UK Court Denies Apple’s Bid to Dismiss Lawsuit Over App Store Fees - 1

UK Court Denies Apple’s Bid to Dismiss Lawsuit Over App Store Fees

  • Written by Deep Shikha Content Writer
  • Fact-Checked by

On April 12, a London court rejected Apple’s attempt to dismiss nearly a $1 billion lawsuit involving 1,500 app developers. The lawsuit accuses Apple of unfairly charging over 1,500 UK developers unnecessary fees (up to 30%) on the app and content purchases.

The case was filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) last year. Sean Ennis, a competition law professor and economist, leads this case.

Ennis’s legal team claims that Apple misused its dominant market position by controlling app distribution on iPhones and other devices. The plaintiffs are pursuing damages as a result.

In January, Apple’s lawyer, Daniel Piccinin, argued that only developers charged through the UK App Store could file a claim in the UK, which would render many of the claims inadmissible. However, Judge Andrew Lenon overruled this claim, meaning that Apple must face the lawsuit and all 1,500+ claims.

Judge Lenon stated in a written ruling that Ennis’ lawyers could realistically prove that Apple’s high commissions charged to UK-based app developers for sales on non-UK storefronts amounted to actions taken within the UK.

While Apple contends with increased regulatory scrutiny from US and European authorities over its App Store fees, the company maintains that 85% of its App Store developers are exempt from any commission fees.

The European Union has passed new laws that require Apple to allow app downloads from competing sources, such as vendor websites and third-party app stores. In the US, Apple changed its App Store policies after a legal fight with Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite .

The UK court case isn’t expected to begin until 2025.

Google Tests New “Lookup” Feature to ID Unknown Callers - 2

Google Tests New “Lookup” Feature to ID Unknown Callers

  • Written by Shipra Sanganeria Cybersecurity & Tech Writer
  • Fact-Checked by

Google is set to roll out an interesting new feature dubbed “Lookup” on its Pixel Phone app that allows users to search the web for the unknown number right from the call screen.

The new Lookup button in the Google Phone app beta v127.0.620688474 was first spotted by X user AssembleDebug , who tipped off PiunikaWeb . The new button appears alongside options, like “Add contact” and “Block,” visible when you select an unidentified number in the call log”s Recents tab.

Upon tapping, the Lookup button opens a list of applications capable of conducting web searches, including the Google Search option. With the number already input into the search bar, users can navigate the web to identify the source of the unknown number.

The Lookup button isn’t a brand-new feature, rather, Google Pixel, in its March 2024 Feature Drop, has already introduced a similar “ Number Search ” button in Japan. The Lookup option seems to be an extension of this feature for global users.

Google’s Phone app already has the Caller ID and Spam Protection feature, but with the new Lookup option, users can easily identify calls from unknown businesses.

The capability does not extend to the numbers of private individuals but rather businesses with an online presence. So, we can say that it’s a long way before Lookup can replace caller ID apps like Truecaller. However, PiunikaWeb notes that “it’s possible that we might see integration with such apps once the feature goes live.”

Apart from the new Lookup button, AssembleDebug revealed another new feature update by Google. The company is in the process of integrating Gemini-powered email summaries into the Android version of its Gmail app.

Still, in its early testing phase, the button currently lacks functionality for the Android version of the email app. However, Google Workspace users can take advantage of Gemini’s email summarizing abilities, but only on the web.