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Over 540,000 apps wiped from Apple App Store in Q3 reaching lowest number in 7 years

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The App Store remains a crucial segment in Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) business line; hence the number of applications on the platform has emerged as a critical metric to track. Over the years, the apps on the App Store have fluctuated marginally, but the recent quarter highlights an accelerated drop in apps. 

In particular, according to data acquired by Finbold, the number of apps in the Apple App Store hit a seven-year low during 2022 Q3 to stand at 1,642,759. The value represents a drop of 541,697 or 24.79% from the 2,184,456 registered during Q2 2022. The last time the number of apps was this low was during Q3 2015 at 1,672,271.

Elsewhere, regarding the number of apps on leading app stores globally as of Q3 2022, Google Play Store ranks top at 3,553,050 while App Store ranks second at 1,642,759. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) Appstore has the third highest number of applications at 483,328. 

Policy changes trigger a drop in App Store apps 

It is worth noting that removing apps from the App Store is a perennial practice initiated by Apple as part of maintaining quality on the platform. However, the recent spike in removed apps can be attributed to several decisions by the company to improve user experience. 

In this case, in April 2022, the company notified developers that it was rolling out a plan to remove old apps that had not been updated for some time. The directive saw developers directed to make updates within 30 days or risk removal from the platform. 

Previously, Apple had not set any timeline for removing apps, but the recent update stressed that cleaning the App Store is an ongoing process and will evaluate apps, removing apps that no longer function as planned, don’t adhere to reviewed guidelines, or need to be updated.

Notably, the policy has received a lot of criticism, with developers arguing that the old apps should continue to exist on the platform as long as they are still functional. For instance, gaming developers maintain that the apps should be treated as old video games that remain playable on consoles.

At the same time, in recent months, the App Store has become a center of controversy with reported scams and fraudulent applications existing on the platform. In this case, the company resorted to removing virus-scanning apps, app clones, and other low-quality apps cluttering the App Store, with Apple maintaining that the App Store offers a safe experience for users. 

Overall, removing apps aligns with Apple’s long-standing policy of curating the App Store to eliminate apps that routinely fail to adhere to set standards. 

App Store drop in revenue

Interestingly, the drop in the number of apps has also correlated with a period in which the App Store registered one of the significant declines in revenues during 2022 Q3. Notably, the revenue plunge was also witnessed from the gaming apps that are crucial to the store’s financial performance.

In the meantime, Apple continues to explore the App Store as a possible strategic source of revenue through some decisions that have been deemed unpopular, like increasing app purchases, in-app purchases, and subscriptions from the App Store.

Elsewhere, the App Store trails the Google Play Store in the number of applications driven by factors like a larger Android market than iOS devices. Also, developing Android apps is cheaper since developers do not need significant resources. At the same time, approval for publishing apps on the Play Store is less cumbersome.

App Store future outlook  

At the same time, the outlook of the App Store is likely to be impacted in the future, especially with regulators increasingly cracking down on the company’s market dominance. This is highlighted by a recent European antitrust law that aims to allow users to install software applications from third parties.

In general, the number of apps removed from the App Store will likely increase, especially with the company targeting specific sectors. For instance, Apple recently clarified its rules for apps affecting cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). For crypto exchanges, Apple’s policy indicates that the apps may facilitate transactions or transmissions of cryptocurrency on a regulated exchange. However, such apps can only be offered in regions with licensing and permission to operate a business.

The post Over 540,000 apps wiped from Apple App Store in Q3 reaching lowest number in 7 years appeared first on Finbold.

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The Crypto Heist of the Year: A Hacker’s Multi-Platform Attack

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A series of hacks on Twitter and Discord have resulted in the theft of millions of dollars worth of crypto from unsuspecting victims. The hacker, who goes by the name of Pink Drainer, has been linked to several incidents involving fake tokens, phishing links, and social engineering attacks.

One of the most notable hacks was the hijacking of the Twitter account of OpenAI CTO Greg Brockman, who is a prominent figure in the crypto space. The hacker used his account to promote a fake OpenAI token, claiming that it was a new project by the artificial intelligence research company. The hacker also sent direct messages to Brockman’s followers, asking them to join a Discord server and invest in the token.

According to Scam Sniffer, a platform that tracks crypto scams, Pink Drainer has stolen over $3 million from nearly 2000 victims across different blockchains, including Mainnet, Arbitrum, BNB, Polygon, and Optimism. The hacker has also targeted several DeFi projects, such as Evomos, Pika Protocol, and Orbiter Finance, by impersonating journalists from reputable media outlets and sending phishing links to their communities.

The phishing links usually redirect the victims to a fake website that mimics the original one but asks them to enter their private keys or seed phrases to access their wallets. Once the victims do that, they lose control of their funds and the hacker transfers them to his own addresses.

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Crypto Hacks Took a Serious Plunge in the Last Quarter

Pink Drainer’s activities have been exposed by several crypto enthusiasts and researchers, who have traced his transactions and identified his addresses. However, the hacker has been using various techniques to evade detection and prosecution, such as using crypto mixers, changing addresses frequently, and moving funds across different chains.

The crypto industry has been facing a growing number of hacks and scams in recent years, as hackers exploit the vulnerabilities of decentralized platforms and the lack of regulation and oversight. Hackers stole approximately $400 million from crypto projects across 40 attacks in the first quarter of 2023, representing a 70% decrease compared to the same period in 2022.

The report attributed this drop to the sanctions imposed on Tornado Cash, a crypto mixer that was used by many hackers to launder their proceeds.

The post The Crypto Heist of the Year: A Hacker’s Multi-Platform Attack appeared first on The Cryptocurrency Post.

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Coinbase Announces Launch Date for Its Innovative Base Protocol

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Coinbase, one of the leading cryptocurrency platforms in the world, has announced the testnet launch of Base, a new Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) network that aims to bring the next billion users to web3. It is a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly solution that allows anyone to build decentralized applications (dapps) on-chain.

Base is built on top of Optimism, an open-source project that enables scaling Ethereum using optimistic rollups. It leverages the underlying security of Ethereum, along with Coinbase’s best practices, to enable users to easily and safely access Base from Coinbase, Ethereum L1, and other interoperable chains.

Coinbase Aims to Onboard One Billion People Worldwide

Base is designed to be a home for Coinbase’s on-chain products and an open ecosystem where anyone can build. Developers can benefit from seamless Coinbase product integrations, easy fiat onramps, and powerful acquisition tools that enable them to reach the 110M+ verified users and access $80B assets on the platform in the Coinbase ecosystem. 

Coinbase Base

It also offers full EVM equivalence at a fraction of the cost and is committed to pushing forward the developer platform. For example, developers can set up gasless transactions for their dapps with easy APIs for account abstraction, and securely build multichain applications with easy-to-use bridges.

The protocol aims to be decentralized, permissionless, and open to anyone with the vision of creating a standard, modular, rollup agnostic Superchain powered by Optimism. Coinbase is joining Optimism as a Core Dev on the open-source OP Stack, and working to create a thriving community of other developers. It has no plans to issue a new network token. Developers can get started building on Base today at base.org.

 By offering a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly Ethereum L2 network that is empowered by Coinbase and open source, Base hopes to enable anyone, anywhere, to build dapps that can scale and reach mass adoption. It is expected to launch its mainnet later this year.

The post Coinbase Announces Launch Date for Its Innovative Base Protocol appeared first on The Cryptocurrency Post.

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Anoma raises $25m for Intent-centric Blockchain Architecture

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Anoma, a layer-one blockchain protocol that aims to enable private and asset-agnostic bartering among any number of parties, has completed a $25 million fundraising round to advance its intent-centric architecture. The round was led by Polychain Capital and included participation from other prominent investors such as Coinbase Ventures, DCG, Fenbushi Capital, and others.

Anoma is Ready to Enter the Blockchain World

Anoma’s vision is to create a decentralized platform that allows users to exchange any kind of digital assets without the need for a base currency or intermediaries. Users can specify their trading intentions and preferences using a novel programming language called Juvix, which enables expressive and verifiable smart contracts. Anoma also leverages zero-knowledge proofs and other privacy-enhancing technologies to ensure that transactions are confidential and anonymous.

Anoma’s architecture is based on the concept of intents, which are statements of what a user wants to trade and under what conditions. Intents are broadcasted to the network and matched with compatible ones using a gossip protocol.

When a match is found, a validation committee of randomly selected validators verifies the transaction and executes it atomically. This way, Anoma can support complex and multi-party trades that are not possible on existing platforms.

Anoma

Anoma’s founder and chief architect, Awa Sun Yin, said that Anoma is the first generalized intent-centric blockchain architecture that enables truly decentralized applications, from decentralized DEXs to decentralized rollup sequencers. He claimed that Anoma enhances the composability and the ease of development of dApps by a factor of ten, compared to existing architectures such as Ethereum/EVM.

Anoma is currently in development and plans to launch its mainnet in 2024. The project has also released a testnet version called Heliax that showcases some of its features and capabilities. Anoma claims that its protocol can achieve high scalability, security, and interoperability without compromising on decentralization or privacy.

Anoma is one of the many projects that are exploring the potential of layer-one blockchain solutions to address the challenges of the current crypto ecosystem. With its innovative approach to asset exchange and smart contract design, Anoma hopes to create a more inclusive and accessible platform for users and developers alike.

The post Anoma raises $25m for Intent-centric Blockchain Architecture appeared first on The Cryptocurrency Post.

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