Apple announced on Monday that it is strengthening privacy and expanding the functionality of the new iPhone operating system that will be released later this year.
The Silicon Valley tech colossus opened its annual developer conference by teasing improvements to the security, privacy and interoperability of its devices, even as the company remains criticized for its tight control of its App Store.
“All of this amazing software will be available to all of our users this fall,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the opening presentation of the Worldwide Developers Conference.
“I am so excited about these new releases and how they will make our products even more powerful and efficient. “
The next version of the iPhone’s operating software, called iOS 15, will have enhanced privacy features, including previews of how apps access smartphones’ cameras or microphones as well as data such as ‘location or contacts.
“We don’t think you should have to compromise between great functionality and privacy,” said Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple.
Apple has added notifications about “tracking” in the current version of its mobile operating system, much to the chagrin of app makers like Facebook who claimed it would undermine the targeting of ads supporting online content. free.
The update comes with Apple challenged on several fronts over its application control over its ecosystem.
Fortnite maker Epic Games has accused Apple in a lawsuit of having monopoly power with its App Store which serves as a single gateway to iPhones or iPads.
Apple started Fortnite from its App Store last year after Epic dodged the agreed revenue split with the iPhone maker.
The European Union has officially accused Apple of unfairly ousting its music streaming rivals based on a complaint filed by Spotify in Sweden and others, which claim the California group is making rules that favor its own Apple Music .
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, who has described Apple as a rival, announced on Monday that creators will continue to pay nothing to run paid or subscription events on the main social network until 2023.
“And when we introduce a revenue share, it will be less than the 30% Apple and others are taking,” Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook page
