App news roundup 14 June 

Earlier this week, we shared the news that Pinterest had launched its brand new Progressive Web App (PWA) for Windows Users but, there’s been a whole host of app news this month. As an entrepreneur building your mobile app development business, we can’t over emphasise the importance of keeping your finger on the pulse of industry news so, we’re here to help you with our quick, digestible round up.

Facebook launches Study app

Facebook has launched a new app, called Study, on Google Play this week which has attracted a lot of attention. Why? The app allows users to sell Facebook data revealing how they use other apps. This of course comes after the social network has faced considerable criticism for data breaches.

Users signing up to Study will give Facebook access to data surrounding which apps they use, how frequently they use them and which features they access. Study is the latest app of its kind from Facebook after it previously trialled a research app paying users aged 13-35 up to $20 per month to be able to track their app use.

The new app is launching on Google Play rather than iOS because Apple has strict policies against app data collection for marketing purposes. Facebook says that the app will allow it to better its services, explaining in an official announcement; “We believe this work is important to help us improve our products for the people who use Facebook.”

Apple and Microsoft Working Together on Cloud App

Apple and Microsoft are said to be working together to develop a new app, iCloud for Windows 10. The collaboration between the two tech firms – and rivals - means Microsoft Store users can now expect a smoother iCloud experience. The app will boast a range of new features including automatic syncing, File Explorer integration and easier, more intuitive access to iCloud files on Windows 10.

Apple improves privacy for apps for kids

At last week’s WDDC, Apple announced that it was reinforcing its privacy rules for apps aimed at children. It confirmed that kids’ apps would not be able to serve up any form of third-party advertising or analytics software. Data collected from the app can also not be passed to any third party. This week, broadcaster PBS said the new guidelines meant that it had been forced to remove all of its apps from the App Store and that the rules meant it could no longer measure which features were most used to allow it to make improvements. It says it wants to sit down with the platform to find a better way forward.