Good morning. It’s Friday, May 02. Today we are covering:
Apple approves Spotify app update with external payments
Passwords Suddenly Disappear From Windows Accounts - What's Going On?
Apple updates App Store Guidelines to allow links to external payments
A Judge Says Meta's AI Copyright Case Is About 'the Next Taylor Swift'
Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages
Let’s dive in
Apple approves Spotify app update with external payments
By Dominic Preston via The Verge
Spotify's iPhone app now includes direct links to its website for U.S. users to subscribe or upgrade, bypassing Apple’s 30% in-app payment fee.
The move follows a court ruling forcing Apple to lift restrictions on external payment links, marking a significant win for consumer choice and price transparency.
Spotify calls the update a victory after nearly a decade of pressure, and Patreon and Epic Games are preparing similar updates to leverage Apple’s new rules.
𝕏: Spotify’s iPhone app now lets you pay how you want. Apple has approved the update that allows Spotify to advertise cheaper prices to US users outside the app, thanks to a recent court ruling - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
Passwords Suddenly Disappear From Windows Accounts - What's Going On?
By Davey Winder via Forbes
Microsoft has eliminated passwords for all new Windows accounts starting May 1, making them passwordless by default as part of a broader push toward more secure sign-in methods.
New users will authenticate using passkeys and one-time codes, with no need to ever create or enroll a traditional password.
This shift comes amid rising threats, including the recent exposure of 1.7 billion stolen credentials, reinforcing that passwords are increasingly unsafe and obsolete.
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Apple updates App Store Guidelines to allow links to external payments
By Chance Mille via 9to5Mac
Apple has updated its App Store Guidelines to allow apps on the U.S. storefront to include buttons, external links, and other calls to action without requiring special entitlements, in compliance with a court injunction from the Epic Games case.
The update follows a scathing ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who found Apple had willfully defied a previous court order by attempting to impose a 27% fee on external payments.
Major developers like Spotify are already rolling out app updates to leverage the new rules and bypass Apple’s in-app purchase fees.
𝕏: Cook should have listened to Schiller: Give this one up, Apple. By doubling, tripling, and quadroupling down on malfeasance to save a few marginal dollars, they're torching their reputation and possibly their contempt case. Crazy. Cook has got to go. - DHH (@dhh)
A Judge Says Meta's AI Copyright Case Is About 'the Next Taylor Swift'
By Kate Knibbs via WIRED
US District Judge Vince Chhabria is weighing whether Meta's AI tools illegally cannibalize authors’ book sales, with the central legal question shifting from copyright piracy to the market impact on creators like Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Meta admits to using books from shadow libraries like LibGen but claims protection under fair use, while Chhabria challenges whether destroying the market for original works without licensing can truly qualify as fair use.
The judge's ruling in Kadrey v. Meta could set a precedent for how courts interpret copyright law in the age of generative AI, with potential ramifications for tech strategy across Silicon Valley, including Meta’s AI roadmap.
𝕏: NEW: Big hearing today in Kadrey v. Meta, one of the earliest AI copyright lawsuits filed. We may see another summary judgement soon(ish)! - Kate Knibbs (@Knibbs)
Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages
By Joseph Cox via 404 Media
Former U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was photographed using an unofficial version of Signal that appears to archive messages, raising concerns over the handling of sensitive government communications.
The image, taken during a Trump cabinet meeting, showed Waltz receiving messages from high-level officials including JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marco Rubio.
A PIN verification prompt—a signature feature of Signal—was visible on his screen, suggesting the use of an app that mimics or modifies Signal’s secure interface for government archiving purposes.
𝕏: New: Mike Waltz appears to be using an unofficial fork of Signal in the cabinet meeting, which archives messages elsewhere, off device. Unclear what potential security implications of this are - Jason Koebler (@jason_koebler)
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