Tile, a maker of hardware and software for digitally tracking the location of personal possessions, has written a letter to the European Commission accusing Apple of anti-competitive behavior as rumors abound that Apple plans to launch a competitor to Tile in the near future. This follows similar complaints by Tile in the United States.
The letter claims that Apple favors FindMy, the tech giant's own device tracking app, over Tile's in a few specific ways and asks for the European Commission to open a probe into Apple's business practices. Here's an excerpt from the letter by Tile general counsel Kirsten Daru, which was acquired by Financial Times:
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In the past twelve months, Apple has taken several steps to completely disadvantage Tile, including by making it more difficult for consumers to use our products and services. This is particularly concerning because Apple's actions come at the same time that Apple both launched a new FindMy app that competes even more directly with Tile and also began preparing for the launch of a competitive hardware product.
One of Tile's key arguments is that Apple defaults the 'Always Allow' flag to 'on' for location-based tracking in the FindMy app when users set up their phones, but third-party apps that perform similar functions default to 'off.' The result is that third-party apps must frequently show dialogues asking the user for permission until the user opts to manually turn on 'Always Allow' for the app. This 'denigrates the user experience,' according to Tile's letter.
To explore All the ways to watch Apple TV+ and more, click Table of Contents at the top of the page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field. Apple TV+ requires a subscription. Not all features and content are available in all countries or regions, or on all streaming devices. On the other hand, if you're willing to take a few risks and use apps not approved by Apple, there are some apps that you can download without using the App Store. Sideloading Apps Maybe the simplest way to add apps to your iPhone without using the App Store is by using a technique called sideloading. No, Apple apps are not compatible with Android. The iPhone and iPod touch and the Android phones use different operating systems. Although you cannot literally use an Apple app on an Android, you can get different versions of the same app - one for Apple products, the other for Android products.
And in a mirror of past complaints against Apple by other companies, Tile claimed that its app does not get 'equal placement' with Apple's own apps in the App Store. Since those complaints first emerged, Apple has changed the results some users see when searching for certain types of apps, with the effect of increasing visibility of non-Apple apps in some cases. That said, Apple has not told app developers much about how its in-App Store search engine works.Apple is already facing investigation in the European Union as a result of complaints by Spotify that, in addition to issues like App Store placement, Apple's 30-percent take from charges made within apps using Apple's own payment system is anti-competitive.
Responding to Tile's allegations, Apple released the following statement:
We strenuously deny the allegations of uncompetitive behavior that Tile is waging against us. Consistent with the critical path we've been on for over a decade, last year we introduced further privacy protections that safeguard user location data. Tile doesn't like those decisions so instead of arguing the issue on its merits, they've instead decided to launch meritless attacks.
Apple has sought to make user privacy a key competitive advantage for its products through both privacy-oriented marketing and features in the software and even hardware of its devices. When users set up a new iPhone or iPad, Apple's own apps have default settings, but many of those settings must be confirmed one way or the other by the user before the device can be used. Third-party apps may ping users to request permission to do certain things when first launched, and users may go into a device's Settings app to manage permissions for specific third-party apps.
While the parts of Tile's complaint letter that are publicly available do not directly discuss privacy in any detail, the complaint could be a sort of Rorschach Test for onlookers: are Apple's privacy policies designed with the user's interest in mind, or are they a shield for anti-competitive business practices?The case is partially hinged on the notion that Apple plans to introduce a hardware competitor to Tile's products. Apple has not publicly confirmed that, but there have been numerous reports from reliable sources that have said Apple is close to launching such a product for many months. Evidence of the product's existence has also been found by developers in Apple's recent software releases for iPhones and other devices.
According to Financial Times, the European Commission has said that it received the letter and that it 'will reply in due course.'
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How to get the Apple TV app
- On your compatible smart TV or streaming device, go to your device's app store and download the Apple TV app.
- Open the Apple TV app and choose Start Watching.
- Go to Settings, then select Accounts.
- Choose Sign In. If you don't have an Apple ID, you need to create one. Then, use one of these options to sign in with your Apple ID and complete setup:
- Sign In On Mobile Device: Use your phone's camera to scan the QR code on the TV screen. Then follow the instructions on your mobile device.
- Sign In On This TV: Use your TV remote to manually sign in with your Apple ID and complete setup.
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Apple has sought to make user privacy a key competitive advantage for its products through both privacy-oriented marketing and features in the software and even hardware of its devices. When users set up a new iPhone or iPad, Apple's own apps have default settings, but many of those settings must be confirmed one way or the other by the user before the device can be used. Third-party apps may ping users to request permission to do certain things when first launched, and users may go into a device's Settings app to manage permissions for specific third-party apps.
While the parts of Tile's complaint letter that are publicly available do not directly discuss privacy in any detail, the complaint could be a sort of Rorschach Test for onlookers: are Apple's privacy policies designed with the user's interest in mind, or are they a shield for anti-competitive business practices?The case is partially hinged on the notion that Apple plans to introduce a hardware competitor to Tile's products. Apple has not publicly confirmed that, but there have been numerous reports from reliable sources that have said Apple is close to launching such a product for many months. Evidence of the product's existence has also been found by developers in Apple's recent software releases for iPhones and other devices.
According to Financial Times, the European Commission has said that it received the letter and that it 'will reply in due course.'
Check that your device is compatible
Make sure that your smart TV or streaming device is compatible with the Apple TV app.1,2
How to get the Apple TV app
- On your compatible smart TV or streaming device, go to your device's app store and download the Apple TV app.
- Open the Apple TV app and choose Start Watching.
- Go to Settings, then select Accounts.
- Choose Sign In. If you don't have an Apple ID, you need to create one. Then, use one of these options to sign in with your Apple ID and complete setup:
- Sign In On Mobile Device: Use your phone's camera to scan the QR code on the TV screen. Then follow the instructions on your mobile device.
- Sign In On This TV: Use your TV remote to manually sign in with your Apple ID and complete setup.
Non Apple App Store
What you can do with the Apple TV app
Rent or buy content and watch your favorite movies and TV shows. You can also subscribe to premium channels in the Apple TV app and more.3
Watch Apple TV+ Original TV shows and movies
When you subscribe to Apple TV+, you can watch Apple Original TV shows and movies and other exclusive content on all of your devices.
Sign out of the Apple TV app on a smart TV or streaming device
- Open the Apple TV app.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Accounts, then choose Sign Out.
Reset the Apple TV app to its original settings
This will sign you out of your account on that device and remove your personal information. If you're also signed in to the Apple Music app on your smart TV or streaming device, the Apple Music app will also be reset to its original settings and all of your personal information will be removed.
- On your smart TV or streaming device, open the Apple TV app or Apple Music app.
- Go to Settings.
- Choose Reset Apple TV app and Apple Music, then confirm your choice.
Sign out of a smart TV or streaming device that you can't access
If you're signed in to the Apple TV app on a smart TV or streaming device that you can't access, you can remove the device from your account list. Samsung to macbook file transfer.
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- For more information about the Apple TV app on your smart TV or streaming device, see the Apple TV app user guide.
- If you have issues installing the Apple TV app on your smart TV or streaming device, or connecting to the internet, contact the manufacturer.
- Set up the Apple Music app on your Samsung smart TV.
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- The Apple TV app availability might vary by country and region. Learn what's available in your country or region. The Apple TV app features and supported devices also might vary by country and region.
- You can also visit Samsung's website to see which Samsung smart TVs are supported and Roku's website to see which Roku streaming players and TVs are supported. To check if other devices are supported, like Amazon Fire TV devices, visit Apple's website.
- On Amazon Fire TV devices, you can't purchase content from the Apple TV app. You can purchase content on another supported device to watch it in the Apple TV app on your Amazon Fire TV device.