Excellent article today from Ben Thompson. After laying out in detail why Apple has a strong argument in yesterday’s Supreme Court hearing, Ben moves to the larger question of the App Store monopoly:
Antitrust, the App Store, and Apple
Apple’s case before the Supreme Court is about standing; Apple has a strong case. That, though, doesn’t mean the App Store isn’t a monopoly — and that Apple isn’t increasing…
Tim Sweeney on Twitter / X
Finally, American developers will be free to compete with Apple’s App Store and payment systems here at home!A solid move to free the United States from the crony capitalist intentions of Big Tech and Big Law. https://t.co/7NXHiQxhEf— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 1, 2025
Evolving App Store Business Models - David Smith, Independent iOS Developer
I’ve been thinking this past week (as I often do) about the ever-changing landscape of the App Store. This year has seen some of the biggest changes in policy and structure that I can remember. We have new subscription pricing models, search ads, a substantial purge of older apps, new requirements for app names and a variety of little changes to the App Store app itself in iOS 10.
Tim Sweeney on Twitter / X
Google is opening up Android all the way with robust support for competing stores, competing payments, and a better deal for all developers. So, we've settled all of our disputes worldwide. THANKS GOOGLE! https://t.co/Dq6eXNnZd0— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 4, 2026
Pluralistic: Web apps could de-monopolize mobile devices (13 Dec 2022) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Mobile tech is a duopoly run by two companies – Google and Apple – with a combined market cap of $3.5 trillion. Each company uses a combination of tech, law, contract and market power to force sellers to do commerce via an app, and each one extracts a massive commission on all in-app sales – 15-30%!
Apple Announces App Store Mini Apps Partner Program
Apple today announced the App Store Mini Apps Partner Program, allowing apps that host mini apps and mini games to support In-App Purchases. The program is designed for developers who host mini apps and games within a larger, native app. Today, we're introducing the Mini Apps Partner Program, which expands on the App Store's ongoing support for apps that offer mini apps. Mini apps are self-contained experiences that are built using web technologies like HTML5 and JavaScript.
Introducing MacStories Selects: The Best New Apps, App Updates, and iOS Games of 2018
Over the course of a year, the MacStories team tries hundreds of apps. We test them, live with them, poke, prod, and break them, and then we write and talk about them. Collectively, it amounts to thousands of hours of thought and analysis that on a macro level seeks to answer the question: what makes
GREG ISENBERG on Twitter / X
Apple JUST quietly announced something that’s a lot BIGGER than it looks: "the Mini Apps Partner Program"Apple is admitting that the future of software is embedded, lightweight, vertical mini-apps distributed inside bigger appFor founders who want to make $$ building apps:… pic.twitter.com/jZz7dU6w07— GREG ISENBERG (@gregisenberg) November 14, 2025
Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite - #FreeFortnite
Moatless
App stores are dead. Buy the code: someone had the idea and spent the tokens building it. Why waste your own?
Morgan Stanley: No, Apps Aren't Winning. The Mobile Browser Is. | MarTech
Last week, comScore released its Mobile App Report, which we covered. The report contained many interesting findings, but its big takeaway was this:
What the hell is going on with Apple?
The commonly held belief is that Apple charges ridiculously high prices for its products because they’re well-built, beautiful objects that the company generally stands behind. As founder Steve Jobs loved to say, Apple’s products “just work.”
Why freemium apps suck for everyone (and how Apple is killing paid apps)
I work on an iPhone app called Reps & Sets as a hobby project in my spare time. This week, my partner and I came to the conclusion that there is no
App Store Improvements - Maintaining a safe and trusted store - App Review - Help - Apple Developer
How the App Store Improvements process evaluates apps, when apps get removed, and what to do if yours is affected.
Sustainable Indie Software — Helftone
We have seen a large shift in the app economy over the past 7 years which has had a huge impact on indie software. In many ways, we have regressed to state which is simply unsustainable in the long term. If you only look at the highly publicised successes, you might assume independent developers are rolling in cash. Do not be fooled, the situation on the ground, especially on iOS, is actually very different – many indies are struggling to make a living.
Paid game subscriptions now live on iOS
Apple has rolled out its subscription model for mobile game developers. Announced in June, Apple is encouraging developers to adopt the new model by offerin...
