Google Assistant gets custom shortcuts for directly interacting with third-party Android apps

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Microsoft is organizational some inner commitments to the future of app stores on Windows today. The software giant has published 10 principles it's fostering as promises to app developers, including that it won't cake defiant stores on the platform or cake specific commerce models an app may use to mass-produce money.

The principles conjointly aviary Microsoft intentness its own apps to the aforementioned standards as defiant apps and a cram to "charge reasonable fees" that are cogitating of battling app stores on Windows. Microsoft conjointly says it won't cake apps on Windows based on a developer's five-star of in-app payment systems.

These new principles are a crystal-clear response to app store issues surrounding both Burg and Google -- in particular, Ballsy Games' open-ended legal bechance with Apple. Ballsy Incompetent implemented its own payment tessellation inside Fortnite on both iOS and Android, breaching Burg and Google's policies and forcing developers to consist a 30 percent cut for in-app purchases of directory goods.

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Fortnite on an iPhone.

. .. Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge. .

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Apple and Google responded by removing Fortnite from their app stores, and Ballsy Incompetent immediately filed a lawsuit contrariwise Apple and Google. Android users are still achieved to sideload Fortnite, thanks to the increasingly ajar attributes of Google's OS, nearabout iOS users are no longer achieved to install or reinstall the game. There hypothesize been arguments convey and forth enclosed Burg and Ballsy Incompetent over these App Store policies that will ultimately be tame in enisle verging year.

There is conjointly growing cuckoldry from developers over Apple's App Store policies that many believe restrict competition. Spotify, Ballsy Games, Tile, Match, and others hypothesize been rallying immature developers contrariwise Apple, calling for "a level scene land for app businesses" and to provide gayness of five-star on Burg devices.

The European Agency opened up a formal antitrust investigation into Apple's App Store and Burg Pay practices beforehand this year, and Congress released a blockbuster tech antitrust report beforehand this week, labeling Burg a "monopoly" due to its enclave of iOS and iPadOS software.

"In the absenteeism of competition, Apple's monopoly precocity over software distribution to iOS devices has resulted in harms to competitors and competition, reducing sickness and innovation enclosed app developers, and procuration prices and reducing choices for consumers," reads the report. The antitrust report conjointly claims Burg uses "privacy as a sword to exclude rivals and a absorber to insulate itself from charges of anticompetitive conduct."

Microsoft makes crystal-clear its new app store policies are directed at Apple. "Windows 10 is an ajar platform," says Slit Alaily, employee indeterminate counsel at Microsoft. "Unlike some other popular directory platforms, developers are democratic to optate how they distribute their apps."

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Microsoft's next-gen Xbox consoles.

. .. Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge. .

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The software maker conjointly addresses the fact that it continues to findings developers 30 percent fees on its own Xbox store for in-game purchases. "It's reasonable to ask why we are not conjointly applying these principles to that Xbox store today," says Alaily. "Game consoles are specialized devices optimized for a particular use. Admitting well-loved by their fans, they are vitally outnumbered in the marketplace by PCs and phones. And the commerce model for incautious consoles is very incommensurable to the ecosystem around PCs or phones."

Microsoft generally sells Xbox consoles at low margins and recoups some of its expenses through directory sales of incompetent and goods, including cuts of directory sales of incompetent on its platform. That's a incommensurable commerce model to Apple, which has loftier margins on iPhone and iPad devices and still enjoys 30 percent of acquirement on top for in-app purchases. Microsoft does calumniate it still has "more assignment to do to authorize the seemly set of principles for incautious consoles."

Here are all of Microsoft's 10 app store principles:

1. Developers will hypothesize the gayness to optate whether to distribute their apps for Windows through our app store. We will not cake defiant app stores on Windows.
2. We will not cake an app from Windows based on a developer's commerce model or how it delivers enjoyable and services, including whether enjoyable is installed on a device or streamed from the cloud.
3. We will not cake an app from Windows based on a developer's five-star of which payment tessellation to use for processing purchases made-up in its app.
4. We will harmonics developers appropriate derive to intercommunication hazardous the interoperability interfaces we use on Windows, as set forth in our Interoperability Principles.
5. Every developer will hypothesize derive to our app store as stretched as it meets unprepossessed standards and requirements, including those for security, privacy, quality, content, and directory safety.
6. Our app store will findings reasonable fees that reflect the dissonance we incomer from other app stores on Windows and will not gravity a developer to sell aural its app aught it doesn't want to sell.
7. Our app store will not prevent developers from communicating directly with their users through their apps for legitimate commerce purposes.
8. Our app store will hold our own apps to the aforementioned standards to which it holds defiant apps.
9. Microsoft will not use any non-public intercommunication or data from its app store hazardous a developer's app to principles with it.
10. Our app store will be transparent hazardous its rules and policies and opportunities for push and marketing, appertain these constantly and objectively, provide notice of changes, and mass-produce misogamist a pearl regalement to resolve disputes.