Fortnite Isn’t Available On iOS Right Now



Fortnite maker Epic Games announced that Apple has blocked the game’s return to iOS. Following the rejection, Fortnite is no longer available on iPhones and iPads even in the European Union, where it had previously been available to download trough the Epic Games Store, The Verge reported.

“Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union,” the company posted on the official Fortnite X account. “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be online worldwide until Apple unblocks it.”

The Verge has confirmed that the game is no longer available to download on iOS from the Epic Games Store or the alternative marketplace AltStore in PAL in the EU, where it has previously been available.

However, according to Apple, that isn’t its doing.

“We asked the Epic Sweden resubmit the app update without including the US storefront of the App Store so as to not impact Fortnite in other geographies,” Apple spokesperson Olivia Dalton tells The Verge. “We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces.

TechCrunch reported: Epic Games claims that Apple is blocking its Fortnite app from the U.S. and EU App Stores.

After winning a decisive victory for app developers in a legal battle with Apple, forcing the tech giant to allow external payments in its App Store without charging commission, Epic Games attempted to resubmit Fortnite to the U.S. App Store on May 9, 2025.

However, Apple failed to accept its submission for a week, leading Epic Games to pull its request and try again. According to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, the update was pulled because Epic Games needs to realize a weekly Fortnite update with new content, and all platforms must be updated simultaneously.

The company then submitted a new version to the U.S. App Store for review on Wednesday, March 14, with the updated content.

A spokesperson for Apple said the following: “We asked Epic Sweden to resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies. We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces in the EC.”

CNBC reported: Fortnite’s iOS App Store resubmission was denied by Apple, Epic Games said Friday, the latest move in a drawn-out tussle over the payment structure of the iPhone makers application platform.

Apple said in a statement later Friday that it did not remove Fortnite from alternative distribution and marketplaces. 

Epic Games submitted Fortnite to Apple’s U.S. App Store last week, a month after a judge ruled the iPhone maker was not allowed to charge a commission on purchases that consumers make outside of an iOS app.


YouTube’s New Ad Tactics Designed to Extract More Money from Viewers #1821



YouTube is integrating Google’s Gemini AI to place ads at the most engaging video moments, making them harder to avoid. This AI-driven tactic identifies “Peak Points” to maximize viewer retention during ad playback, indirectly pushing more users toward YouTube Premium. While ad blockers are being curbed, content creators may benefit from increased ad revenue.

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Waymo Recalls 1,200 Self-Driving Vehicles In US After Minor Colissions



Alphabet’s Waymo is recalling more than 1,200 self-driving vehicles to update software and address risks of collisions with chains, gates, and other roadway barriers after U.S. auto safety investigators opened a probe last year. Reuters reported.

The recall affects 1,212 Waymo vehicles operating on the company’s fifth-generation automated driving system software, the company said. 

Waymo has over 1,500 vehicles on the road across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin, Texas, and is running more than 250,000 fully autonomous paid rides a week. It plans to add service in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington D.C.

Waymo said it was aware of 16 collisions with chains, gates and other barriers between 2022 and late 2024. But the incidents did not result in any injuries, according to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA opened an investigation into the performance of Waymo self-driving vehicles in May after reports of its robot axis exhibiting driving behavior that potentially violated traffic safety laws.

The issue has been resolved with a software update to its automated driving system begun in November and deployed across the entire fleet by the end of December, Waymo said.

TechCrunch reported: Waymo issued a software recall on 1,200 self-driving vehicles after some of the robotaxies were involved in minor collisions with gates, chains, and other gate-like objects.

The software update, which was first reported by Reuters, was conducted late last year, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Alphabet-owned company said in the document that Waymo’s Safety Board decided to conduct a recall to that specific version of driverless software to “fulfill relevant regulator reporting obligations.

NHSTA opened a preliminary evaluation into Waymo’s automated driving system last May after learning of seven incidents in which robotaxies had collied with “stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains” between December 2022 and April 2024. None of these resulted in injury, according to NHTSA.

In November 2024, Waymo rolled out a software update to its fleet of robot axis, which numbered 1,2000 at the time. The software update significantly decreased the likelihood of these types of event, according to documents filed with NHSSA. Today, Waymo has 1,500 commercial robotaxies in operation in Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.

CBS News reported: Waymo, the ride-hailing serves owned by Google-parent Alphabet, has recalled 1,212 of its driverless cars over faulty software that causes them to crash into chains, gates, and other roadway barriers.

“A vehicle that crashes into chains, gates or other gate-like roadway barriers increases the risk of injury,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states in a recall notice posted Monday.

The recall affects Waymo’s vehicles equipped with its fifth-generation automated driving system (ADS) and follows an investigation opened a year ago by NHTSA that cited 16 reports of “collisions with stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains” between December 2022 and 2024.

 


Apple Unveils Powerful Accessibility Features Coming Later This Year



Apple today announced new accessibility features coming later this year, including the Accessibility Nutrition Labels, which will provide more detailed information for apps and games on the App Store.

Users who are blind or have low vision can explore, learn, and interact using the new Magnifier app for Mac; take notes and perform calculations with the new Braille Access feature; and leverage the powerful camera system of Apple Vision Pro with new updates to visionIOS.

Additional announcements include Accessibility Reader, a new systemwide reading mode designed with accessibility in mind, along with updates to Live Listen, Background Sounds, Personal Voice, Vehicle Motion Cues, and more. 

Leveraging the power of Apple silicon — along with advances in on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence — users will experience a new level of accessibility across the Apple ecosystem.

“At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we’re proud of the innovations we’re sharing this year. That includes tools to help people access crucial information, explore the world around them, and do what they love.”

“Building on 40 years of accessibility innovation at Apple, we are dedicated to pushing forward with new accessibility features for all of our products,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives. “Powered by the Apple ecosystem, these features work seamlessly together to bring users new ways to engage with the things they care about the most.”

The Verge reported: A wave of accessibility announcements today from Apple reveals updates that should help people read, see, and even speak via its various devices.

We’ll highlight a few here, but Apple’s press release has the complete list, including some changes to features that can both reduce distracting background sounds and, for users who may be deaf or hard of hearing, highlight important sounds and recognize when someone nearby is saying their name.

One of the most visible changes is a new Accessibility Nutrition Labels section in the App Store that will make it easy to find what features an app or game supports.

TechCrunch reported: Apple on Tuesday announced a range of accessibility features coming to its devices later this year.

New Accessibility Nutrition Labels will provide more detailed information for apps and games on the App Store, while a new Braille Access tool will turn the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro into a braille notetaker.

Additional enhancements include Accessibility Reader, a system-wide reading mode designed with accessibility in mind; a new Apple TV accessibility app, Assistive Access; sharable accessibility settings; and updates to Live Listen, Background Sounds, Personal Voice, and Vehicle Motion Cues.

 


U.S And China Agree To Slash Tariffs For 90 Days In Major Trade Breakthrough



The U.S. and China on Monday agreed to temporarily suspend most tariffs on each other’s goods in a move that shows a major thawing of trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, CNBC  reported.

The trade agreement means that “reciprocal” tariffs between both countries will be cut from 125% to 10%. The U.S’ 20% duties on Chinese imports relating to fentanyl will remain in place, meaning total tariffs on China stand at 30%.

The breakthrough comes after U.S. and China trade representatives held high-stakes talks in Switzerland over the weekend.

“We had very productive talks and I believe that the venue, here in Lake Geneva, added great equanimity to what was a very positive process,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a news conference.

“We have reached an agreement on a 90-day pause and substantially move down the tariff levels. Both sides on the reciprocal tariffs will move their tariffs down 115%,” Bessent said.

The pause will begin Wednesday. Both China and the U.S. said they will continue discussions on economic and trade policy.

Since returning to the White House in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a flurry of aggressive trade measures that jolted financial markets and watched up recession fears. The duties, which are assigned to narrow the U.S. trade deficit, hit China particularly hard. 

The Verge reported: The United States and China have mutually agreed to a 90-day reduction on tariffs implemented in April, while they continue to negotiate a final trade deal.

The deal was hashed out by US and Chinese officials in Geneva over the weekend, and will see the US reducing duties Trump has called “reciprocal tariffs” on Chinese imports from 145 percent to 30 percent, and China lowering tariffs on US goods to 10 percent, down from 125 percent. The reductions ammoniated to 115 percentage points on each side. 

In comments to reporters on Monday morning, Trump claimed the US “achieved a total reset with China,” while a statement from China’s Commerce Ministry said it hoped the US would stop its behavior of implementing unilateral tariff hikes.

ArsTechnica reported: The US and China agreed to lower tariffs by 115 percent for 90 days while they continue talks on a longer-term agreement, sending stock soaring on hopes that President Trump’s trade war won’t be as damaging to the two economies as previously feared.

“As part of a deal hammered out in Geneva over the weekend, the US will lower additional tariffs on Chinese goods to 30 percent from 145 percent and China will reduce its duties on US imports to 10 percent from 125 percent. China said it would ‘suspend or cancel’ non-tariff measures taken against the US, the Financial Times reported.

Trump recently appeared to make a deal, while China seemed content to wait for better terms. The White House today called the temporary deal “a historic trade win for the United States” that “demonstrates President Trump’s unparalleled expertise in securing deals that benefit the American people.


Google To Pay Texas $1.4 Billion To End Privacy Cases



Google will pay the state of Texas $1.375 billion to resolve two privacy lawsuits claiming the tech giant tracks Texans’ personal location and maintains their facial recognition data, both without there consent, Bloomberg Law reported.

Google announced the settlement Friday, ending yearslong battles with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the state’s strict laws on user data.

“This settles a raft of old claims, many of which have already been resolved elsewhere, concerning product policies we have long since changed,” said Google spokesperson José Castañeda. “We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services.”

The settlement rivals the $1.4 billion Meta opted to pay Texas last year to resolve facial recognition claims involving its Facebook and Instagram platforms. That agreement, which involved just one case, was the largest ever obtained from a suit by a single state.

The two billion dollar settlements are part of a broader war against Big Tech by Paxton, who has touted his wins in a bid to challenge John Cornyn for US Senate. Paxton’s office has pending privacy or deceptive trade practices claims against TikTok Inc., Allstate Corp, and General Motors LLC.

Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton reported: Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a $1.375 billion settlement in principle with Google, delivering a historic win for Texans’ data privacy and security rights and marking the highest recovery nationwide against Google for any attorney general’s enforcement of state privacy laws.

In 2022, Attorney General Paxton sued Google for unlawfully tracking and collecting users’ private data regarding geolocation, incognito searches, and biometric data. After years of aggressive litigation, Attorney General Paxton agreed to settle Texas’s data-privacy claims against Google for an amount that far surpasses any other state’s claims for similar violations. 

To date, no state has attained a settlement against Google for similar data-privacy violations grater than $93 million. Even a multistage coalition that included forty states secured just $391 billion – almost a billion dollars less than Texas’ recovery. 

The Verge reported: Google is set to pay $1.375 billion to settle claims of data privacy violations brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to a press release. 

Texas filed two lawsuits in 2022 against Google for “unlawfully tracking and collecting users’ private data regarding geolocation, incognito searches, and biometric data,” the release says. Before now, no single state has “attained a settlement against Google for similar data-privacy violations greater than $93 million.

“This settles a raft of old claims, many of which already been resolved elsewhere, concerning product polices we have long since changed.” Google spokesperson José Castañeda tells The Verge. “We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services.”


Trump Says Biden High-Speed Internet Program ‘Racist’ and ‘Unconstitutional’



President Trump ripped former President Biden’s high-speed internet program Thursday, vowing to end what he called a “racist” and ‘illegal’ initiative, The Hill reported.

Trump said he spoke with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, about the Biden-era Digital Equity Act, which allocated about $2.75 billion for programs that provide technology, including the internet, and skills for all Americans.

“We [Trump and Lutnick] agree that the Biden/Harris so-called ‘Digital Equality Act’ is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL,” Trump write in a Truth Social post Thursday. “No more woke handouts based on race! The Digital Equity Program is a RACIST and ILLEGAL $2.5. BILLION DOLLAR giveaway. I am ending this IMMEDIATELY, and saving Taxpayers BILLIONS OF DOLLARS!”

Biden signed the Digital Equity Act into law in 2021 as part of a$1 trillion infrastructure package to further the former administration’s “internet for all” initiative. It set aside about $60 million for grants to states and territories to come up with ways to improve access to technology, along with another $2.5 billion to implement the plans.

The Trump administration has worked to roll back several diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The internet for all program was intended to apply to a variety of groups. 

Gizmodo reported: In another unhinged social media rant, President Donald Trump once again demonstrated that words really don’t mean anything anymore.

This time, Trump directed his ire at a Biden-era program intended to bridge the digital divide. On Truth Social, Trump announced his intention to end the Digital Equality Act while labeling it as “racist” and “unconstitutional”.

In 2021, former president Joe Biden passed the Digital Equity Act as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It provide $2.75 billion to establish three federal grant programs administrated by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Per the agency, DEA’s aim is to ensure that everyone “has the skills, technology,  and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.”  Think digital skills and workforce training, promoting high-speed internet access in rural and tribal areas, and improving accessibility for disabled people. 

In her statement, Patty Murray added, “It’s absolutely insane that resources meant to help red and blue communities – everyone from local school districts and libraries to workforce training programs and Tribes – close the digital divide will be illegally blocked because the President doesn’t like the word equity. Americans are sick and tired of extremist right-wing culture wars being forced down our throats.”

National Digital Inclusion Alliance reported: Today, President Trump shared a statement on Truth Social proclaiming the Digital Equity Act to be unconstitutional and therefore has determined to end the program immediately. 

Calling the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional is not only incorrect – it hurts millions of Americans who need digital navigation support and home internet to find jobs, access healthcare, and compete in today’s modern economy. 

The Digital Equity Act was not an executive order issued at the whim of one individual. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress to help close the digital divide in rural, urban, and Tribal communities. 56 states and territories are counting on the fund to implement essential programs across their states, and their work is already underway.