The app gap on the Windows Store just got a lot wider for German and Italian users.
Microsoft has delisted 100,000 apps from the German and Italian stores after developers failed to update their apps with proper age restrictions.
According to German website Dr Windows, the German store went from 328,639 apps down to 164,136. That was a massive 174,203 reduction, or a 50.06-percent decrease. Dr Windows claims, as interpreted by MS Power User, that many users didn’t notice the removal as many of the apps were dormant, with few to no updates. For all intents and purposes, it was a house-cleaning.
WindowsPhoneItalia also noted a massive app reduction. That store saw its 329,507 apps reduced to 239,216. While not as drastic as the German purge, it was still a chunky 27.41-percent decrease.
Microsoft has been contacting developers for the past six months warning them that their apps would be delisted if they were not updated. It seems that many of the developers really did not care. Developers can easily get their apps relisted, they just have to fill out a questionnaire, and the barrier for reentry is low.
This is somewhat unfortunate news for Windows Phone fans. The platform has been largely dormant, with many big apps found on iOS and Android still missing. Windows Phone adoption has also been dropping, as Microsoft has failed to reinvigorate the platform with strong hardware and software support. Even a year after the launch of the Lumia 950 and 950XL, reports indicate that both phones are still buggy, and even die-hard Windows Phone fans are losing hope.
Microsoft isn’t done with mobile, however. The company plans on doubling down on enterprise customers and is waiting for the next mobile innovation jump to reenter the consumer market. It’s a curious play, and it will be interesting to see if any other players can make a dent in the highly competitive mobile market.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.