The Japanese government is looking to force Apple to allow third-party app stores for iPhone and, presumably, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and even Apple Vision when it hits the market. The Japan Times: A government panel Friday drew up a set of regulations aimed at opening up the smartphone app stores of U.S. technology giants Apple and Google to competition. The two companies dominating the smartphone operating system market will be obliged to allow their users to download apps by using services other than their own app stores. The government hopes that the move will spur competition and lead to app price drops. MacDailyNews Take: The average prices for apps in the Apple App Store as of May 2023…

Image: Google Google is adding some more features to its Chrome iOS browser to tempt iPhone users away from Safari. Chrome on iOS is getting built-in Google Lens support soon, which will allow Chrome users to search for anything they see using just their camera. Translations are also being improved, alongside better calendar entry support and a new mini Google Maps view. The Google Lens support will make searching for objects like plants and clothing a lot easier in Chrome. Currently, you have to use the separate Google app to get access to Lens, but Google is adding this same feature into Chrome in the coming months so you can use existing or new photos to search from the Lens…

Macworld Google on Tuesday announced four new features for its Chrome browser on iPhone and iPad. [You didn’t know that you don’t have to use Safari? You don’t!] Google Chrome is available in the App Store for free. After installing Chrome, you can set Chrome as the default browser on your iPhone or iPad by opening the Settings app, then scrolling down to the Chrome tab. Tap the Default Browser App setting and select Chrome instead of Safari. Here’s a look at the features coming to your devices in a future update: View address in mini Google Maps Google With addresses on a webpage, you can now press and hold on an address to get an option to view the…

Starting with iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, Safari automatically removes tracking parameters from URLs while in Private Browsing Mode, in order to prevent cross-website tracking. When a tracking parameter is detected while browsing or copying a link, Apple says Safari strips the identifying components of the URL, while leaving the rest intact. Apple calls this new feature Link Tracking Protection, and it also works for links shared in the Messages and Mail apps. The links will still work as expected, but will no longer have unique identifiers embedded into the URL for tracking purposes. In a WWDC 2023 video for developers, Apple shared an example of a URL before and after the tracking parameters are removed. The original URL has…

With the forthcoming macOS Sonoma, you'll be able to share usernames and passwords with family and friends from within Safari.Ever since Safari has been able to store and create passwords, it's been possible to share them — but in a fiddly process, and only one at a time.You had to open Safari's Settings, click Passwords, log in, select the site concerned, then click on the black dots representing the password. And if the person you wanted to share it with loses it, you had to do it all again. Read more...

With the forthcoming macOS Sonoma, you'll be able to share usernames and passwords with family and friends from within Safari.Ever since Safari has been able to store and create passwords, it's been possible to share them — but in a fiddly process, and only one at a time.You had to open Safari's Settings, click Passwords, log in, select the site concerned, then click on the black dots representing the password. And if the person you wanted to share it with loses it, you had to do it all again. Read more...