Posts in Linked

AppStories, Episode 290 – How iOS and iPadOS 16 Are Affecting Our Lives→

This week on AppStories, we consider how iOS and iPadOS 16 are affecting our work and personal lives.

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On AppStories+, Federico is experimenting with Lock Screen widgets as app and shortcut launchers.

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AppStories, Episode 289 – Our ‘Recently Added’ Apps→

This week on AppStories, we dig into the Recently Added folders on our iPhones and the stories they tell about what we’ve been up to lately.

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On AppStories+, I explain what’s coming this fall in Apple Maps and CarPlay, and Federico reports on new Shortcuts actions added to the latest iOS 16 beta.

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Apple Should Do More to Address the Needs of New Shortcuts Users→

Matthew Cassinelli writing for iMore that Apple should be doing more to make it easier for new users to get started with Shortcuts:

In many ways, Shortcuts is “learning to code“ for the masses, and Shortcuts as a programming language should have the educational support, technical resources, and community development that Apple’s user base deserves. At least to match the quality and values the company imbues into all of its other products.

I agree. Although Apple has used Siri and will introduce App Intents this fall as simple entry points into the Shortcuts app, there’s a lot more that could be done. As Cassinelli argues, that includes better action descriptions, debugging tools, and more active curation of the Shortcuts Gallery. Shortcuts has made a lot of progress over the past few years, especially when it comes to meeting experienced users’ needs. Now would be a good time to focus on bringing new users into the fold.

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AppStories, Episode 286 – iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura Public Beta Previews→

To kick off our Summer OS Preview Series on AppStories this week, cover the top new features of iOS and iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura, that are now available as part of Apple’s public beta program.

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  • Concepts - Sketch, Note, Draw.
  • Kolide – Kolide can help you nail third-party audits and internal compliance goals with endpoint security for your entire fleet. Learn more here.
  • Sourcegraph – Universal Code Search. Move fast, even in big codebases. Try it now.
  • Memberful – Monetize your passion with membership.
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On AppStories+, we talk about the purpose of the OS previews and the approach and process we take to writing them.

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Draft Emoji Candidates Revealed→

Source: [Emojipedia](https://emojipedia.org).

Source: Emojipedia.

Draft candidates for Emoji 15.0 have been released ahead of World Emoji Day, and Emojipedia has created the sample images seen above to show them off. Although there’s no guarantee that all of the proposed new emojis will be included in the final release of Emoji 15.0, which is expected in September, Emojipedia reports that most usually are.

Included among the candidates this year are shaking face, three new colors of hearts, left and right pushing hands in multiple skin tones, a moose, a donkey, a black bird, a goose, ginger, a hair pick, a flute, peas, and more. It’s up to each vendor that uses the Unicode Consortium’s set of emojis to create their artwork, but Emojipedia’s images provide a good touchstone for what they should look like.

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Stephen Hackett Announces the 2023 Apple History Calendar→

Today, our friend Stephen Hackett launched a follow-up to his successful 2021 Apple hardware calendar campaign on Kickstarter. This year’s calendar features more of Stephen’s excellent product photography along with notable dates in Apple’s software history.

You can watch Stephen’s announcement video here:

and read more about the campaign on 512 Pixels.

In addition to the wall calendar, Stephen has created a digital wallpaper pack for backers who pledge $5 or more. If you pledge $32 or more, you get the wall calendar, wallpaper pack, and a .ics file for importing Apple’s software dates into a calendar app. Pledge $38 or more, and you’ll get stickers too.

Stephen’s been working hard on this project for a while now. I’m really looking forward to seeing this year’s photos, which are a great way to show off his collection of Apple hardware, and browsing through the dates he’s compiled for this year’s calendar.

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AppStories, Episode 285 – Exploring Reading and Research Apps→

This week on AppStories, we survey some of our favorite reading and research apps across all of Apple’s platforms.

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  • Sourcegraph – Universal Code Search. Move fast, even in big codebases. Try it now.
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On AppStories+, I explain the quirks of moving from one state to another to Federico and we both update listeners on the tools we’re using this year for our annual OS reviews.

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App Developers Can Apply to Use Third-Party Payment Processors in South Korea With Limitations→

To comply with a recent amendment to South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act, Apple is allowing developers to use third-party payment systems for the first time. However, the new App Store entitlement comes with substantial limitations.

Developers who want to use a third-party payment processor must apply to Apple for a StoreKit External Purchase Entitlement. Apps with the new entitlement can only be released in South Korea’s App Store, which means that developers will need to make a separate version of any app that uses the entitlement. As Apple explains, using the entitlement also means certain App Store features will be unavailable to users too:

If you’re considering using this entitlement, it’s important to understand that some App Store features, such as Ask to Buy and Family Sharing, will not be available to your users, in part because we cannot validate payments that take place outside of the App Store’s private and secure payment system. Apple will not be able to assist users with refunds, purchase history, subscription management, and other issues encountered when purchasing digital goods and services through an alternative purchasing method. You will be responsible for addressing such issues.

Third-party payment processing isn’t a way to get around Apple’s commission on purchases made by users:

 Apple will charge a 26% commission on the price paid by the user, gross of any value-added taxes. This is a reduced rate that excludes value related to payment processing and related activities.

Developers will need to handle the payment of any taxes to South Korean taxing authorities themselves too.

It’s hard to imagine that Apple’s new StoreKit External Purchase Entitlement will be attractive to many developers, given its limitations and the need to create a separate version of apps just for South Korea. I expect we’ll see this new StoreKit entitlement offered on a country-by-country basis as other countries follow South Korea’s lead, but I don’t expect it will lead to meaningful use of third-party payment processors unless and until apps are available outside the App Store via sideloading.

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AppStories, Episode 284 – Mac App Spotlight→

This week on AppStories, we share some of our favorite Mac apps, including new discoveries and old favorites.

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On AppStories+, Federico investigates displays that work well with the Mac, iPad, and gaming PCs, and I share my spartan, furniture-free recording setup.

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