The DMA Version of iOS Is More Fun Than Vanilla iOS→

Allison Johnson, writing for The Verge on the latest EU-mandated and Apple-designed changes to iOS in Europe:

They’re getting all kinds of stuff because they have cool regulators, not like, regular regulators. Third-party app stores, the ability for browsers to run their own engines, Fortnite_,_ and now the ability to replace lots of default apps? I want it, too! Imagine if Chrome on iOS wasn’t just a rinky dink little Safari emulator! Imagine downloading a new dialer app with a soundboard of fart sounds and setting it as your default! Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t seem interested in sharing these possibilities with everyone.

And:

It’s starting to look like the company sells two different iPhones: one for people in Europe, and one that everyone else can buy. That’s weird, especially since keeping things simple and consistent is sort of Apple’s thing. But the company is so committed to keeping the two separate that it won’t even let you update apps from third-party app stores if you leave the EU for more than a month.

As I wrote on Threads (much to the disbelief of some commentators), I personally feel like the “DMA fork” of iOS is the version of iOS I’ve wanted for the past few years. It’s still iOS, with the tasteful design, vibrant app ecosystem, high-performance animations, and accessibility we’ve come to expect from Apple; at the same time, it’s a more flexible and fun version of iOS predicated upon the assumption that users deserve options to control more aspects of how their expensive pocket computers should work. Or, as I put it: some of the flexibility of Android, but on iOS, sounds like a dream to me.

Apparently, this thought – that people who demand options should have them – really annoys a lot of (generally American) pundits who seemingly consider the European Commission a draconian entity that demands changes out of spite for a particular corporation, rather than a group of elected officials who regulate based on what they believe is best for their constituents and the European market.

That point of view does Apple a disservice: rather than appreciating how Apple is designing these new options and collaborating with regulators, some commentators are just pointing fingers at a foreign governmental body. From my European and Italian perspective, it’s not a good look.

I think that Apple is doing a pretty good job with their ongoing understanding of the DMA. It’s a process, and they’re doing the work. I don’t find the installation of third-party marketplaces as horrible as others have painted it, and I’m excited about the idea of more default apps coming to iOS. Whether you like it or not, this is the world we live in now. A law was passed, and iPhones (and iPads soon) must be made more versatile. As a result, iPhones are more fun for people like me (a clipboard manager! Fortnite!), while very little has changed for those don’t care about new options.

Apple is adapting to this new reality. Perhaps more folks in the Apple community should, too.

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

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Sigmund and Devon highlight the return of Pachinko and share their earliest experiences with Apple TV.

The gang shares their very sane, and not at all controversial 👀 notification preferences. Then they explore some new and interesting Obsidian plugins you might not have heard of.

This week, John and Federico discuss peanut butter, the limits of testing gadgets in public, and Federico’s latest Spotify experiment before turning to a movie and two music recommendations.

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Apple Announces New Changes to the Browser Choice Screen and Default Apps on iOS and iPadOS in the EU

Today, Apple announced a series of new changes coming later this year to users running iOS and iPadOS in the European Union.

In March 2024, as part of Apple’s response to the DMA, iOS 17.4 introduced a new browser choice screen that prompted users in the EU to choose a new default browser when first opening Safari after the update. Later this year, once again, this screen will be shown to all European users who have set or kept Safari as their default web browser on iOS and iPadOS, “including users who have already seen the choice screen prior to the update.” The screen will also be shown to these users when migrating to a new device.

This updated browser choice screen will now feature App Store subtitles and descriptions for each listed web browser, and will let you tap on a chevron to open its product page on the App Store.

Additionally, if the selected default browser is not already installed, you will now be able to see its download progress right from the browser choice screen. But that’s not all: Apple says that the newly selected browser’s icon will now immediately replace Safari if it was placed in the Dock or on the Home Screen on iOS and iPadOS.

The updated browser choice screen in iOS 18. Source: Apple

The updated browser choice screen in iOS 18. Source: Apple

Along with the updated browser choice screen, Apple announced the addition of a new ‘Default Apps’ section in Settings for users in the EU running iOS and iPadOS 18. In addition to web browsers, alternative app marketplaces, and email apps, you will now be able to set a new default app for each of the following features:

  • Dialing phone numbers
  • Adding Call spam filter
  • Sending messages
  • Navigating with maps
  • Managing passwords
  • Using alternative keyboards
  • Translating text

Apple will now also let users in the EU uninstall the following core apps on iOS and iPadOS: ‌

  • App Store‌
  • Messages
  • Camera
  • Photos
  • Safari
A new 'Default Apps' section in Settings will be available to users in the EU as part of iOS and iPadOS 18. Source: Apple

A new ‘Default Apps’ section in Settings will be available to users in the EU as part of iOS and iPadOS 18. Source: Apple

These changes to the browser choice screen and the ability to select new default apps on iOS and iPadOS come a few months after the European Commission announced their intention to open a non-compliance investigation against Apple in regard to the DMA. In its press release from March 25th, the Commission specifically cited the design of the browser choice screen introduced in iOS 17.4:

The Commission is concerned that Apple’s measures, including the design of the web browser choice screen, may be preventing users from truly exercising their choice of services within the Apple ecosystem, in contravention of Article 6(3) of the DMA.

It is unclear at this time whether these changes will satisfy the Commission.

Monument Valley 3 Is Heading To Netflix Games Along with the Series’ First Two Installments

Yesterday, during Gamescom’s opening night ceremonies, Netflix Games released a trailer for Monument Valley 3. The franchise’s sequel from Ustwo Games, which has been in development for five years, will be published exclusively on Apple’s App Store and Android by Netflix Games on December 10th. Monument Valley 1 and 2 are also moving to Netflix Games on September 19th and October 29th, respectively. Both games previously launched on the App Store as paid titles and were later added to Apple Arcade.

Few details have been shared about Monument Valley 3, although the trailer does reveal that the game’s protagonist Noor will sail a boat for the first time. According to Jennifer Estaris, Ustwo’s Game Director of Monument Valley 3:

Monument Valley is a title that has pushed boundaries of what is possible in games, from the power of minimalist design, to the simplicity of play and the emotion of interactive storytelling. Our goal is to bring our biggest Monument Valley yet to as many people as possible, which is why we partnered with Netflix to deliver the game to hundreds of millions of players around the world as part of their memberships.

Netflix has promised additional information about the game during its September 16th Geeked Week event.

I’ve had my eye on Netflix Games for a while. Its catalog, which we discussed on NPC: Next Portable Console and I’ve written about a lot, is full of high-quality indie games as well as casual games and TV tie-ins. I’ve half expected Netflix to veer in a more Arcade-like direction, but so far, the company’s game library continues to outdo Apple Arcade in terms of game quality and balance among genres.

The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

This week, Federico and I look at the gadget landscape to find inspiration for expanding Apple’s hardware lineup.

On AppStories+, a behind-the-scenes look at our expansion into video and a conversation about the Vision Pro.

  • Memberful – Help Your Clients Monetize Their Passion

The snack cup overfloweth this week with chips, seasoning, and a very blue beverage. The onto the App Store and finally a new Ruminate family member has joined.

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Apple Podcasts Is Now Available as a Web App

Apple Podcasts got the full Apple Music treatment with its own web app today. The UI is essentially the same as Apple’s native app but with the added flexibility of working on non-Apple devices. Apple says Podcasts works on all major browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, and can be accessed in more than 170 countries and regions in their local language. If you’re an Apple Podcasts user, your progress will be synced from the web to your Apple devices, too.

Apple Podcasts' web app is nearly identical to the native version.

Apple Podcasts’ web app is nearly identical to the native version.

The web app strikes me as a win for both listeners and podcasters. Podcast fans now have more ways to enjoy their favorite shows, discover new ones, and share episodes with others. Suddenly, Apple Podcasts is cross-platform, which is still relatively rare among the most popular podcast apps, except for Pocket Casts.

Your entire library of shows is available on the web and syncs across all versions of the app.

Your entire library of shows is available on the web and syncs across all versions of the app.

Links opened on Apple devices will open in the native Podcasts app and in the browser on other devices, although on the Mac, it is possible to play episodes in a browser if you prefer. Here’s Comfort Zone playing on everyone’s current obsession, the Boox Palma:

The latest episode of [NPC](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gamecube-to-go/id1749770019?i=1000665157926) running on my Boox Palma.

The latest episode of NPC running on my Boox Palma.

It sounds great, too.

The web app also means podcasters can now reach a bigger audience. Not only are free RSS-based shows available on the web, but listeners can also subscribe and listen to paid shows.

I’ve only played around with the web version of Apple Podcasts a little, but it works well on every device I’ve tried with it so far, including the Palma, a Boox Android tablet, and a Windows gaming handheld using Chrome and Edge. In every case, the Podcasts web app worked just as well as listening in the native app.

Procreate Will Not Include Generative AI in Its Apps→

Today on its website, Procreate announced that it would not build generative AI tools into its apps. The company’s position is clear and unequivocal:

Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future. We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us.

We’re here for the humans. We’re not chasing a technology that is a moral threat to our greatest jewel: human creativity. In this technological rush, this might make us an exception or seem at risk of being left behind. But we see this road less travelled as the more exciting and fruitful one for our community.

In a short video on X.com, Procreate CEO James Cuda said:

I don’t like what’s happening to the industry, and I don’t like what it’s doing to artists.

I couldn’t agree more or be happier to see Procreate take a stand in defense of artists. Federico and I interviewed Cuda at WWDC, and although Cuda struck a diplomatic tone having just received an Apple Design Award for Procreate Dreams, it was clear to me then that we were unlikely to see generative AI in Procreate’s apps. For everyone who wasn’t in the room with Cuda that day, though, today’s statement should set their minds at ease. I hope we see more developers whose apps support creative fields take a similar stand.

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The Sound of Apple→

I thoroughly enjoyed this two-part series on the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast about sound design at Apple and the care that goes into crafting sound effects and alerts that complement the user experience (speaking of the parts of Apple I still love).

I’ll be honest: like many other people these days, I don’t often hear sound effects at all since my iPhone is constantly silenced because I don’t want to bother people around me. However, sound plays an essential role for accessibility reasons and is an entire dimension of software design that is not treated like an afterthought at Apple. I especially appreciated how both episodes went into explaining how particular sounds like Tapbacks, Apple Pay confirmation messages, and alarms were created thanks to members of Apple’s Design team, who participated in both episodes and shared lots of behind-the-scenes details.

I hope we get a third episode about sound design in visionOS eventually. (I listened to both episodes using Castro, which I’m using as my main podcast client again because its queue system is unrivaled.)

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The Slow Decline of the Apple “Cult”→

The headline may be a little provocative, but this article by Matt Birchler encapsulates a lot of the feelings I shared on the latest episode of Connected following Apple’s decisions regarding the Patreon iOS app.

Part of this is that Apple is no longer the underdog, they’re the biggest fish in the sea. It’s simply not as fun to root for the most successful consumer company of all time than to root for the upstart that’s trying to disrupt the big guys.

But another part is that despite achieving massive success, Apple continues to make decisions that put it at odds with the community that used to tirelessly advocate for them. They antagonize developers by demanding up to one third of their revenue and block them from doing business the way they want. They make an ad (inadvertently or not) celebrating the destruction of every creative tool that isn’t sold by Apple. They antagonize regulators by exerting their power in ways that impact the entire market. They use a supposedly neutral notarization process to block apps from shipping on alternate app stores in the EU. Most recently they demand 30% of creators’ revenue on Patreon. No single action makes them the bad guy, but put together, they certainly aren’t acting like a company that is trying to make their enthusiast fans happy. In fact, they’re testing them to see how much they can get away with.

And:

And to be super clear, I think the vast majority of folks at Apple are amazing people doing amazing work, especially those in product, design, and development. There’s a reason that I use their products and there’s a reason I care enough to even comment on all this in the first place. The problems all stem from the business end of the company and I don’t know how to convince them that reputation matters. How do we convince them that they need the rebel spark like they used to have? How do we convince them there are more ways to increase their profits than by going after the paltry earnings of creators on Patreon?

It’s a pretty dark place to be when Apple’s biggest, long time fans are hoping that the US government will step in to stop them from doing multiple things that they’re doing today.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. On the latest Connected, I argued that it almost feels like there are two Apples within Apple: the company that designs the hardware products and operating systems I still love using, which I find superior to most alternatives on the market today; and there’s the business entity, which is antagonizing developers, creators, governments, and, in doing so, alienating customers who have been supporting them for years.

I don’t know how to reconcile the two, and I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way lately.

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