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MacStories Unwind: New Privacy Features Coming this Fall, Apple Music 1, and a TV Bundle

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Sponsored by: Airmail Pro – Fast, Customizable Email on All Your Devices

This week on MacStories Unwind:

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  • MacStories Weekly
    • Anybuffer
    • A collection of iPad apps Ryan would like to see on the Mac
    • A column on the business dilemma of bringing iPad apps to Apple Silicon Macs
    • A Club member iOS 14 Home screen
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Apple and Privacy in 2020: Wide-Reaching Updates with Minimal User Intrusion

Privacy has increasingly become a competitive advantage for Apple. The bulk of the company’s revenue comes from hardware sales, in stark contrast to competitors like Google who depend heavily on ad revenue and thus benefit tremendously from collecting user data. Apple calls privacy one of its core values, and the structure of its business makes it easier to hold true to that value. But that doesn’t mean its privacy work is easy or without cost – behind the huge number of privacy enhancements this year was surely significant effort and resources that could have been diverted elsewhere. The company’s privacy discourse isn’t empty marketing speak; it’s product-shaping. Not only that, but thanks to Apple’s enormous influence in tech, it can be industry-shaping too, forcing companies that otherwise may not prioritize user privacy to do business differently.

This year in its WWDC keynote, Apple dedicated an entire section of the presentation to privacy, detailing its latest efforts within the framework of what it calls its four privacy pillars:

  • On-device processing
  • Data minimization
  • Security protections
  • Transparency and control

Evidence of each of these pillars can be seen throughout much of what Apple announced during the rest of the keynote. On-device processing, for example, powers the new Translate app in iOS 14, HomeKit Secure Video’s face recognition feature, and more. New security protections have been implemented to warn you if a Keychain password’s been compromised, and to enable Sign In with Apple for existing in-app accounts, both of which make your accounts more secure. But the majority of this year’s most prominent privacy updates fell under the remaining two core pillars: data minimization and transparency and control.

Here are the privacy-focused changes you’ll see this fall across iOS and iPadOS 14 and macOS Big Sur.

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Apple Rebrands Beats 1 as Apple Music 1, Launches New Global Radio Stations with Fresh Hosts and Shows

Today Apple announced an expansion and rebranding for Apple Music’s radio efforts. The flagship worldwide radio station Beats 1 is being renamed Apple Music 1 while retaining the same content as before.

Joining Apple Music 1 in Apple’s lineup of global radio stations will be two new stations: Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country. The former is dedicated to well-known and well-loved songs from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s, while the latter highlights modern and classic country music.

Like Apple Music 1’s roster of hosts and presenters, which includes Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden, and Brooke Reese, Apple’s two new stations will have daily on-air hosts as well. For Apple Music Hits this includes Jayde Donovan, Estelle, Lowkey, and more; Apple Music Country will be hosted by Kelleigh Bannen, Ty Bentli, and Bree, among others.

One of the unique strengths of Apple Music 1, besides its strong team of hosts, is the periodic shows by artists such as Billie Eilish, Elton John, and Frank Ocean. Apple has assembled just as impressive an assortment of shows for its new stations. Per Apple’s press release, Apple Music Hits will feature exclusive shows from “Backstreet Boys, Ciara, Mark Hoppus, Huey Lewis, Alanis Morissette, Snoop Dogg, Meghan Trainor, Shania Twain, and more.” For Apple Music Country the list of shows is even longer, featuring:

Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, BRELAND, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Morgan Evans, Florida Georgia Line, Pat Green, Willie Jones, Chrissy Metz, Midland, Rissi Palmer, The Shires, Carrie Underwood, and Morgan Wallen, alongside exclusive shows from legendary producers and songwriters like Dave Cobb, Jesse Frasure, and Luke Laird, and journalist Hunter Kelly.

Apple Music hasn’t changed its radio product much over the years, so today’s announcements represent a significant move for the company. While I still wish the Music app provided better tools for informing me when a new radio show I may be interested in is coming up, such as push notifications as a show’s starting, perhaps today’s moves are just the beginning. Now that the content side of radio has been enhanced, perhaps this fall’s updated Music app will offer improvements to the software side of the radio experience.

Apple TV Channels Bundle Now Available Featuring CBS All Access and SHOWTIME

Apple today announced the first bundle offer that’s ever been available for channels in the company’s TV app. It comes with a unique twist in that the offer is only available for customers who already subscribe to Apple TV+, whether through a paid subscription or as part of their free year of service for purchasing a new Apple product. Apple TV+ subscribers can now subscribe to a bundle of CBS All Access and SHOWTIME for just $9.99 per month following a 7-day free trial. When subscribed to separately, these two channels together would cost $20.98 per month, making this a substantial offer.

Apple’s press release highlights some of the features that make channel subscriptions appealing:

By subscribing through Apple TV channels, customers can watch content from all three services online and offline, ad-free and on demand, only on the Apple TV app. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share the subscriptions to Apple TV+, CBS All Access, and SHOWTIME using just their personal Apple ID and password.

As someone who has used Apple’s TV app heavily for years, I’ve written before about how much value I find in the channels experience, and how disappointed I am that Apple hasn’t been able to strike more deals for additional channels partners. When Apple TV channels first launched in early 2019, HBO was the most prestigious channel available, but when that service transitioned to become HBO Max, there was no longer a channel option available for Apple users. New streaming services like Disney+ and Peacock haven’t been made available as channels either. So Apple has built a solid TV experience for the streaming age, but it’s not available for the services people care about most. I’m not particularly hopeful that today’s bundle news will change that at all, but it’s good to at least see a little life from the company’s channels initiative.

Airmail Pro: Fast, Customizable Email on All Your Devices [Sponsor]

Airmail Pro is the Apple Design Award-winning email client for the iPhone, the iPad, the Apple Watch, and the Mac that combines elegant design and support for the latest Apple technologies with rich, customizable features that tame your inbox with a single subscription for all your devices.

Everyone’s email workflow is a little different. With Airmail’s extensive customizations, unique actions, and deep integration with the latest Apple technologies as well as other apps and services, the app works for you instead of against you.

The app can handle every major email service and standard. It’s smart, unified inbox provides unparalleled message management with features like inbox filters, message snoozing, and scheduled message sending. There’s also a privacy mode that processes all the data locally on your device, blocks tracking pixels, and prevents images from loading automatically. On the iPad, Airmail Pro shines with Split View support, drag and drop, keyboard shortcuts, an iPad-optimized layout, trackpad support, two-finger multiple item selection, and dark mode.

Airmail Pro, which was launched earlier this year, adds terrific new and updated features for Pro subscribers like a brand-new design, improved search, new themes like Cherry Tree and Leaf, and custom actions. There’s also support for interactive notifications so you can delete, archive, or reply to messages from inside a notification, bulk message management with swipe actions, lots of sorting and filtering options, message templates, a new calendar preview, search suggestions, and custom actions from the trackpad.

Take control of your email across all of Apple’s platforms today by downloading Airmail for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch now.

Airmail Pro is free to try without multiple account support and with other limitations. If you’re an Airmail Pro subscriber on iOS or bought Airmail 3 after January 1, 2019, the full, unlocked versions of Airmail are available for no extra charge. Other users can use earlier versions of the app by going to Preferences → General → Airmail Legacy.

Our thanks to Airmail Pro for sponsoring MacStories this week.

MacStories Unwind: Apple Maps Changes Coming this Fall and a Soundscape App Review

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Sponsored by: Calory – Track What You Eat!

This week on MacStories Unwind:

MacStories

Club MacStories

  • MacStories Weekly
    • A collection of music utility apps, a shortcut, and websites
    • Ryan on Apple Podcasts’ Listen Now feature
    • Plus apps, links, and more
  • Join Club MacStories

AppStories

Unwind

Fortnite Developer Epic Games Sues Apple Alleging Anti-Competitive App Store and Payment Processing Behavior

Apple has been on a rapidly accelerating collision course with the videogame industry for the past couple of weeks. Not long after Congressional hearings investigating anti-competitive conduct by large technology companies, including Apple, Microsoft ended the TestFlight beta of its xCloud app because Apple wouldn’t approve the game streaming service. Today, the conflict came to a head when Epic Games, the maker of the hugely popular Fortnite, filed a private antitrust suit against Apple.

In hindsight, the series of events that unfolded today appear to be part of a carefully orchestrated plan leading to the filing of the lawsuit. The day began with Epic offering in-game currency at a discount in the iOS version of the game using Epic’s own payment system in clear violation of App Store guidelines. Apple responded by pulling the game from the App Store. In a statement to The Verge, Apple said:

Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services.

Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and have benefited from the App Store ecosystem - including its tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers. Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we’re glad they’ve built such a successful business on the App Store. The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users. We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.

Shortly after the game was pulled from the App Store by Apple, Epic filed a 62-page lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleging violations of the federal Sherman Act and a similar California state statute.

According to Epic:

Apple has become what it once railed against: the behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation. Apple is bigger, more powerful, more entrenched, and more pernicious than the monopolists of yesteryear. At a market cap of nearly $2 trillion, Apple’s size and reach far exceeds that of any technology monopolist in history.

The complaint alleges anti-competitive conduct in connection with the distribution of iOS apps and in-app payment processing. According to Epic:

But for Apple’s illegal restraints, Epic would provide a competing app store on iOS devices, which would allow iOS users to download apps in an innovative, curated store and would provide users the choice to use Epic’s or another third-party’s in-app payment processing tool.”

The lawsuit concludes with a request that the court issue an injunction prohibiting the behavior, declaring it unlawful, and ordering other equitable relief to prevent Apple’s actions and remedy the alleged harm that has been caused.

The lawsuit was followed by an in-game video parodying Apple’s famous 1984 commercial asking Fortnite gamers to “Join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming ‘1984.’”

Based on the timing of events, it appears that Epic intentionally violated Apple’s app review guidelines to pick a fight. I would be surprised if backroom negotiations didn’t precede the filing of the lawsuit, but regardless, Epic’s actions raise another line of attack against the way Apple runs the App Store. What’s different about Epic’s lawsuit is that it’s brought by a well-funded, private company that has hired one of the biggest global law firms to fight for it. Barring a quick settlement, this will cost both companies a lot of money and subject Apple to bad publicity over a much longer period of time than a day’s testimony in front of Congress ever could.

Apple Maps in 2020: Cycling and EV Routing, City Guides, and Feature Parity on All Platforms

Apple Maps has come a long way since its debut in iOS 6. Much of the app’s history, which got off to a rocky start, has been focused on gathering and improving map data worldwide, but that’s beginning to change. The task is enormous and will never really be finished, but a shift has already started.

Once, the improvements in Maps were focused mainly on its basic underlying data like getting roads and geographic features correct. However, today the emphasis is increasingly on providing a deeper set of data and new features like cycling routes and city guides. Google Maps has had some of this functionality for years, and many of the refinements to Apple Maps are in just a handful of cities and countries. However, with the completion of Maps’ rebuilt map data in the US, Apple has begun to layer in new data and functionality that is poised to spread out much more widely.

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