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Author: Anthony Hannon

Long Island App Developer

The (Justified?) War on TikTok

 

TikTok is a video-sharing social network service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based internet technology company founded in 2012.

The Beginning of the End

On June 30, 2020, users began noticing that the app no longer allowed them to access the platform in India. All users were greeted with a message that stated: “Dear users, we are in the process of complying with the Government of India’s directive to block 59 apps. Ensuring the privacy and security of all our users in India remains our utmost priority.” The banning of TikTok in India gave a significant blow to the company as India was the company’s largest market. Hong Kong has since followed suit this week with the company announcing it will no longer be available in the special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. Now the United States is on the verge of banning TikTok and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is citing security concerns for the ban.

Why Would the U.S. Ban TikTok?

The app has been repeatedly accused of being a threat to national security. U.S. Politicians are alleging that the company may “support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.” The company has pushed back stating that all U.S. user data is stored in the U.S. and there is a backup in Singapore, in May a spokesperson for the company said that these concerns are “unfounded.”

Will the U.S. Ban TikTok?

As tensions are rising between the U.S. and China, it appears that national security and politics play a role in the potential banning of TikTok in the U.S. Whether or not the U.S. will ban TikTok is still up in the air. We’ll have to continue to monitor the situation and see how the United States handles TikTok.

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Android

The best Android apps (June 2020)

Through every yearly smartphone release, we are left more in awe of what our smartphones are capable of and in turn the apps that help make them great. From the top Android flagships to the best value budget phones, a few taps is all you need to place a takeout order, live stream your local news, or send your friends a funny GIF. If you’re looking to get really fancy, you can even call people, too. Continue reading. 

 

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iPhone

The best iPhone apps (June 2020)

If you have an iPhone or iPad, Apple’s App Store offers a large collection of applications to download and enjoy. With so many various apps available, and in so many categories, where do you start? Price can also vary between different options, which are worth the higher price tags and which aren’t worth their free price? We’ve gathered the best apps, showing which options rise above the rest. Continue reading.

 

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Mobile Apps and Fireworks

How a Business Grew Using a Mobile App

In the spirit of Independence Day this year, it’s only suitable that we focus on a business that specializes in fireworks and expanded their business from a single stand to the most significant American fireworks distributor as well as a technologically advanced company with a mobile app.

In 1964, a single stand popped up in Pittsburg, Kansas.  Their product?  Fireworks. John and David Collar opened that stand as a summer business to earn some extra cash. Little did they know that summer business would scale into Winco Fireworks, one of the largest firework distributors in America.

As the business continued to grow, they knew they had to stay relevant and competitive. When the opportunity presented itself, the company entered a new era, designing a firework show and executing it all on a smartphone or tablet.  Kevin Wu, a product developer, pitched the idea/concept to Winco Fireworks. Winco saw it as a great opportunity and, in late 2017, launched the new product FireFly.

Since the launch of FireFly, they amassed over 26,000 users in over 31 countries, which shows that the future of the firework business is in technology.  Winco Fireworks has leaped in front of the competition and all from a concept utilizing a mobile app.

 

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Apple Press Release

All the Reveals from Apple’s WWDC20

Cupertino, California — Apple today announced a robust line-up of new technologies to help its 23 million developers design and build the apps of tomorrow. These new tools will enable developers to bring more powerful app experiences to Apple’s industry-leading platforms, and help them better manage and grow their businesses. In addition to Apple’s annual developer survey, WWDC20 will feature an online App Store lab so that developers from around the world can share their feedback and help inform future improvements to the App Store. Apple is also adding new forums for developers to relay suggestions throughout the coming year and beyond.

Read more.

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Apple CarPlay

Apple CarPlay gets an update, plus, replace your car key with your iPhone

Apple announced a slew of new features and updates at its 2020 Worldwide Developer Conference today, many of them directly related to the automotive world.

To start, Apple CarPlay is getting an update. There’s no new user interface, but users can pick a custom wallpaper now as the screen’s backsplash. Additionally, there are three new categories of apps that are allowable within the interface: parking, EV charging, and food ordering. There will certainly be more manufacturer-made EV charging apps made available in the future, so Apple CarPlay integration makes a lot of sense.

Read more.

 

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WWDC 2020

WWDC 2020

Monday marks the start of Apple’s 31st WWDC! Unlike any year before, this year is virtual and free for everyone!  Let’s dive into the details of this year’s WWDC.

 

What is WWDC?

WWDC is Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference.  Every year Apple engineers, software developers, and people from all areas of the tech world come together to participate in in-depth sessions covering a wide variety of topics.  Apple uses this platform to showcase its new software and technologies to a variety of developers.

 

What are this year’s expected announcements?

We are expecting to hear an array of news from tvOS 14 to new in-house chips.  This online event will allow millions of developers to access the future versions of iOS, tvOS, macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS.

We are expecting Apple to announce the transition from Intel chips to chips made in-house.  This will give developers time to prepare for the change as the first Macs with these new chips aren’t expected until 2021.

We anticipate the unveiling of a newly redesigned iMac that will utilize the “iPad Pro design language” and feature thinner bezels of those on the Pro Display XDR.

We believe Apple will preview the new software updates that could be launched as soon as September 2020, which includes iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS 10.16, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7.

 

watchOS 7

Medical

It’s rumored that Apple may release an update to detect your blood oxygen levels for the Apple Watch. It is unknown if this will be something older models of the Apple Watch can detect.

Parental Features

It looks like watchOS 7 will be a blessing for parents as it’s believed Apple will allow parents to manage which apps can be used during specific hours and add additional features for managing your child’s Apple Watch.

Control Center

It’s believed that Apple will add new features to the control center for noise detection and sleep mode.

 

iOS 14

Third-Party Apps and Packs

Apple may be allowing users to set third-party apps as their default music, mail, and browser apps in place of Apple’s apps as well as allowing developers to create wallpaper options for the iPhone that can be installed in the Wallpaper section.

Home Screen Changes

You may see changes to your home screen with iOS 14.  Apple may allow users to view their home screen as a list so the user can see every app installed in one comfortable place.

Messages

Messages are expected to get a slew of features, including the ability to @mention someone in a group chat, retract iMessages, mark messages unread, and typing indicators for group chat.

 

There are expected to be many other announcements and unveilings, so we encourage you to follow Pioneer and drop-in on Apple’s WWDC 2020.

 

 

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5 Steps Entrepreneurs Can Take to Adapt During Difficult Times

Proof that pandemics can accelerate innovation can be found as far back as the Black Death in Europe during the 1300s. The Plague eventually forced the people of the Late Middle Ages to reassess their medical practices — which were previously rooted in religion — and adapt them in favor of a more scientific approach, thereby moving the world towards modern medicine.

Continue Reading.

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App Can Make You Money

How an App Can Make You Money

Mobile apps can make you money and serve many different purposes. You may have had an app built so you could communicate with your constituents more effectively, you may have had it built so you could market your products directly to your consumers or have an app used for contact tracing to help in the healthcare industry.  There are so many different reasons why apps are developed, but how do you make money?

The most straightforward answer to this is charging for the app, but most people don’t want to pay for an app unless it is very targeted and specific.  The other obvious answer is ad placement.  Ad placement can be useful, but it can also backfire.  If your users get annoyed with the constant bombardment of ads, they may delete the app and never return. There is also the issue of needing large amounts of users to make money with ad placement, requiring a significant marketing budget.

 

So what are some ways you can make money with your new mobile app?

 

In-App Purchases

In-app purchases can be one of the best ways to make money with your app consistently.  The app itself is free for download, but users can opt to purchase additional content or premium access in the app.

Email Marketing

Email marketing remains the top seller in the game of marketing.  58% of people check their email first in the morning, even before social media.  Some app developers opt to require a sign-in feature on their app to collect email addresses and user data.  They then can email the user and begin that user in the conversion funnel or even place advertisements in the email.

Subscriptions

Subscription modeled apps can create quite the revenue for businesses and individuals. If you do go down this road, you want to make sure that you can deliver well-tailored content to ensure long-lasting subscriptions.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship can be a significant way to establish and enhance a revenue stream from a mobile app. App developers can partner with large or small organizations to build an app and provide content.  App developers and the organization would then split the profits in an agreed-upon manner.

 

As you begin to think about app development, you’ll also want to focus on the revenue strategy for the app, as that is just as important as the construction and design of the app. Mobile apps should be developed with a revenue strategy in mind to enhance the success of the app.

 

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