By Brandon Bailey, Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --Apple says that it will start showing paid ads when people search for apps in its popular mobile store.
It's also encouraging app-makers to sell more apps on a subscription basis, by promising them a bigger cut of revenue when consumers maintain their subscriptions for at least a year.
Apple is hoping the changes starting this summer will bring in more money for itself as well as for independent software developers who make apps for the iPhone or iPad.
Consumers spent more than $20 billion in the App Store last year, but with more than 1.5 million apps available, developers say it's getting more difficult to compete for attention.
Apple said Wednesday that the new ads could help app-makers get more visibility for their products. The company also said it will improve the search tool that helps users find new apps, while promising that wealthy advertisers won't be able to dominate the results.
Apple said it will show no more than one ad, marked in blue, at the top of the list that appears when someone searches for apps by name or subject. Google started showing similar ads in its Play Store last year.
"If it's done well, this could be very effective, because search is the number one way that consumers find the apps they are looking for," said Julie Ask, an analyst with Forrester Research. She predicted Apple will make changes if consumers don't like the way ads are presented.
Apple's new emphasis on app subscriptions could provide the company and app-developers with a more reliable and longer-lasting stream of income, although it could lead to consumers paying more for some services over time.
Apple generally keeps 30 percent of the purchase price that app-makers charge consumers. But Apple said it will reduce its share after a consumer has kept the subscription for a year, meaning the developer's take will grow from 70 to 85 percent of the subscription fee.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More