From stumbling slowly out of bed, to doing active weights classes at the gym, Ewa-Lena Rasmusson’s mobility has transformed during the pandemic. The 55-year-old, from Stockholm, says it’s all thanks to a Swedish app that creates bespoke exercise plans designed to help alleviate joint pain. Every day the app sends Ms Rasmusson a “nudge” to… Read more »
Posts Categorized: App Economy
The app that lets you pay to control another person’s life
How would you feel about being able to pay to control multiple aspects of another person’s life? A new app is offering you the chance to do just that. When writer Brandon Wong recently couldn’t decide what takeaway to order one evening, he asked his followers on social media app NewNew to choose for him…. Read more »
Apple charged over ‘anti-competitive’ app policies
Apple has been charged with breaking EU competition rules over the way it runs its App Store. European Commission anti-trust regulator Margrethe Vestager tweeted that “consumers are losing out”. It relates to charges brought two years ago by music streaming app Spotify which claimed that Apple was stifling innovation in that industry. Apple faces a large fine… Read more »
Can a Smartphone App Change Your Personality?
Most of us have something about us that we’re not 100% in love with—an impulsive streak, perhaps, or a short temper. What if those personality traits could be modified with daily use of a smartphone app? That was the focus of a new study from an international research team led by the University of Zurich, published in Proceedings… Read more »
Provinces aren’t using COVID Alert app properly or widely enough, says report
The federal government is urging the provinces to use its COVID Alert app properly and more widely after a new report said that only five per cent of those who have tested positive for the virus have been given the information required to register their results. An interim report from a federal advisory council said that while the app has… Read more »
Algorithm spots ‘Covid cough’ inaudible to humans
An algorithm developed in the US has correctly identified people with Covid-19 only by the sound of their coughs. In tests, it achieved a 98.5% success rate among people who had received an official positive coronavirus test result, rising to 100% in those who had no other symptoms. The researchers would need regulatory approval to… Read more »
Few provinces still resisting COVID Alert app as new features under consideration
Quebec has joined the COVID Alert app, leaving B.C. and Alberta as the only remaining provinces with no immediate plans to activate the digital tool. Both Nova Scotia and P.E.I. have committed to joining in the coming days. The federal government-administered smartphone app allows users to report a positive coronavirus test and alert others of… Read more »
Apple App Store faces coalition of unhappy developers
Several major developers have formed a coalition to fight Apple over its app store policies. The Coalition for App Fairness counts Spotify, Epic Games and Tinder owner Match Group among its founding members. It claims Apple “taxes consumers and crushes innovation”, criticising what it calls anti-competitive policies.Apple, which is embroiled in legal action with some… Read more »
Coronavirus: Apple iPhones can contact-trace without Covid app
Apple has begun letting its iPhones carry out contact-tracing without the need for users to download an official Covid-19 app. As an alternative, users are being invited to opt in to a scheme called Exposure Notifications Express (ENE). This keeps a 14-day log of other nearby smartphones detected via Bluetooth and serves an alert if… Read more »
Facebook says Apple ad-blocking settings could halve revenue
Facebook has said it could lose most of its revenue from ads on apps, because of changes to Apple’s operating system. In the upcoming iOS 14, apps have to explicitly ask users’ permission to collect and share data, meaning ads will no longer be able to just “follow” users to apps outside of Facebook. Users… Read more »
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