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Interview: Game Developer Zach Gage on Pile-up Poker and Resisting Dark Patterns→

Jason Snell has an excellent interview on Six Colors with Zach Gage one of the creators of Puzzmo and a ton of other games we’ve covered on MacStories over the years. Federico and I interviewed Zach ages ago on AppStories, and more recently at WWDC, and the only thing I like more than hearing him talk about game design and theory is playing his games.

As I read the interview, I was struck by the thoughtfulness with which Zach’s games are made, including this tidbit about Pile-Up Poker, the most recent addition to Puzzmo:

We have a lot of games on the website right now that are very cerebral and based on you and trying hard and being at your peak. And for me, thinking about how we balance a portfolio of games, I really wanted to have something in there that would be a lot more random every day and would still fit the guidelines that we have for Puzzmo. The game should be healthy. It should be a thing where you are creative and clever and improve your strategy. It should be something that anybody at any skill level can play and win, but people who are really highly skilled can play at a super high level and really compete.

Poker is one of my favorite games ever. I think it’s a magical game. For me, the biggest trick of poker is that you can play poker with your friends for 20 years and then someone can show up and have never played poker before and win. And that is something that doesn’t exist with, I don’t think, any other game. So it felt like the right kind of game to bring to Puzzmo to find something that fits that space. It would be super approachable, but also there’s a depth.

If you haven’t tried Puzzmo yet, I highly recommend it.

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Developers Getting Access to NFC Transactions via the Secure Element in iOS 18.1→

Earlier today, Apple announced another major new functionality coming to iOS 18.1: the ability for third-party apps to offer NFC transactions via the iPhone’s Secure Element:

Starting with iOS 18.1, developers will be able to offer NFC contactless transactions using the Secure Element from within their own apps on iPhone, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Using the new NFC and SE (Secure Element) APIs, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions for in-store payments, car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets, with government IDs to be supported in the future.

This is coming in iOS 18.1, which will also mark the official debut of Apple Intelligence. Even better, Apple has published extensive documentation on the new APIs, from which I noticed one detail: in addition to overriding the iPhone’s side button double-click with a different app, a third-party app running in the foreground will still be able to initiate its own NFC transactions, even if you set a different default app.

Eligible apps running in the foreground can prevent the system default contactless app from launching and interfering with the NFC transaction.

And:

You can acquire a presentment intent assertion to suppress the default contactless app when the user expresses an active intent to perform an NFC transaction, like choosing a payment or closed-loop transit credential, or activating the presentment UI. You can only invoke the intent assertion capability when your app is in the foreground.

The irony of all this, of course, is that Apple is under regulatory scrutiny in both Europe and the United States regarding the inability for third-party developers to offer alternative wallets and tap-to-pay systems on iPhone. But as it’s becoming apparent lately, it seems there’s no greater project manager for new iOS features than the fear of regulation.

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Manual Camera App Halide Introduces Process Zero, a New Unprocessed Image Capture Mode

Images taken using Process Zero. Source: [Lux](https://www.lux.camera/introducing-process-zero-for-iphone/).

Images taken using Process Zero. Source: Lux.

Today, Lux released an update to Halide, its manual control camera app. The marquee feature is Process Zero, a mode that allows photographers to take images with no algorithmic or AI processing. As Lux’s Ben Sandofsky explains it:

Process Zero is a new mode in Halide that skips over the standard iPhone image processing system. It produces photos with more detail and allows the photographer greater control over lighting and exposure. This is not a photo filter— it really develops photos at the raw, sensor-data level.

The result is that it’s possible to capture finer details than a processed photo under some conditions. The resulting image is a RAW file that’s 12 MB, significantly smaller than a ProRAW photo. In addition to Process Zero, the Halide team introduced Image Lab, a feature accessed from your Halide photo library, that offers a single dial element for adjusting your RAW photos.

Process Zero comes with some tradeoffs as explained in depth in Sandofsky’s post. The images it produces are “less saturated, softer, grainier, and quite different than what you see from most phones.”

I’ve had limited time to try Process Zero, but it was immediately apparent that the process of taking photos is different and harder compared to relying on the iPhone’s image processing. The feature requires a more deliberate, attentive approach to Halide’s manual camera settings to get a good shot. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is clearly different, and I imagine it’s also probably the best way to really learn how the app’s manual camera settings work.

I also appreciate that the Halide team is taking a human-focused approach to photography at a time when so many developers and AI companies seem all too willing to cast aside photographers in favor of algorithms and generative AI. Process Zero’s approach to photography isn’t for everyone, and I expect most of the time, it won’t be for me either. However, I’m glad it’s an option because, in the hands of a skilled photographer, it’s a great tool.

If you’re interested in checking out Halide’s new Process Zero and Image Lab features, which are the foundation of what will become Halide Mark III, the app is currently on sale. For the rest of this week, Lux is offering Halide membership subscriptions for $11.99 per year, which is a 40% discount. The app is also available as a one-time $60 purchase.

The Latest from AppStories and NPC: Next Portable Console

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

This week, Federico and John rethink podcast apps, exploring why it’s such a tricking category to get right for the greatest number of users.

This week, Federico returns to join John and Brendon to recap the latest portable gaming news before Federico drops a massive GameCube surprise on his co-hosts.

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A Video Version of NPC: Next Portable Console Debuts Today on YouTube

Today, we’re expanding NPC: Next Portable Console to include video on YouTube. The reception to the show has been fantastic. NPC debuted in the top five on the Apple Podcasts Video Game chart and has been attracting more listeners every week as an audio-only podcast on YouTube. However, with videogames being such a popular category on YouTube, we knew we could do more for listeners by adding a proper video version of the show.

So beginning today, you can watch NPC on the MacStories YouTube channel:

Today’s episode was the perfect place to start with video. I don’t want to give away Federico’s surprises here, but he plotted a big reveal for months that he springs on Brendon and me in today’s episode. It’s a deep dive into the console modding community and a classic Federico reveal. As always, we highlight the latest portable gaming news, too.

If you haven’t tried NPC or checked out the MacStories YouTube channel yet, you can subscribe to NPC on YouTube or subscribe to the MacStories channel for access to all six of our podcasts and more. Of course, all of our shows are available as audio-only podcasts too.

Thanks to everyone who has listened to NPC and our other new shows these past few months. It means a lot to us. Our ongoing experiments with YouTube are a direct result of the enthusiasm for the shows and something we plan to do more of in the coming months.

Shareshot 1.0: Pixel Perfect Screenshots, Beautifully Presented

I’ve used Federico’s Apple Frames shortcut to add device frames to screenshots for years. It’s a great way to quickly process multiple screenshots and upload them to the MacStories CDN with minimal effort. But as great as Shortcuts is for simplifying this sort of task, there are advantages to using a native app instead.

Editing screenshots on the iPad.

Editing screenshots on the iPad.

Shareshot is an app for iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro that occupies a lot of the same feature space as Apple Frames, using Apple hardware to frame screenshots. However, the app simultaneously does more and a little less than Federico’s shortcut. That one missing feature means that I won’t be abandoning Apple Frames, but because of the things the app can do that Apple Frames can’t, Shareshot will be joining the shortcut as a utility I expect to use a lot.

Let’s dig into what makes Shareshot shine.

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Patreon Lays Out How It Will Deal with Apple’s Insistence That It Use App Store In-App Purchases

Today, Patreon alerted creators who use its platform that Patreon must begin using Apple’s In-App Purchases system in its iOS app or face the app’s removal from the store. According to Patreon:

This has two major consequences for creators:

  1. Apple will be applying their 30% App Store fee to all new memberships purchased in the Patreon iOS app, in addition to anything bought in your Patreon shop.
  2. Any creator currently on first-of-the-month or per-creation billing plans will have to switch over to subscription billing to continue earning in the iOS app, because that’s the only billing type Apple’s in-app purchase system supports.

This change was first publicized by Patreon late last year, but the exact date of the 2024 transition was unknown at the time. The Patreon post linked above and a video by Patreon founder Jack Conte explain the situation in depth and walk through what the company is doing to help transition creators and their members to new billing systems.

The changes don’t affect supporters who purchase a membership before November 2024. Also, Patreon has created a tool for creators to pass Apple’s 30% fee on to their members who sign up using the iOS app, which it recommends doing. However, that’s bound to create some ill will with members, and it doesn’t solve the fact that certain kinds of billing like ‘per creation’ charges aren’t available as part of Apple’s payment system, meaning that many creators will need to change their financial arrangements with their members.

It’s a real shame to see this. On the one hand, I’ve always wondered why Patreon was able to use its own billing system. Apparently, so was Patreon. On the other hand, though, Apple allowed Patreon to do its own thing for years. Patreon and creators built businesses that don’t fit neatly into Apple’s payment system, so it doesn’t strike me as fair that now, they have to find a way to fit that square peg into a round hole.

I wish this were an isolated thing, but it isn’t. Apple’s caring-for-creators engine seems to have run out of gas.

The Latest from Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, and MacStories Unwind

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Sigmund and Devon preview Apple Intelligence, highlight new Apple Original heist flick The Instigators, discuss improvements to Continuity Camera in the tvOS 18 beta, and recap Land of Women.

Chris is absent for mysterious reasons, Niléane finds clever ways to watch the Olympics, and Matt explores his podcast app feelings.

This week, Federico returns to discuss the animal kingdom and share our E-ink device hot takes, along with a movie pick.

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The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

This week, I am joined by Jonathan to preview watchOS 11, which is one of the most feature packed OSes being updated this fall.

On AppStories+, John reports on how his travel tech setup fared.

  • Setapp – the place to get apps. Use the code appstories20 at checkout for 20% off.
  • MusicHarbor – New Music From Your Favorite Artists and Record Labels.

This week, Robb is this snackplier this week, and I had a sour patch kids situation, and we both discuss Samsung’s renaming of a train station.

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