Daily Archives: January 16, 2026

Setapp Mobile shuts down alternative iOS app marketplace due to Apple’s crazy way of interpreting EU law

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Setapp Mobile, MacPaw’s ambitious alternative iOS app store for European Union users, will close its doors in February after just over a year of operation, the service said Thursday.

On a support page, MacPaw cited Apple’s “still-evolving and complex business terms that don’t fit Setapp’s current business model” as the reason.

Setapp Mobile shuts down, blaming Apple’s complex EU marketplace terms

The Ukraine-based developer’s message appeared to suggest the widely criticized marketplace model resulting from the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is not financially sustainable under current conditions. The shutdown affects only the iOS version of Setapp in the EU. The company’s established Mac subscription service will continue operating normally.

Setapp Mobile launched in open beta in September 2024 as an early responder to EU legislation forcing Apple to allow alternative app stores within EU borders. The service shuts down February 16, 2026. It marks an early setback for third-party app distribution on iOS in the EU.

What Setapp Mobile offered, and what users should do

Setapp Mobile provided EU-based iPhone users with a unique value proposition. They could access more than 50 premium iOS apps through a single monthly subscription, with no in-app purchases or advertisements. The service offered a simplified alternative to traditional app purchasing, bundling multiple paid applications into one payment.

[…]

Setapp Mobile’s closure highlights the hurdles facing alternative app marketplaces in the EU, despite the Digital Markets Act requiring Apple to permit third-party distribution channels. The most prominent challenge appears to be Apple’s Core Technology Fee and associated business terms, which critics argue make it difficult for competing stores to achieve profitability.

Epic Games, which operates the most well-known alternative marketplace on iOS, absorbs the fees that EU developers would otherwise pay when distributing through the Epic Games Store. However, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has publicly stated this approach is “not financially viable” long-term.

Sweeney characterized Apple’s fee structure as “ruinous for any hopes of a competing store getting a foothold.” And that prediction seems to hold true with Setapp Mobile’s closure.

[…]

Source: Setapp Mobile shuts down EU iOS app marketplace | Cult of Mac

For more on how Apple is like a tiny baby screaming it’s head off in the EU about wanting to stay a monopoly, read this and the links in the bottom

Turns Out Games Workshop Are Luddites, Bans Staff From Using AI in Its Content or Designs

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Warhammer maker Games Workshop has banned the use of AI in its content production and its design process, insisting that none of its senior managers are currently excited about the technology.

Delivering the UK company’s impressive financial results, CEO Kevin Rountree addressed the issue of AI and how Games Workshop is handling it. He said GW staff are barred from using it to actually produce anything, but admitted a “few” senior managers are experimenting with it.

Rountree said AI was “a very broad topic and to be honest I’m not an expert on it,” then went on to lay down the company line:

“We do have a few senior managers that are [experts on AI]: none are that excited about it yet. We have agreed an internal policy to guide us all, which is currently very cautious e.g. we do not allow AI generated content or AI to be used in our design processes or its unauthorised use outside of GW including in any of our competitions. We also have to monitor and protect ourselves from a data compliance, security and governance perspective, the AI or machine learning engines seem to be automatically included on our phones or laptops whether we like it or not.

“We are allowing those few senior managers to continue to be inquisitive about the technology. We have also agreed we will be maintaining a strong commitment to protect our intellectual property and respect our human creators. In the period reported, we continued to invest in our Warhammer Studio — hiring more creatives in multiple disciplines from concepting and art to writing and sculpting. Talented and passionate individuals that make Warhammer the rich, evocative IP that our hobbyists and we all love.”

[…]

Source: Warhammer Maker Games Workshop Bans Its Staff From Using AI in Its Content or Designs, Says None of Its Senior Managers Are Currently Excited About the Tech – IGN

A bit sad that they have to go and ban it. You wonder if they are able to use a computer at all, or do they give hand painted stuff to the new fangled thing they call a printers?

Windows App breaks logins with first 2026 security patch

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Microsoft has kicked off 2026 with another faulty Windows update. This time, it is connection and authentication failures in Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 related to the Windows App.

The January 2026 security update, released on January 13, is the culprit. According to Microsoft, the update can result in credential prompt failures “during Remote Desktop connections using the Windows App on Windows client devices, impacting Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365.”

The upshot is that connecting to Windows 365 or Azure Virtual Desktop from the Windows App could be borked due to credential problems. Microsoft posted: “Investigation and debugging are ongoing, with coordination between Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows Update teams.”

The problem is widespread and appears to affect every supported version of Windows, from Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2016, right up to Windows 11 25H2. Windows Servers 2019 to 2025 are also affected.

Other than a swift uninstall of the update (which means losing important security fixes), Microsoft’s advice is to use the Remote Desktop Client to connect to Azure Virtual Desktop, or to use the Windows App web client.

Neither is an ideal solution. Microsoft said: “We are actively working on a resolution and plan to release an out-of-band (OOB) update in the coming days. Additional details will be shared as soon as they become available.”

Of the suggestion to use the Remote Desktop Client, one user wrote: “Thanks Microsoft, glad we spent ages migrating everyone over to Windows App.”

The Windows App is Microsoft’s one-stop shop for everything Windows launched via a rebranding exercise in 2024. According to Microsoft at the time, it “serves as your secure gateway to connect to Windows across Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Dev Box, and more.” Until, of course, it doesn’t.

Another user reported: “It throws an ‘Unable to Authenticate’ error every time you try to click the ‘Connect’ button from Windows App. It instantly fails with the ‘Unable to Authenticate’ error.”

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Source: Windows App breaks logins with first 2026 security patch • The Register