App news round-up July 2021

With July almost at an end for another year and August nearly upon us, now is a great time to catch up on the summer’s biggest app news stories thus far. Read on for more on what’s been happening in the app space to inspire your own small business app design project.

Apple says its privacy feature has been well received by users

Apple CEO Tim Cook says that users have reacted well to its App Tracking Transparency feature, which allows device owners to decide whether or not they consent to apps tracking their activities across websites and apps.

He said that the ability to opt in or out seemed to “be going very well from a user point of view.” Despite advertiser opposition, Cook also noted that user sentiment around the feature had been positive thus far, sharing “We've been getting quite a bit of customer reaction, positive reaction to being able to make the decision ... on whether to be tracked or not.”

This news underlines how important privacy and transparency are to users right now and emphasises the importance of apps being clear and upfront about how data is handled.

Cryptocurrency app raises $20 million / £14.41 million in investment

It pays to be in cryptocurrency it seems - Crypto app Valora has announced that it has raised investment of $20 million / £14.41 million. It says the funds will be funnelled to product development and the creation of content aimed at helping people to feel comfortable using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

CEO Jackie Bona said, “Consumer awareness of crypto has never been higher, and yet many people remain on the sidelines, either due to skepticism or lack of access.” Launched in February, the app reports 53,000 monthly active users, all of whom can use the platform to send funds worldwide.

With this investment news and interest in cryptocurrencies high, this could be a growth area for the app ecosystem.

Will Google launch a ‘Switch to Android’ app?

Rumours are swirling that Google is working on a new app, with a working title of Switch to Android which would make it easy for iPhone users to transfer their data to an Android device.

It’s thought the app will be downloadable from the App Store and Google Play and work wirelessly to allow users to send information such as SMS messages, contacts and media files from their iPhone to an Android device. The app won’t be manufacturer specific, so it will allow any iPhone user to send data to any Android device.