This Week in Apps: WWDC, F8, and TikTok's Data Practices

This Week in Apps: WWDC Prep, F8 Recap, TikTok and Biometric Data

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that provides a recap of the latest developments in mobile OS news, mobile applications, and the overall app economy.

The app industry continues its expansion, achieving a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spending in 2020. Android users alone spent 3.5 trillion minutes utilizing apps last year. Furthermore, app usage in the U.S. now surpasses the time dedicated to watching live television. Currently, Americans average 3.7 hours of live TV viewing daily, but now devote four hours per day to their mobile devices.

The Growing Importance of Mobile

Apps are not merely a source of entertainment; they represent a significant business opportunity. In 2019, mobile-first companies held a combined valuation of $544 billion, a figure 6.5 times greater than companies without a mobile focus. Investor capital poured into mobile companies in 2020, totaling $73 billion – a 27% year-over-year increase.

This week was particularly active. Facebook hosted its developer conference, F8, which unveiled numerous app-related updates across its platforms. With WWDC just days away, anticipation is building. We also reported on significant app stories this week, including a development concerning TikTok’s privacy policy and its newly granted permission to collect biometric data from U.S. users, encompassing “faceprints and voiceprints.” Twitter introduced a subscription service, and Tinder tested group video chat functionality.

And in our downloads section, we have an exclusive offer for our readers: a time-sensitive invite code to access one of the hottest new apps for sneaker enthusiasts: Sole Retriever.

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WWDC 21 Preparations

WWDC’s main keynote is scheduled for June 7 at 1 PM ET. The livestream will be available here. While new MacBook Pros are anticipated, software developers are most interested in the forthcoming details regarding Apple’s latest OS releases and other new technologies. Reports from Bloomberg suggest iOS 15 will introduce customizable notification preferences and automatic replies, based on the user’s current status (driving, working, sleeping, etc.), alongside an updated Lock Screen where these options will be accessible.

iMessage may receive upgrades to enhance its social features, aiming to better compete with Messenger and WhatsApp. iPadOS could gain the App Library and an improved Home Screen with widget support, potentially allowing users to fill the entire screen with widgets. However, these remain possibilities until officially announced!

A potentially noteworthy rumor involves a new privacy feature that would inform users which apps are collecting their data. This builds upon Apple’s App Tracking Transparency initiatives and could hinder the operation of questionable SDKs.

Updates are also expected for other Apple applications, Siri, watchOS, and more. It promises to be a busy week – stay tuned for updates!

App Store Commerce Report

Prior to WWDC, Apple released an updated report (conducted by the Analysis Group) on App Store commerce. The company states that the App Store facilitated $643 billion in billings and sales in 2020, a 24% increase from the $519 billion recorded the previous year. The report also indicates that approximately 90% of the billings and sales facilitated by the App Store occurred outside of its commission structure. This is an increase from the 85% figure reported last year.

The full report provides insights into trends related to the pandemic’s impact, small and large businesses, and more. Apple initially commissioned the report to demonstrate the limited portion of App Store business subject to App Store fees, and has now updated it. It’s interesting to note the depth of understanding Apple possesses regarding its App Store, especially considering Tim Cook’s previous statements regarding his limited knowledge of certain key figures.

Apple Design Awards

Apple also unveiled the 2021 Apple Design Award finalists this week. These awards recognize apps and games that demonstrate innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement, often through effective utilization of Apple technologies. Finalists are categorized into six areas: Inclusivity, Delight and Fun, Interaction, Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics, and Innovation.

Among the potential winners are apps such as the witty weather app Carrot Weather, the unique (Not Boring) Weather, the short-form news service Brief, the mental wellness app Loona (a Google Play award winner), Editor’s Choice Genshin Impact, Snowman’s new kids app Pok Pok Playroom, and the summertime music app Poolside FM, among others.

Weekly News Highlights

Platforms: Google

Google this week opened submissions for its annual Indie Games Accelerator and Indie Games Festival programs. These programs are designed to support the growth of small game studios on Google Play. This year, the programs will include more eligible markets and will be conducted entirely online.

Google will restrict third-party apps from customizing the native Android Sharesheet in Android 12. Currently, the Sharesheet UI varies between apps, but it will become more consistent, resembling the iOS version.

Google is mirroring Apple by allowing users to opt out of personalization using the advertising ID in Android Settings. Disabling the ID will remove it, and any attempts to access it will return a string of zeros. Google will notify ad and analytics partners of user preferences to ensure compliance. This change will roll out in late 2021, initially on Android 12 devices, and then expand to devices supporting Google Play in early 2022.

Platforms: Huawei

Two years after being added to a list of Chinese companies restricted from doing business with U.S. organizations, Huawei launched its proprietary operating system, HarmonyOS, for smartphones. The OS is designed to power phones, tablets, and smart devices. Smartphone manufacturer Meizu has indicated it may adopt the new OS.

Augmented Reality

Facebook’s Spark AR creation software has been used by over 600,000 creators across 190 countries to publish over 2 million AR effects. At F8, the company announced the Multipeer API for video calls on Messenger, Instagram, and Portal. This API will enable developers to create “shared AR” effects that apply to all call participants, such as a party hat appearing on everyone’s head during a birthday call.

E-commerce/Retail

JOKR, a convenience store-style on-demand delivery startup, launched in New York City, promising delivery of items within 15 minutes. JOKR operates its own strategically located micro-hubs, rather than relying on existing stores. The startup was founded by Ralf Wenzel, previously the founder of Foodpanda.

Walmart is distributing over 740,000 Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro smartphones to its employees, emphasizing the importance of constant communication. The phones will run Walmart’s proprietary Me@Walmart app, providing access to clock-in features, schedule adjustments, the “Ask Sam” voice assistant, and communication tools. Employees can use the phones for personal use after work hours, and Walmart will not access their personal data.

Fintech

Kraken, a Coinbase competitor, launched a mobile app in the U.S. allowing users to buy and sell over 50 crypto tokens. Kraken is the world’s fourth-largest digital currency exchange by trading volume.

Venmo now allows users to hide their friend list for increased privacy. This change followed reports revealing President Biden’s Venmo account was publicly accessible via friend lists.

Line Corp., based in Japan, is launching its digital banking platform in Indonesia, expanding its banking services to three major overseas markets: Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan.

The Coinbase Card now works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, offering up to 4% in crypto rewards for everyday purchases.

Chime has established itself as the leading neobank in the U.S., according to eMarketer. The app is projected to have 13.1 million U.S. accounts this year, a 30.7% increase from 2020. Current will have 4 million, doubling its 2020 count. Aspiration and Varo follow with 3 million and 2.7 million accounts, respectively.

Social

✨ Scoop: Tinder tested a group video chat feature ahead of its parent company, Match’s, $1.73 billion acquisition of Seoul-based Hyperconnect. The feature was briefly tested in New Zealand and then discontinued, but may have provided valuable data regarding younger users’ interest in social discovery apps and services as Match expands into this market, which is twice the size of the dating market.

Twitter Blue officially launched. Will you pay for an enhanced Twitter experience? The new premium subscription offers tools to organize bookmarks, read threads without clutter, and utilize an “Undo Tweet” feature – the closest Twitter will get to an “Edit” button. It also includes custom app icons, colorful themes, and priority customer support. Currently, the service is available only in Canada and Australia.

Twitter redesigned its mobile app to prominently feature Twitter Spaces in the navigation bar. Initially, only 500 users from the original Spaces beta test will see the new Spaces discovery tab, with wider rollout planned. The tab will help users track Spaces and manage notifications.

Twitter began rolling out Birdwatch fact checks within tweets. Birdwatch is a pilot program that crowdsources fact-checking as an alternative to relying solely on fact-checkers, aiming to provide more information about misinformation in real-time.

TikTok remained the top non-game app worldwide in May 2021 by downloads. Sensor Tower reports TikTok was No. 1 on both the App Store and Google Play with 80 million combined installs, with Brazil and China accounting for 16% and 12% of those downloads, respectively.

Facebook introduced Facebook Login Connect with Messenger at its F8 conference. This allows users to log in to apps using their Facebook credentials and opt-in to chat with businesses over Messenger, all within the Facebook Login flow. The tool is currently in closed beta.

Facebook also updated its Business Suite with a new feature enabling developers to build “business apps,” which are third-party tools that integrate with the Business Suite. These apps can streamline tasks like importing catalog content to Facebook and Instagram pages. The platform already has 30 developers working on it and integrates with e-commerce platforms like BigCommerce.

Messaging

WhatsApp reversed its decision and will no longer reduce app functionality for users who do not agree to its new privacy policy. The initial rollout faced significant backlash due to concerns about increased data sharing with Facebook.

WhatsApp announced updates to its Business API, streamlining the onboarding process for businesses. Setup time will be reduced to 5 minutes, faster responses to inbound messages will be enabled, and businesses can send pre-written messages to users who have opted in. The customer care tool will allow up to 10 pre-written messages, among other improvements.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed to WaBetaInfo that WhatsApp will support multi-device connectivity for up to four devices per account. He also announced a “view once” disappearing feature for photos and videos and plans for an iPad app. Zuckerberg’s choice of WaBetaInfo as a news source is noteworthy, as it’s an independent outlet rather than traditional media. Facebook appears to be favoring more friendly channels for news dissemination.

Facebook announced the general availability of the Messenger API for Instagram. This API provides a more efficient way for larger brands to manage high volumes of messages by integrating Instagram messaging into their existing tools and applications.

Community social network Nextdoor launched a new feature called Free Finds, allowing users to give away unwanted items to neighbors. Users do not need to be Nextdoor members to access listings, potentially attracting new users.

Streaming & Entertainment

Spotify launched Only You, a mid-year version of its Wrapped feature, offering personalized insights into users’ music history. The feature allows users to share their musical “dinner party” or “audio birth chart,” among other fun discoveries. This launch may be a preemptive move against upcoming Apple Music announcements.

Spotify also introduced Blend, allowing users to create a playlist with any other Spotify user. This feature expands on the existing functionality for Family and Duo plan users.

Apple attempted to acquire livestreaming music platform Verzuz but ultimately lost the bid to video social network Triller, according to Bloomberg.

The Apple TV app launched on Android devices. To compete effectively, Apple TV needs to be available across platforms.

Health & Fitness

Amazon updated its Halo health app with Movement Health, utilizing computer vision and machine learning to assess users’ posture, mobility, and stability. The app then suggests exercises to improve these areas.

Peloton reduced pricing for its fitness app for students, teachers, healthcare workers, and military personnel. Students can pay $6.99/month, while others pay $9.99/month. Military members and their families can lock in the discounted rate for life. This move follows a PR crisis related to treadmill recalls and safety concerns.

Utilities

A TikTok trend involving spamming users via text drove the Paste Keyboard app to the top of the App Store charts. The app’s sudden rise puzzled Apptopia and App Annie. The App Store could benefit from a dedicated “viral” chart.

Apple will release an Android app to detect AirTags or other Find My network-enabled accessories that may be traveling with users. This follows changes to AirTag’s sound emission period, shortening the window from three times per day to a random interval between 8-24 hours to deter misuse.

Firefox revamped its Mac and iOS app with a streamlined design, enhanced privacy protections, an updated tab interface, improved notifications, and easier muting options.

Ring added “Request for Assistance posts” to its Neighbors app, allowing public safety agencies to solicit help from communities in investigations. These posts can only be issued by verified agency profiles. Ring has existing partnerships with police departments across the U.S., allowing them to access Ring video footage.

Auto/Transportation

Toyota added a data privacy portal to its apps, allowing users to customize data-sharing settings for vehicles built in 2013 or later.

Gokada is expanding its ride-hailing service to two more Nigerian cities as part of its super app strategy, merging ride-hailing with its food delivery platform, GShop.

Reading

Reading and writing apps saw a 50% year-over-year increase in in-app purchase revenue in May 2021, according to Apptopia. This group includes apps for writing novels or comic books, and reading platforms like Webtoon, Wattpad, Dreame, GoodNovel, Webnovel, Tapas, and Radish. Webtoon and Dreame accounted for 56.3% of the group’s total IAP revenue since January 2020.

Government & Policy

Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, LinkedIn, and startups ShareChat and Koo have either fully or partially complied with India’s IT rules, which require them to appoint and share contact details of compliance representatives. Twitter has not yet complied and faced office raids by police in Delhi.

The EU will review TikTok’s Terms of Service following complaints regarding child safety, focusing on hidden marketing, aggressive advertising targeting children, and potentially misleading contractual terms.

Security & Privacy

✨ Scoop: TikTok has granted itself permission to collect biometric data from U.S. users, including “faceprints and voiceprints.” A recent update to TikTok’s U.S. privacy policy introduced a new section stating the app “may collect biometric identifiers and biometric information” from user content. TikTok stated it would seek consent before implementing such data collection practices.

Alibaba’s UC Browser app has been found to harvest private web activity even when incognito mode is enabled. The browser has 500 million Android downloads and was previously popular in India before being banned over security concerns.

Funding and M&A

💰 NUE Life Health, a Miami-based telemedicine platform, raised $3.3 million for its app in the U.S., combining mental wellness solutions with psychedelic-assisted therapies.

🤝 Etsy acquired secondhand e-commerce startup Depop for over $1.6 billion. Depop caters to a Gen Z audience and saw $650 million in gross merchandise sales and $70 million in revenue in 2020.

💰 Social network platform Venn raised $60 million in Series B funding led by Group 11. The startup provides technology for building owners and communities to offer social networking services to tenants.

💰 Digital health management company Hello Heart raised $45 million Series C led by IVP. The company’s app is offered by employers as a benefit and helps patients manage heart health and blood pressure.

💰 Personal finance app Truebill raised $17 million in Series C funding led by Accel, valuing the business at $500 million. The app helps users manage finances by canceling subscriptions, negotiating bills, and providing spending insights.

💰 Newly launched stock trading app Lightyear disclosed $1.5 million in pre-seed funding.

💰 Istanbul-based grocery delivery app Getir raised $550 million in new funding, tripling its valuation to $7.5 billion.

Downloads

Sole Retriever

Sole Retriever is a new app designed for sneaker enthusiasts.

The app provides a central hub for sneaker news, releases, raffles, and upcoming drop calendars. Its goal is to democratize access to sneaker drops by making information more accessible and convenient. The app is now available on both iOS and Android.

Unique features include customizable alerts, autofill for raffles, custom profiles for entering raffles on behalf of others, and saved retailer logins.

Sole Retriever is currently available via waitlist, but TechCrunch readers can bypass it!

After downloading the app and logging in, use the code “TWIA” (in all caps!) on the waitlist screen to gain instant access to a seven-day free trial. This code is valid for 24 hours after this post goes live!

Apple Developer app

The Apple Developer app is essential for developers attending WWDC 21. It provides access to the agenda, sessions, pavilions, labs, coding challenges, and more. Developers can also sign up for labs and receive appointment notifications. New WWDC 21 iMessage stickers are also available.

Reading Recommendations

• Marco.org: Developer Relations. Marco Arment criticizes Apple for undervaluing apps beyond their IAP revenue and acknowledges developers’ role in attracting customers.
• Pew Research: Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021. Pew Research examines U.S. trends, including smartphone ownership adoption.
• Donny Wals: The iOS Developer’s Guide to WWDC 2021. Wals advises developers to pace themselves and focus on what matters during WWDC.

Tweets

https://twitter.com/benedictevans/status/1400810652445388803?s=20