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A tech guide outlines how Google Maps' built-in tools—arrival-time planning, color-coded traffic updates, turn-by-turn voice navigation, and offline map downloads—can simplify driving for older users. The app is pre-installed on most Android phones and available free on both the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store.
Apple told developers it will roll out two new App Store content descriptors on November 16: 'Dating and Relationships' and 'Shared Location.' Apps offering romantic or sexual interactions—whether with real people or AI chatbots—must now carry an 18-and-over age rating, with developers given until January 12, 2027 to complete disclosures across all their apps.
Apple told developers it will require apps offering dating, romantic relationship features, or AI companions with sexual or romantic content to carry an 18+ age rating. Starting November 16, developers must add content descriptors so app ratings reflect these features, and apps sharing users' real-world locations with others must also disclose that functionality. Apple noted Brazilian apps offering family location-sharing can seek a special rating from the government instead of the standard A16 label.
Apple is adding two new content-descriptor questions to App Store Connect, asking developers whether their app shares a user's real-world location and whether it includes dating features with real people or virtual companions involving sexual or romantic content. Apps that disclose dating or relationship features will automatically receive a minimum 18+ age rating, restricting visibility for users under parental content controls. The new questions appear in App Store Connect starting November 16, and developers must answer them for all apps by January 12, 2027.
Investigators uncovered a network of more than 400 apps and websites distributed through the App Store and Play Store that pose as ordinary tools—language tutors, pet photo editors, workout coaches—but secretly contain deepfake nudity generators. The apps display a normal interface after download but contact a remote server that decides whether to unlock the explicit feature, with the operators also running Meta ads showcasing explicit deepfake content to drive installs.
Apple announced new App Store content descriptors requiring developers to disclose whether apps include real-world location sharing or dating, relationship and sexual features involving real people or virtual companions. Apps with dating or relationship features will get a minimum age rating of 18, while location-sharing apps may see rating changes depending on regional regulations. The new questionnaire fields launch November 16th, with all developers required to complete declarations by January 12th, 2027.
On its latest earnings call, Apple CFO Kevan Parekh said the company sees opportunities to grow services revenue through third-party apps and partnerships involving AI, without specifying details. Reuters reported that investors are speculating Apple could earn a cut by distributing third-party AI agents through the App Store.
A counterfeit crypto trading app called Padre Terminal was distributed through Apple's App Store and linked to the theft of roughly $23,000 from 27 Solana wallets, according to blockchain investigator Iris. The app allegedly drained funds after users entered their private keys, and has since been removed from the App Store. Iris traced the stolen funds to a Solana wallet address and said the attacker converted USDC holdings into SOL to avoid having funds frozen.
South Korea's Korea Media and Communications Commission fined Apple roughly $15.5 million (20.81 billion won) and Google a separate penalty for violating the country's Telecommunications Business Act. Regulators found both companies forced developers toward their own in-app payment systems via a 26% commission, delayed app reviews without clear explanation, and applied discriminatory commissions, and ordered policy changes to correct these practices.
An Australian federal court has ruled against Apple, ordering it to allow third-party app stores, direct downloads, and alternative payment systems on iOS without imposing restrictive conditions or fees. Following the ruling, Epic Games announced Fortnite will return to the Australian App Store, ending its absence there since Apple had continued contested restrictions after the game relaunched elsewhere. Apple must comply by March 1, 2027, pay 85 percent of Epic's legal costs, and has said it disagrees with the findings and intends to challenge them.
Apple revised its developer guidelines over the weekend to prohibit apps that use AI to generate offensive content, including those that hide 'nudification' features during review and reveal them only after approval. The company said apps with user-generated content must filter objectionable material, allow reporting of abuse, and let users block accounts, and it strengthened legal language against apps enabling human trafficking or child exploitation.
Apple has revised its App Store moderation policy to explicitly target apps that use AI to generate nonconsensual sexually explicit images. Developers hosting user-generated content must now filter out such imagery, let users report abuse and block accounts, and remove violating content or face removal from the store. Apple also said it will expel both apps and their developers from the Apple Developer Program if they conceal 'nudification' features during the review process.