy as a Cover for Profit Maximization

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The complaint accuses Apple of moulding its privacy and security practices in ways that benefits the company financially. One quote particularly jumps out where the DOJ calls Apple’s privacy and security justification an “elastic shield”:“Apple deploys privacy and security justifications as an elastic shield that can stretch or contract to serve Apple’s financial and business interests,” it says. “Apple wraps itself in a cloak of privacy, security, and consumer preferences to justify its anticompetitive conduct. It also said that at the moment developers can’t offer a separate app store for children. Essentially, the DOJ argues that Apple’s privacy and security practices are pretextual in nature and the company chooses “alternative courses” to protect its monopoly.

“Convergence of DOJ and EU in Antitrust Case Against Apple: Examining NFC and Mobile Payments”

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The one time that Europe is explicitly mentioned, however, is in relation to Apple’s grip on digital wallets, NFC and mobile payment technology within its iOS ecosystem. For context, the EU filed charges against Apple in May 2022, concluding that Apple “abused a dominant position” around mobile wallets by preventing rival services from accessing the iPhone’s contactless NFC payment functionality. For example, Apple allows merchants to use the iPhone’s NFC antenna to accept tap-to-pay payments from consumers. Then there is cross-platform smartwatch compatibility, which the DOJ says Apple impedes by restricting certain features from third-party smartwatch makers. However, NFC, digital wallets, and mobile payments are where they seem to be most neatly aligned on.

Griffin Bank: Licensed to Thrill!

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This week, we look at Griffin Bank getting its license ahead of some heavy hitters, and we go inside Stripe’s annual letter, some funding rounds, and more! The banking-as-a-service company managed to do something that even the region’s most valuable fintech company, Revolut, hasn’t been able to do yet — obtain a banking license. Granted, as Mike Butcher writes, banking licenses are difficult to come by (Griffin’s took a year), but Revolut has talked about securing a banking license for the past three years. Now that Griffin has a banking license, it offers a full-stack platform for fintech companies to offer banking, payments and wealth solutions via automated compliance and an integrated ledger. In a new SEC filing, Reddit’s IPO involves around 22 million shares, priced between $31 and $34.