An oddball new app called Palmsy lets you post to a social media network full of adoring followers who only exist in your imagination. Whether used as a journaling app with a fresh twist or a nicotine patch equivalent for social media addiction, Palmsy prevents the real world from ever seeing your “posts,” storing them on-device, offline and private.

Palmsy’s App Store description says it “lets you make little posts for yourself.” And, at its core, that’s all you’re doing. As for why you’d want to do such a thing, people who have trouble with typical journaling or mind-mapping apps may find it a more inspiring framework. Or, if your social posting habit has gotten out of hand (or you want a break from it for any other reason), it could serve as a way to wean yourself off and give you the dopamine hit without sharing anything publicly.

One clever wrinkle from developer Pat Nakajima is that the app imports your contacts to generate fake likes from them. As pointed out by TechCrunch, Nakajima wrote on Threads that nothing leaves your device or is posted to your contacts, the app’s servers or anywhere else. “It’s just pretend,” he clarified.

If seeing fake likes from real contacts feels a bit too weird, a recent update added the ability to limit the number of faux likes your posts get. You can also set caps on how long you receive them, ranging from a few seconds to a few days.

The app is free and iOS-only, including iPhone and iPad variants.

A $3 iOS app now records higher-resolution spatial videos than Apple’s native camera app. Spatialify, available on the App Store, lets iPhone 15 Pro owners record 3D videos for Apple’s Vision Pro in either 1080p at 60fps or 4K at 30fps — with HDR. Apple’s native recording only supports 1080p / 30fps without HDR, so your immersive clips will be noticeably sharper using Spatialify than the camera app on the same phone. UploadVR first reported on the app update.

Spatialify launched earlier this year as a tool for converting Apple’s spatial videos (HEVC format) for playback on non-Apple VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3. But with Meta later adding native HEVC conversion to its headsets (the best-selling on the market), Spatialify’s superior recording could give the third-party app a new lease on life.

Engadget senior editor Devindra Hardawar confirmed that Spatialify produces files in 4K / 30fps when set accordingly. He also verified that Spatialify’s videos look much sharper on the Vision Pro than those shot in Apple’s camera app. HDR also makes the videos’ lighting look more realistic. Not bad for three bucks.

It’s somewhat surprising Apple is holding back its native camera app from exploiting the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max’s full hardware capabilities, but it isn’t unheard of. Halide, a popular iOS camera app, beat Apple to the punch with iOS photography features like shooting in RAW, manual controls and portrait photos for pets. Based on that history, I wouldn’t be shocked if Apple soon added similar advanced spatial recording to its camera, especially now that we know its current hardware has no problem with it.

Spatialify is available on the App Store for $3. It requires an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to capture spatial videos.

It never blocked competitors' apps and services, and it doesn't employ anticompetitive tactics preventing users from breaking out of its "walled garden," Apple said in response to the antitrust lawsuit filed against it by the Department of Justice. The company refuted the agency's claims in statements shared with Apple Insider, expanding upon its earlier response that the lawsuit would hinder its ability to create devices and software that made it one of the most valuable companies in the world. 

The DOJ accused Apple of illegally monopolizing the software app market by imposing limitations on iOS that degrade the compatibility of innovative apps and cloud streaming services with the mobile platform. But the company claimed it only selectively restricts the APIs app developers have access to in order to protect user privacy and security. It gave the same reason for why it implements limitations for third-party digital wallets. The company also said that it never blocked "super apps" from its platforms, pointing out that Facebook, WeChat and Line are available for iOS users. Game streaming services, it clarified, have always been welcome in the App Store, as well.

In response to the accusation that it is anticompetitive for the Apple Watch to be capable of deeper integration with the iPhone compared to rival wearables', the company explained that offering wide support for all smartwatches means having to develop products with every OS and model in mind. Most importantly, Apple denied that it's making it difficult for users to switch to competing products, whether it's because of iMessage's lack of interoperability with Android or any other reason. Users can easily transfer data from iPhone to Android devices, it reportedly said while suggesting that people may not be switching to its competitors because they simply love its products. 

Apple previously said that the lawsuit, if successful, would "set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people's technology." It vowed to "vigorously defend against it." US Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote in a press release, however, that "Apple undermines apps, products, and services that would otherwise make users less reliant on the iPhone" and that it's "discouraging innovation" that threatens its monopoly by stifling innovation. 

We had the first wave of changes and tweaks to Apple, Google and other big tech companies’ policies and services just before the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act (DMA) took a harder line against monopolistic behaviors and practices. See: third-party app stores with Apple, the option to pay for Facebook (haha!), the ability to choose your own default browser, search engine, and more. 

But the EU isn't quite satisfied. Alphabet and Apple, says the European Commission, have not sufficiently allowed “app developers to ‘steer’ consumers to offers outside the gatekeepers’ app stores, free of charge.”

The EC says Alphabet might still be leading users to Google-owned services like Google Flights. Apple may not be allowing users meaningful choice in selecting alternatives to default iOS services or preferences, such as the ability to uninstall any preloaded app.

In January, Apple announced changes to the App Store to comply with the DMA, including the ability to use alternative app marketplaces on iOS in the EU. Included in Apple’s updates was a new “core technology fee” of €0.50 developers will have to pay per user per year after the first million installs of an app — even if a user downloads the software from a third-party marketplace. Many of Apple’s rivals aren’t happy about the App Store changes. Some criticized the company’s fees for third-party payments in the US too.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

SAG-AFTRA ratifies TV animation contracts with AI protections for voice actors

It’s almost time for T-Mobile customers to claim their free year of MLB.TV

The best projectors for 2024

Final Fantasy XIV Online’s Dawntrail expansion arrives on July 2

Judge dismisses X’s lawsuit against anti-hate group

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

Florida will require parental consent for kids to join social media

Under-14s are completely banned.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just signed a bill into law with far stricter rules on how kids under 16 can use and access social media. The bill requires a parent or guardian’s consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to make an account or use a pre-existing account on a social media platform. The companies behind these platforms must also abide by requests to delete these accounts within five business days. Failing to do so could rack up major fines, as much as $10,000 for each violation. The bill doesn’t name any specific social media platforms but suggests any service that promotes “infinite scrolling” will have to follow the new rules. So yeah, the usual suspects.  

Continue reading.

Spotify trials educational video courses in the UK

You will still have to pay for them.

Spotify has teamed up with content partners BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso, Thinkific Labs Inc. and Skillshare to offer content in making music, getting creative, learning business and living healthily. The test courses are available only to UK users, with free and premium subscribers receiving at least two free lessons per course. The series will range from £20 ($25) to £80 ($101), regardless of a person’s subscription tier. The course content seems to be somewhere between Masterclass and LinkedIn Learning — make of that what you will.

Continue reading.

TikTok turns to its teenage ‘youth council’

15 teens will advise the company.

Getty

Last summer, TikTok said it planned to form a “youth council” of teens to advise the company as part of a broader push to beef up safety features for the app’s youngest users. That group is now official, just as TikTok contends with a bill that would force parent-company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban in the United States. While it’s unclear how much influence TikTok’s youth council will ultimately wield over the company’s policies, it underscores just how important teens are to the platform. The company has tried to mobilize its users, many of them teens, to oppose the bill being discussed by the US government.

Continue reading.

Uh oh. Apple, Meta and Google could be in hot water in Europe over their attempts to stand within the letter, if not exactly the spirit, of the bloc's sweeping new Digital Markets Act (DMA). 

Core to the probe are concerns Google parent Alphabet and Apple have not given sufficiently allowed "app developers to “steer” consumers to offers outside the gatekeepers' app stores, free of charge," according to the European Commission (the European Union's executive arm). As things currently stand, the new rules from these tech companies may "constrain ... developers' ability to freely communicate and promote offers and directly conclude contracts, including by imposing various charges." 

The European Commission said it also believes Alphabet's search may still engage in self-preferencing of Google-owned services, like Google Flights. Apple, it said, may not be allowing users meaningful choice in selecting alternatives to default iOS services or preferences — the ability to uninstall any pre-loaded app, for instance. Also caught up in the probe is Meta, in relation to its new EU scheme wherein users can opt out of ads, but only for a price.   

The European Commission had, in the lead up to these probes, been hinting at a possible investigation into Apple and Google. In January, Apple announced a raft of App Store changes to comply with the DMA, which required it to (among other things) enable alternative app marketplaces on iOS in the EU and to let developers direct users to third-party payment systems. Included in Apple's updates was a new "core technology fee" of €0.50 that developers will have to pay per user per year after the first 1 million installs of an app — even if a user downloads the software from a third-party marketplace. Google is also charging developers fees in the EU if they bypass the Play Store.

Many of Apple's rivals slammed the App Store changes. Some criticized the company's fees for third-party payments in the US too.

The EU, perhaps unsurprisingly, is keeping a close eye on how companies subject to DMA rules are complying (or not) with them. "There are things that we take a keen interest in, for instance, if the new Apple fee structure will de facto not make it in any way attractive to use the benefits of the DMA," antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager told Reuters on March 19. "That kind of thing is what we will be investigating."

Today's announcement also hints that Apple's "new fee structure" for alternative app stores may still be on the docket for future intervention, along with, apparently, Amazon's possible self-preferencing in its digital storefront. 

In statements to press Apple has said it's "confident our plan complies with the DMA" while Alphabet has said it will "continue to defend our approach in the coming months." A Meta spokesperson called its paid, ad-free option "a well-established business model across many industries."

News of the sweeping probe comes soon after the US Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The government and more than a dozen states accused Apple of fostering a mobile app monopoly, claiming the company makes it too difficult for rivals to compete with its own products and services. 

It might be a while before we learn the outcome of the EU probes. According to Bloomberg, EC investigators try to reach a final decision within a year of starting a formal investigation. If officials determine that these companies aren't complying with the DMA, they face hefty penalties. 

Under the law, the EU can fine a company up to 10 percent of its total annual revenue, and up to 20 percent for repeated violations. Such penalties could make the $2 billion that the EU recently fined Apple for allegedly suppressing iTunes and Apple Music competitors like Spotify look like pocket change.

Meditation is often touted as a mental cure-all, purported to help with stress, sleep, mood, focus and even certain medical conditions. I’ve been meditating most of my adult life. I’ve done silent retreats. I’ve been formally trained in various techniques. I’ve had someone in my contacts list who I referred to as a “guru.” So I feel I’m relatively qualified to give some bad news: Meditation won’t fix your life, despite what David Lynch says. However, there’s also some good news: Despite not actually being a cure-all for everything bad in the universe, meditation can certainly take the edge off.

This is where meditation apps can come into play. Of course, practicing mindfulness doesn’t require an app; people have been doing it for thousands of years, with nary a smartphone in sight. But mindfulness apps can be useful in a number of ways. They provide access to all kinds of guided meditations to suit different styles. Some even offer social connections, which can motivate you to keep up your practice via the magic of peer pressure. They are also particularly well-suited to beginners, with many of them offering a free trial. With all of this in mind, I downloaded some of the most popular meditation apps and set about sitting calmly on a comfortable chair to test them out. What follows is a comparison aimed at real people just looking to squeeze a bit more joy and relaxation out of daily life.

How we tested meditation apps

Every brain is different, so I did not rate these apps based on if they sync up with my preferred meditation style. First and foremost, I looked for apps that cater to various methods and those that offer guided meditations that go beyond what’s free on YouTube. All of the items on this list are available on both Android and iOS, so you won’t have to worry about something being only for iPhone owners.

Of course, there’s lots of free stuff out there, from podcasts and videos on YouTube to audio tracks on streaming services. You can even find guided breathing sessions on an Apple Watch or Fitbit, as well as meditations in Fitness+, Samsung Health or any number of workout video providers. For this guide, I focused on apps that stood out in some way. I liked apps with huge libraries of guided meditations and those that offer additional mindfulness activities, like yoga routines. I also looked for easy-to-use apps with well-designed layouts. You don’t want to start your meditation journey with a clunky app that actually increases anxiety.

The most important thing with meditation is to keep doing it, so I awarded points for clever gamification elements, simple social network integration and anything else that encourages repeat visits. Finally, I considered extra features that set an app apart from the glut of competitors out there. For example, some meditation apps offer novel ways to track your progress, access to yoga routines and a whole lot more.

At the end of the day, each of these apps has its strengths. But if installing an app or using a device is not how you prefer to meditate, you can always turn off your phone and find a quiet room or environment. For those of us who need a little help from a digital guru, though, here are our favorite apps for meditation.

Other meditation gear we tested

Brain-tracking wearables have been around for years, but there are some newer devices that have been tailor-made for meditators. These gadgets track the brain during meditations and offer real-time feedback. It’s a real boon for the data-obsessed, but also a real bank account drainer, with some gadgets costing thousands of dollars. I took two of the more-popular options for a spin to see what they’d make of my brain.

Sens.ai Neurofeedback System

Sens.ai is a weird contraption that not only claims to track brainwaves, but gives real-time feedback to “teach” people how to meditate and enter a flow state. The device involves a giant headset that’s stuffed with brainwave sensors that detect beta, alpha, theta and gamma waves, in addition to heart-rate sensors. It also comes with a truly bizarre companion gadget that uses light stimulation (transcranial photobiomodulation) to keep an eye on focus and attention levels. The whole thing is combined with an app that keeps track of dozens of data metrics and allows access to various guided meditations.

I’m as surprised as you to say that this thing appears to work, with some caveats. It’s uncanny how well it monitors the brain during meditations. If I got lost in a thought spiral about lasagna at six minutes in, sure enough, there would be a dip in analytics at the six-minute mark. It’s also fairly easy to use, despite a process that involves wetting a number of electrodes. As magical as the accurate brain-tracking seems to be, however, I wasn’t as keen on the actual training portion, which often involves staring at a screen throughout the entirety of the practice. It’s also not for the financial faint of heart, as the Sens.ai device costs $1,500.

NeoRhythm Omnipemf

NeoRhythm’s Omnipemf is another wearable to help people get into that ever-elusive flow state. It doesn’t track your brain, but rather floods it with electromagnetic fields at specific frequencies to make it more susceptible to meditation and focus. This is supposed to prime your brain for the meditative state and, in theory, make it easier to capture that zen. However, I didn’t get much from it, other than a placebo-esque buzzing in my head.

To use it, you simply pop on the wearable and go about your day. You aren’t tied to an app, so you can meditate in whatever way you like. There are multiple modes that go beyond meditation, as this thing is supposed to help with focus, pain relief and sleep. I’d wait for some peer-reviewed studies, however, before buying this.

WhatsApp has just made it easier to take note of more important messages from within a conversation. Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp head Will Cathcart have both announced on their respective WhatsApp channels that you'll now be able to pin up to three messages to the top of a chat, allowing you quick access to any information you want. As TechCrunch notes, you could only pin one message from the time the feature launched in December up until now. But with this update, you may no longer have to save, say, addresses or recipes you get from friends in separate note files. 

The Meta-owned messaging app has also updated its Help Center to reflect the new three-message rule. You can pin not just text messages, but also images and polls, and they'll stay at the top of the chat for 24 hours, 7 days or a whole month. If you pin just one message, it'll show up as the chat banner. But if you pin more, the banner shows how many messages are pinned, with the most recent one appearing first when you tap on it. 

To pin a message, you only have to press on it, select "pin" and choose the duration you want. You can unpin messages the same way if you don't want to see it at the top of your chat anymore before the deadline you set comes up. Back in December WhatsApp also introduced voice messages that self-destruct for those that want an extra layer of security and privacy. And if an unconfirmed report that went out earlier this year is true, then we could expect the service to launch an AirDrop-like file sharing capability in the future. 

Days after Apple started allowing iOS users in the EU to use third-party app stores, the company has announced more changes related to how developers can distribute their apps. Most significantly, those who meet certain criteria will be able to let users download apps from their websites.

The Web Distribution option, which will be available this spring, will effectively let developers bypass the app ecosystem entirely for their own apps. To be eligible, devs will need to opt in to new App Store rules that see them pay a fee for each user install after certain thresholds and be an Apple Developer Program member that’s been in good standing for at least two years. They’ll need to “have an app that had more than one million first annual installs on iOS in the EU in the prior calendar year” among other criteria, per a support document.

By setting certain rules for supporting downloads from the web, Apple will be hoping to minimize the risk that users will be installing sketchy apps, such as ones containing malware or those that support piracy. Still, given the criticism levied against the company for seemingly only sticking to the letter of the EU’s Digital Markets Act and not its spirit, the fact that the company is exerting control over app downloads from the web may come under scrutiny too.

In addition, as 9to5Mac notes, Apple is now allowing developers to run app marketplaces that solely contain their own apps. Previously, they were required to offer apps from other devs. As such, this means the likes of Epic Games, Xbox and Meta can have iOS app marketplaces that only include their own apps and games.

Last but not least, developers will have more flexibility over how they can direct users to an external webpage to complete a transaction for digital goods and services. Apple had provided design templates for in-app promotions, discounts and deals, but those are now optional as of today. That means the likes of Spotify and Netflix can now design links out to their websites (and potentially avoid the 30 percent cut Apple takes of subscriptions from app-based signups).

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) limits the power of big platform holders, but it may have also created a new revenue stream (and some drama) for those same big names. Google has followed Apple’s lead in imposing extra charges on developers who want to circumvent its own app storefront. Companies luring users outside the Play Store will need to pay Google a cut of in-app purchases and subscriptions. I’m sure everyone will treat this as rationally as when Apple announced it too.

At the same time, Apple has once again suspended Epic Games’ developer access, concerned the games giant isn’t going to play by its rules. The iPhone maker pointed to tweets made by (Epic CEO) Tim Sweeney, suggesting a lack of faith in the company’s rules. Apple more or less said out loud it couldn’t trust Epic, especially given its track record of agreeing to work within Apple’s rules and then very publicly breaking those rules.

— Dan Cooper

The biggest stories you might have missed

41 state attorneys general tell Meta to fix its customer support for hacking victims

Rivian R2 specs leak from the automaker’s website

Meta explains how third-party apps will hook into Messenger and WhatsApp

Twitch will overhaul its mobile app for the first time since 2019

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

FDA approves the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

You can buy one without a prescription in the summer.

The FDA has approved Dexcom’s Stelo Glucose Biosensor as the first wearable continuous glucose monitor to be sold over the counter. Sales of the device will begin this summer to help people who aren’t using insulin to manage their diabetes and also for more general use. I was surprised to learn these weren’t available to buy already since, in the UK, a startup called Zoe has been selling implantable monitors as part of its weight loss program for ages.

Continue Reading.

Microsoft engineer who raised concerns about Copilot image creator pens letter to the FTC

Shane Jones has blown the whistle on AI images before.

Microsoft’s rush to incorporate AI into so many user-facing products has driven whistleblower Shane Jones to the FTC. They wrote to the body, saying Copilot Designer can be used to create inappropriate images and should be removed until better safeguards are in place. The Windows giant and OpenAI have both previously said robust tools exist to steer the model away from creating some of the gruesome images Jones has alleged to have generated.

Continue Reading.

Yesterday Google outlined the changes it will make to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) that goes into effect starting today. One important detail it left out, however, was whether it would charge developers who directed users outside the Play Store to sideload apps — and if so, how much. 

Now, Google has revealed that it will indeed charge developers even if they don't use the Play Store, just like Apple did with the App Store. Per new details found in the Play Console help section, the company will charge two new fees: 

1. An initial acquisition fee of 10% for in-app purchases or 5% for subscriptions for two years. This represents the value Play provided in facilitating initial user acquisition.

2. An ongoing services fee of 17% for in-app purchases or 7% for subscriptions. This covers ongoing Play services like parental controls, security, fraud prevention, and app updates.

Developers can opt out of ongoing fees after two years if users agree, but ongoing Play services will no longer apply. "Since users acquired the app through Play with the expectation of services such as parental controls, security scanning, fraud prevention, and continuous app updates, discontinuation of services requires user consent as well," Google stated.

Google included the following chart to show how the fees will apply to a hypothetical "Fantastiq App": 

Google

With this, Google is taking a similar approach to Apple, which reduced App Store commissions but introduced new fees. Namely, Apple tacked on on a new 3 percent “payment processing” fee for transactions that go through its store. And a new “core technology fee” will charge a flat €0.50 fee for all app downloads, regardless of whether they come from the App Store or a third-party website, after the first 1 million installations.

Google is justifying the fees by touting the value it provides in the Android ecosystem: "Play's fees support our investment in Android and Google Play and reflect the value provided by Android and Play, including enabling us to distribute Android for free and provide the continuously growing suite of tools and services that help developers build successful businesses, all while keeping our platforms safe and secure for billions of users worldwide."

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney already blasted Google's post about DMA compliance yesterday, before the new fees were even made public. "Google announced its malicious compliance plans for the European DMA law... it looks like their illegal anti-steering policy will be replaced by a new Google Tax on web transactions. We'll likely soon learn how he and other developers react to the new fees.