Year: 2021

Apple objecting to outside payment feature ahead of court hearing

Reuters News November 1, 2021 0

[Reuters]: Apple on Friday outlined their objections to allowing app developers to link to third-party payment options ahead of a hearing next month that could determine whether a judge’s antitrust court orders is put on pause during the appeal.

After a lengthy trial earlier this year brought by “Fortnite” creator Epic Games, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued a ruling that was largely favorable to the iPhone maker and upheld its practice of requiring developers to use its in-app payment system, for which it charges commissions.

But Gonzalez Rogers expressed concern that consumers did not have access to information about other ways to pay for apps. She ordered Apple to stop its ban on “buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms” beyond Apple’s own payment systems.

Apple has until Dec. 9 to implement the order, but the company has appealed the ruling and asked the order to be put on hold while the appeal plays out, which could take a year or more. A hearing on the request is set for Nov. 9.

Apple plans ‘Crash Detection’ for iPhones and Apple Watch

CompuScoop Staff November 1, 2021 0

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="336"] A prototype of what the feature may look like. Via: WSJ[/caption]

In 2022, Apple plans to roll out a product feature called “crash detection” for iPhones and Apple Watches who are in a car accident that will allow their devices to dial 911 automatically, The Wall Street Journal reports citing documents and people familiar with the feature.

Crash detection uses data from sensors built into Apple devices including the accelerometer to detect car accidents as they occur, for instance by measuring a sudden spike in gravity, or “g,” forces on impact.

Apple introduced a fall-detection feature in its smartwatch several years ago that senses when wearers have taken a hard fall and dials 911 if they don’t respond to a notification asking if they are OK. The company this year added a feature to the newest version of its iPhone operating system that assesses the walking steadiness of users.

Apple has been testing the crash-detection feature in the past year by collecting data shared anonymously from iPhone and Apple Watch users, the documents show. Apple products have already detected more than 10 million suspected vehicle impacts, of which more than 50,000 included a call to 911.

Apple has been using the 911 call data to improve the accuracy of its crash-detection algorithm, since an emergency call associated with a suspected impact gives Apple more confidence that it is indeed a car crash, according to the documents.

The documents don’t specify how Apple users are sharing information with the company so it can test its new crash-detection algorithm.

Via: The Wall Street Journal