Still, both features announced on Monday had been questioned as part of antitrust proceedings and had long been requested by developers and competitors. Other concerns remain, such as the size of Apple's cut, the App Store review process and Apple's proclivity to release new features on its platform that compete with third-party developers.
The ability to set a default app or play Spotify on a HomePod speaker only addresses some of the issues critics have cites.
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In what the developers called a "truce," Apple eventually approved a Hey update over the weekend. Last week, scores of developers revolted on social media about App Store rules, after the makers of email app Hey said that Apple threatened to remove their service over a requirement that it use the company's payment system for subscriptions, which would hand over 30% of sales to Apple. An Apple representative didn't immediately return a request for comment.
If the changes are successful at addressing competitor complaints, they could point to a path forward for Apple as it navigates antitrust scrutiny. and Europe are looking into whether Apple's control of its App Store could be anticompetitive, and top app makers are criticizing the practice of taking a 30% cut of digital services as well as its approval process. Apple's HomePod smart speaker will also support third-party services music services, the company said in a presentation slide on Monday, addressing one of Spotify's main complaints to European Union antitrust regulators that Apple unfairly favors its own music-streaming service.Īpple's WWDC conference is taking place virtually as the company's platform is under increased scrutiny.