Apple is opening up web distribution for iOS apps targeting users in the European Union from today.
Apple’s walled garden stance has enabled it to funnel essentially all iOS developer revenue through its own App Store in the past.
An Apple rep described this as a baseline safety and security standard which they said iOS users expect to help ensure their device is protected from external risks.
Given Apple has only just started implementing web distribution for iOS apps it remains to be seen whether the EU will step in for a closer look at this aspect of its DMA compliance too.
It’s also unclear how much demand there will be among iOS developers for direct web distribution.
WhatsApp on Tuesday announced a handful of new chat filters for the app to access certain types of messages easily: All, Unread, and Groups.
The “Unread” filter is helpful in looking at messages you might not have seen.
It also helps you get to inbox zero and get rid of the annoying number of unread chat indicators.
Notably, WhatsApp already had a way to look at unread messages through a filter in the search bar.
WhatsApp said that the filter option starts will be rolling out to users starting today and will be available to all users in a few weeks.
X, formerly Twitter, is rolling out support for passkeys, a new and more secure login method compared with traditional passwords, to all iOS users globally.
In an update to the X @Safety account on Monday, the company shared that passkeys are now available as a login option for global iOS users.
Update: Passkeys is now available as a login option for everyone globally on iOS!
Try it out.https://t.co/v1LyN0l8wF — Safety (@Safety) April 8, 2024Passkey technology was initiated by Google, Apple, Microsoft, and the FIDO Alliance, alongside the World Wide Web Consortium.
Donald Trump Jr.’s X account was also hacked to post a fake message saying that Donald Trump had passed away.
YouTube is launching a version of Shorts that’s only for members, allowing creators to share short-form videos exclusively with their paying viewers.
The new feature gives paying subscribers access to additional content, on top of their current membership perks, which include things like custom emojis, badges, livestreams and more.
YouTube says creators can use the new option to share a special announcement, product drop or limited-time deal.
The expansion means regular creators will be able to post exclusive videos that only paying subscribers can view.
The exclusive content will be displayed with a star icon, indicating that it’s only available to paying subscribers.
Audiobooks.com offers a 30 day free trial that comes with three free audiobooks.
The platform lets you download titles for offline reading and listening, and allows you access titles across four devices.
Spotify has started giving Premium members 15 hours of free audiobook listening every month.
Many best sellers fall under 15 hours, which means you can enjoy a free audiobook every month.
Libro.fmLibro.fm is an interesting audiobook app because it lets you buy audiobooks while supporting your local bookstores.
More importantly for Mastodon, Meta committed to integrating Threads with ActivityPub, meaning users would be able to find and follow both Mastodon and Threads users across both services.
While many expected that integration wouldn’t arrive until early 2024, Meta surprised everyone by announcing yesterday that it would begin testing ActivityPub integration.
I’m pretty optimistic about this,” said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post on Threads.
Threads users’ profiles on Mastodon weren’t backfilled with their older posts before the integration went live.
With Threads’ integration into Mastodon’s ecosystem, users will have more choice in how they want to engage with Threads users and content, including by accessing those accounts from an app of their choosing.
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