Kalakshar US

Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to comply with the orders of a California court, which required the company to immediately stop collecting commissions on purchases that weren’t paid through the App Store. As noticed by 9to5Mac, the most prominent change in the guidelines states that there are now no prohibitions on “buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase,” as long as it’s for an app on the US storefront. Further, developers don’t have to request for an entitlement from Apple to be able to offer external link purchases on apps for the United States storefront anymore. 

In the section stating that certain applications, such as reader apps and apps that sell goods and services, cannot encourage users to opt for third-party purchasing methods in-app, Apple added that the prohibition doesn’t apply to apps on the US store. “The App Review Guidelines have been updated for compliance with a United States court decision regarding buttons, external links, and other calls to action in apps,” Apple said in a statement.

These changes come as a result of a recent ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who found that Apple violated her 2021 ruling for Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple. Back then, she ordered Apple to allow developers to direct users to other payment systems that would let them avoid paying the company a 30 percent cut.

However, Apple still took a 27 percent cut from external purchases, prompting Epic Games to accuse the company of non-compliance in a new legal filing last year. Apple also showed users a “scare screen” when they try to make external purchases, discouraging them from using third-party payment systems. In addition to ordering Apple to stop collecting fees from purchases made outside the App Store, Gonzalez Rogers also prohibited Apple from creating rules that would prevent developers from presenting customers with buttons and links for external payments

In response, Epic chief Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite will be coming back to iOS next week. He also said that the video game company will bring back Fortnite on iOS for everyone and will drop all litigation regarding the issue if Apple adopts the no-commission policy worldwide, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for now. Other companies are now also looking to roll out updates that would allow them to bypass Apple’s commission for external payments. One of them is Spotify, which announced that it had already submitted an update that would allow customers in the US to pay outside the App Store. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-updates-its-app-store-guidelines-to-allow-external-payment-options-123039994.html?src=rss 

This week Meta held its first-ever AI dev conference, LlamaCon, focused on the development of its Llama generative AI model. But while there was plenty of hype, not much happened, besides the launch of the Meta AI app and a new Llama API. In this episode, Engadget Senior Reporter Karissa Bell joins us to talk about her thoughts on LlamaCon after attending in person. After just announcing its latest Llama models a few weeks ago, it was as if Meta didn’t have much else to say.

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Topics

Meta’s Muted LlamaCon: who was the AI dev conference really for? – 1:31

Court orders Apple to stop collecting app fees outside of the iTunes store – 21:44

Microsoft announces Xbox series X and S prices are going up – 25:22

NPR report: DOGE employees may have access to U.S. nuclear secrets – 26:44

New EV startup Slate to offer a barebones pickup for $20k (after tax breaks) – 30:47

Swiss academics use AI to influence public opinion on Reddit – 35:08

Duolingo to replace contract workers with AI – 40:19

Working on – 47:50

Pop culture picks – 50:56

Credits 

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Karissa Bell
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-metas-first-llamacon-was-kind-of-a-bust-113008156.html?src=rss 

Late last year, Reddit introduced its AI-powered search tool, Reddit Answers. Now, the company plans to make the feature even more prominent by adding it into Reddit’s main sitewide search, CEO Steve Huffman said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call.

“We are now working to integrate it into Reddit core search experience to further streamline the path from question to answer on Reddit,” Huffman said. “Integrating into Reddit search means we want one search box. That’ll be the primary search box, and you’ll type your query in there, you’ll get, potentially, your [Reddit] Answers, answer, or, you know, more of a traditional Reddit response, depending on what you’re searching for.”

Up to now, Reddit Answers, which is still labeled as being in “beta,” has lived in its own section of the service. The feature summarizes conversations from across Reddit in response to queries that users may otherwise seek out by adding “Reddit” to their searches on Google. Huffman said that Reddit Answers, which recently became available to all US Redditors, as well as a handful of international markets, already has 1 million weekly users. That’s only a small fraction of Reddit’s 401 million weekly users, but adding it into Reddit’s primary search box should give it a boost.

Huffman said the change is part of a broader strategy to improve search across Reddit. Reddit Answers, he said, could help make the service more accessible to new users and guide people who come to the site via search engines. The change could also be somewhat controversial — Reddit users aren’t exactly known for loving big changes to the service — though Huffman acknowledged users may not always want an AI-generated summary in response to every search.

“Sometimes people will want the summarized, annotated, sterile answers from AI, and we’re even building this ourselves in Reddit Answers,” Huffman said. “But other times they want the subjective, authentic, messy, multiple viewpoints that Reddit provides.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-will-integrate-ai-answers-into-its-main-search-bar-223907171.html?src=rss 

Lyft is rolling out a new service called Lyft Silver that’s specifically designed to give aging and elderly people a way to get around when driving isn’t an option.

The basic pitch is that while getting rides from friends and family is great, it can limit the sense of independence an elderly person has. According to Audrey Liu, Lyft’s head of Rider and Community Safety, the goal “wasn’t just to build a service, but to remove everything that makes getting around a challenge.” Lyft Silver will ideally help people “stay connected with their communities.” 

Public transportation is already doing that for plenty of elderly people, but not everyone has access and Lyft is promising an extra level of security and support. Besides featuring a simpler interface, the new service adds access to live human support whenever you need it. Lyft Silver will also prioritize matching riders with cars that are easier to get in and out of, and make it easier to share ride details with loved ones.

Lyft has offered features in the past that acknowledge elderly riders, but hasn’t addressed them directly. The company’s Concierge service lets a doctor’s office order a ride for an elderly patient, for example. Lyft has also partnered with healthcare providers to offer paid rides to appointments. Lyft Silver just simplifies things even further by repackaging the basic ride-hailing experience for an older audience.

Lyft says Lyft Silver will launch in early access “nationwide” on May 5. You’ll be able to use the service directly from the normal Lyft app, and the company says families will be able to pay for their loved ones rides with Lyft Cash, the company’s in-app payment method.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyft-silver-wants-to-keep-your-aging-parents-off-the-road-192617078.html?src=rss