More App Store Troubles

Apple’s App Stores need a lot of work. There was a news piece yesterday about how scam developers made scam authenticator apps in response to Twitter now charging for two-factor authentication. One charged users $40 per year. The trouble is not Twitter (though charging for two-factor authentication is ridiculous), but Apple for letting these obvious scam apps in.

Apple will get around to banning them once they’re made aware of the problem, but the fact that these apps were ever available is a fail. And that’s not the only place the App Stores fall short. Search has never been good, and there are all sorts of competitive tricks that make it hard for small developers to get any traction.

I like that Apple takes a hand in the app approval process. I think they have the right idea of acting as gatekeepers to protect their users. My problem is that as things stand, the barbarians are getting through the gates.

Mac Power Users 680: Workflows with Marco Arment

Developer and podcaster Marco Arment joins Stephen and me on this episode of Mac Power Users to talk about his desktop-laptop setup, the current state of development on Apple’s platforms, and what the company may do in 2023.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • SaneBox: Stop drowning in email!
  • Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses.
  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

Tidy Your Inbox with SaneBox (Sponsor)

Let’s say you get 50–100 emails a day. Are all of them important? Of course not. So are you spending or wasting your precious time filtering through your emails to get to the important ones? SaneBox, this week’s MacSparky sponsor, will save you time. 

Those newsletters and other unimportant emails you receive that you don’t need to read right away? You can stop them from interrupting your flow. With your training, SaneBox’s A.I. will analyze your email history. After learning what’s important to you, it makes sure that only important email stays in your inbox. Those pesky emails that don’t require your immediate attention? You can get a daily digest from SaneBox at the time of your choosing and deal with them later.

Tidy up your inbox and let SaneBox deal with the clutter by sending them to your Sane folders. If you’re not quite sold, you can try it out for for yourself. For MacSparky friends, SaneBox has a special offer. You can sign up for a free trial, and you’ll get a $10 credit you can use towards a SaneBox subscription. Welcome to email sanity, it’s that simple.