Apple Updates App Store to Comply with Digital Markets Act; Apple Testing AI-Powered Ad Buying Tool; TikTok Reportedly Launching Photo Sharing App

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 13th Mar 2024 in News

On today’s ExchangeWire digest: Apple Updates App Store to Comply with Digital Markets Act; Apple Testing AI-Powered Ad Buying Tool; TikTok Reportedly Launching Photo Sharing App

Apple’s latest tweaks to comply with the Digital Markets Act will include allowing iOS developers located in the EU to distribute apps directly from the web, instead of via its App Store. The option will be made available in the coming months, providing authorised developers with a key new way to distribute iOS apps within the region without the need for a separate app store. However, the apps will need to adhere to the set of rules outlined by the tech giant.

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is also testing a new AI-powered way for advertisers to buy ads on its App Store. The AI tool is designed to lighten the workloads of advertisers by automatically identifying optimal ad placements, similar to Google’s Performance Max and Meta’s Advantage+. Advertisers will be able to enter their budget and cost-per-acquisition target, in addition to the countries and audiences they wish to target – Apple’s algorithm will then analyse where best to place the ads across the available formats.

In the social media sphere, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is reportedly working on a new photo sharing social media platform which would rival photo sharing giant Instagram. According to the plans, TikTok Photos will allow users to sync photo posts between both the new app and the current TikTok app. Meanwhile, US lawmakers are still keen to move forward with the ban of TikTok.