Apple is watching you type App Store searches, and knows how long you take to type them. You can't turn it off. The search user data Apple stores from the App Store is oddly highly detailed. During WWDC in early June, Apple announced a raft of changes to the way the App Store functions to help developers. Evidently, one of those ways is to collect tons of data about how people actually interact with the App Store. In an X post on June 9 , security researchers known as Mysk discovered how much Apple actually collects in terms of data points. Apple already collects a lot of analytics data, but now it is being used to handle recommendations under Personalized Recommendations in the App Store. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Last week, Apple introduced a new discovery feature for the App Store called Personalized Collections, or app recommendations based on individual interests and behavior. Apple pitched the announcement as another way for developers to have their app discovered, but there has already been some pushback from a privacy perspective. App Store user analytics collected by Apple (Image: Mysk) The new tailored recommendations can appear on the Apps, Games, and Search tabs, and evolve over time based on a user's app usage and downloads. How Apple does this is through analytics data, but the extent of the information being captured by the company has set off warning sirens amongst some cybersecurity researchers. Security researchers Mysk say that Apple logs "every tap" in the App Store that a user inputs in order to put together the recommendations. Quoting from a post shared on X (Twitter) : "Now Apple is putting the extensive identifiable analytics they collect in the App Store in action. They record every tap and there's no way to turn it off. They can even calculate your typing speed." The post was accompanied by the above screenshot. "This is what the App Store sends to Apple when I searched for 'Tim cook,'" said one of the researchers. Responding to a reply, Mysk noted that the screenshot wasn't showing search results, but extensive analytics. "If you don't like Apple Music privacy options, you can stream music from Spotify, but where else can you download apps on the iPhone?" they added. Mysk said the analytics in the screenshot were included in the personal data dump that individual users can request from Apple via privacy.apple.com . Get a Copy of Your Apple Account Data – Here's How Is capturing everything you do in the App Store app an intrusion of privacy? Opinions will differ. But there's an argument to be made for Personalized Collections to be opt-in, rather than the all-in feature Apple has rolled out. Let us know your opinions in the comments. Tags: App Store , Apple Privacy This article, " Apple 'Records Every Tap' in App Store to Filter New Personalized Recommendations Feature " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
You can get help from iPhone and iPad apps to learn piano. What you should not do is cancel your practice sessions with a live teacher. It's best known for languages, but Duolingo includes a piano course that you can work through with or without a real keyboard, My piano playing has been compared to Rachmaninoff's. Only last week, someone said, "he's not as good as Rachmaninoff." I can't say I'm surprised, but I want you to know that I am trying. So for instance, right now, I am 525 days into Duolingo Piano and 48 days into using Simply Piano. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
