Apple has faced increasing scrutiny as of late over the way it runs its App Store, ranging from Spotify’s complaint over anticompetitive business practices in Europe to a class action lawsuit accusing Apple of operating an App Store monopoly that the Supreme Court recently ruled can proceed in the United States.



Apple has since responded with a new page on its website, noting that the App Store was created to be "a safe and trusted place for customers to discover and download apps" and "a great business opportunity for all developers."

Apple says the App Store "welcomes competition":

We believe competition makes everything better and results in the best apps for our customers.

We also care about quality over quantity, and trust over transactions. That’s why, even though other stores have more users and more app downloads, the App Store earns more money for developers. Our users trust Apple — and that trust is critical to how we operate a fair, competitive store for developer app distribution.

Apple includes many examples of third-party apps that compete with its own apps, such as Spotify versus Apple Music.

Apple notes that its app review process uses a combination of "automated systems and hundreds of human experts":

We work hard to maintain the integrity of the App Store. In fact, since 2016, we have removed over 1.4 million apps from the App Store because they have not been updated or don’t work on our most current operating systems. This helps unclutter the search for new apps, and makes it easier for users to find quality apps.

More details to follow…

This article, "Apple Says App Store ‘Welcomes Competition’ Following Criticism From Spotify and Others" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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