Apple Loosens the Rules (but Not Too Loose)

Adding Game Streaming to the App Store in a weird way

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 Everything worth knowing in tech today, September 14, 2020. Happy National Cream Filled Donut Day. You know what to do.     ⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don't have to): 322 articles, 7 podcasts, 19 press releases, 675 tweets, and 8 YouTube videos 1. Apple Revises App Store Guidelines  After a ton of recent outcry, Apple's lightening up its previous ban on "catalog apps" to allow for streaming services like Stadia and xCloud. The rules still say that games need to be downloadable from the App Store (making in-app purchases subject to the 30% fees). How's that gonna play? 2. TikTok Reveals its Algorithm TikTok really wants to show everyone how transparent it can be with a reveal of its viral video app's behind the scenes algorithm. It has good reason, too: We're quickly approaching President Trump's date for banning or selling the company. Watch out for more virtue signaling soon.  3. Disney+ Testing its Own Watch Party Prime Video and Netflix already have ways for groups of friends to watch videos together while in remote spots. Turns out Disney+ is working on its own version of a group-watch system, too, with tests in Canada. Nice, eh? 🦑 Go Deeper   Finding safe, inexpensive gender-affirming hormone therapy isn't easy for transgender people, which is where this new app-website partnership comes in. Halley Bondy has all the details in this deep dive for Lifewire.      🎱 By the Numbers Where's Stadia? Data: FudZilla, Game Daily Game streaming services, while not a brand-new concept, are still fairly young. Heck, Google's Stadia is so new it isn't even sharing its subscriber numbers with the public (perhaps with good reason). Nvidia and Sony have the early lead, though, with Microsoft's xCloud coming soon.  🤓 Nerd Out "Radio waves aren't gonna cuddle me, though." -Rob LeFebvre, Senior News Editor Researchers at MIT have found a way to monitor your sleep habits with radio waves, making things a whole lot less dependent on a watch or bed-gadget, which can't be used by everyone. (Share on Twitter) 💎 You Know You Want It  Expecto Legonus! Image: Microsoft You're never too old to play with toys, and this $400 Lego recreation of the famous Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies may have the perfect setup of nostalgia and OCD satisfaction. Try not to step on mini-fig Ron, k? 🎧 Listen Up How do kindergarten kids Zoom? As our children go back to school amid the pandemic, the options available for kids, teachers, and parents are as limited as they can be confusing. This episode of Vox's Today, Explained podcast uses Georgia to explore the various issues involved.      🗞 Extra! Extra! We've got you covered with the best in daily tech news! See the latest on our site or follow us on Google News. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Have something you'd like us to write about? We're always open for suggestions. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Tech Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here .   Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. A Dotdash Brand 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 2020 Dotdash • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.   [View in Browser]