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The Qualifying-Premium-App Edition Thursday, April 2, 2020

Apple Will Stop Taking Cut Of Some Amazon Video Purchases On App Store, by Stephen Nellis, Reuters

In an emailed statement, Apple said that for “qualifying premium video entertainment apps such as Prime Video, Altice One and Canal+, customers have the option to buy or rent movies and TV shows using the payment method tied to their existing video subscription.” Apple also said the services will function better with Apple devices and apps, for example by letting users ask its voice assistant, Siri, to find shows on the third-party services.

Apple, Goldman To Let Apple Card Holders Defer April Payments, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are letting Apple Card users defer April payments without incurring interest to ease financial pressure from economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The card, backed by Goldman, offered the same program for March payments. Apple Card users need to opt in to the program by messaging a support representative via the Wallet app on an Apple device.

Ex-NSA Hacker Drops New Zero-day Doom For Zoom, by Zack Whittaker, TechCrunch

Hot on the heels of two security researchers finding a Zoom bug that can be abused to steal Windows passwords, another security researcher found two new bugs that can be used to take over a Zoom user’s Mac, including tapping into the webcam and microphone.

Coming Soon

iOS 14: Keychain Password Manager To Gain New 1Password-like Features, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Apple is working to improve the iCloud Keychain password manager on iOS, 9to5Mac has learned, with two-factor password integration and more. These new features described are based on an early build of iOS 14 obtained by 9to5Mac.

Stuff

Pokémon, Stay, by James Poniewozik, New York Times

Still, I play. I see what creatures are lurking near my house. Occasionally, I see if the coast is clear and dash down the block to spin my local Pokéstop. In a stressful time, even the attenuated game is a distraction and a comfort.

But it’s also a reminder of what Pokémon Go used to give me, and the one thing it can no longer deliver no matter how much it tweaks its code: the whole wide world.

Spotify Launches Siri Support For Apple Watches Running watchOS 6, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

After bringing the long-awaited feature to iOS last fall, Spotify has updated its app today to take advantage of Siri support on Apple Watch in watchOS 6.

Develop

Apple Adding New Detailed Financial Report Option To App Store Connect For Developers, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple says the new financial report option will show developers more details on their proceeds. The report shows settlement dates for purchases, state and province details, and much more.

Notes

Apple Providing Subsidies To Authorized Service Providers That Offer Repairs On Pickup And Drop-Off Basis, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

In an effort to encourage social distancing, Apple has indicated that it will provide subsidies to Apple Authorized Service Providers that offer product repairs on a pickup and drop-off basis in the United States and Canada.

Tile Says Apple's Behavior Is Anticompetitive And Has 'Gotten Worse, Not Better', by Diane Bartz, Reuters

Tile Inc, which helps users find lost items, told a congressional panel on Wednesday that Apple failed to live up to promises aimed at resolving a dispute between the two companies and introduced requirements that would hurt their business.

The smart-tracker maker was one of four companies that testified against the big tech platforms - Tile focused on Apple - in a January hearing in Colorado of a panel of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.

Bottom of the Page

I've spend the entire morning today -- a beautiful Thursday morning here near the northern border of Singapore -- thinking it was only Wednesday.

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I do use Zoom for work. I do not install Zoom on my Mac. Only on my iPad. I do hope the work done by Apple for iPadOS and iOS will protect me against Zoom.

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Thanks for reading.