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Samsung has updated changelogs for its AR Doodle and Quick Measure apps on the Galaxy App Store, confirming both will be discontinued on December 31, 2026. The company says future versions of One UI won't support the apps, and they're already missing on newer devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
The RIAA reported that US recorded music revenue rose 6.9% in H1 2026 versus H1 2025, with physical formats up 25.9%—vinyl grew 17.7% and CDs jumped 58.6%. Streaming still dominates overall revenue at $4.9 billion, but the outsized physical growth stands out amid rising anger over digital ownership issues.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Phil Schiller is leaving his role leading the App Store, becoming an Apple Fellow on unspecified projects. While Schiller cited wanting more time for family and philanthropy, Gurman says he also grew wary of plans by CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue to boost App Store margins and recurring revenue.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is exploring ways to boost App Store revenue and margins, an initiative reportedly led by new CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue. Gurman also links the effort to Phil Schiller's recent departure, noting Schiller opposed the push out of concern it would anger developers and regulators.
Chrono is a free, open-source Android alarm and clock app that offers more customization than Google's or Samsung's default Clock apps, including dark mode, Material styling, alarm tagging, and time-of-day icons. It isn't listed on the Google Play Store, so users must sideload it manually to install and update it.
Windows includes a native Storage panel under Settings > System > Storage that breaks down disk usage by category, including installed apps, temporary files, downloads and the recycle bin. Users can sort installed apps by size to find and uninstall large unused programs, run a system file cleanup for extra clutter, and check storage on additional drives through the Advanced storage settings section.
A federal court granted Elon Musk's X a preliminary injunction stopping a startup called Operation Bluebird from launching a new app under the Twitter name. Chief Judge Colm Connolly found X likely to prevail on trademark infringement claims, largely because X's own App Store listing still describes itself as 'formerly known as Twitter,' showing the company hasn't abandoned the brand.
Apple's July TestFlight update added a search feature but also introduced a bug that caused previously tested and expired betas to flood the app list, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, mixed alphabetically with active betas instead of the prior reverse-chronological order. Apple has now released a fix addressing this regression alongside the search functionality.
Microsoft will begin limiting Xbox Cloud Gaming to monthly hour caps in November: 15 hours for Game Pass Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential subscribers, after which users must purchase extra playtime. The company says only about 4% of Game Pass subscribers will be affected, and it will also let non-subscribers buy cloud hours to stream eligible owned games.
Epic Games introduced Epic Parties, a voice chat system that works across Fortnite, the Epic Games Store, and the Epic Games app, regardless of the hardware players use. Users can start a call in one app and carry it seamlessly into another, and the chat can keep running in the background while playing other titles or using mobile devices. Accepting an Epic Party invite also automatically groups friends into the same Fortnite lobby.
Microsoft will end unlimited cloud streaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, replacing it with monthly hour allotments: 15 hours for Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential. Users who want more can buy extra cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store, a feature now open even to people without a Game Pass subscription, including Xbox One owners wanting to try newer titles.
Cannabis industry executives and marketing experts say the typical customer has evolved from the countercultural stereotype into a broader, more mainstream and casual buyer. As a result, many companies are updating branding, packaging and messaging to appeal to this wider audience, though some brands still lean on outdated stoner imagery.