Apple's Brazil App Store Changes, Meta AI Policy, and Waymo Postmortem

Legal Challenges and App Store Policies

• ⚖️ A Texas federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the App Store Accountability Act, citing likely First Amendment violations.
• 📱 Starting in 2026, Apple will permit third-party iOS app stores in Brazil, also allowing developers to use external payment systems.
• ⚠️ Apple must implement these changes within 105 days and could face fines of up to 27 million US dollars for non-compliance.
• 🤖 The Italian Competition Authority ordered Meta to suspend its policy banning outside AI chatbots on WhatsApp.
• 🚫 Meta plans to appeal this decision, which could impact AI chatbots from companies like OpenAI and Perplexity.

Technology and Infrastructure Updates

• 🚗 Waymo released a post-mortem detailing its taxi service breakdown during a San Francisco blackout, caused by dark traffic signals leading to congestion and response delays.
• 🛰️ The Bolivian government issued a new decree waiving restrictions on internet satellite companies, previously denying a license to Starlink due to data protection and national sovereignty concerns.
• 💡 Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz hopes this move will reduce the digital divide, as Bolivia currently has the slowest internet speeds in South America.

New Hardware and Service Changes

• 🖥️ Samsung announced its 2026 gaming monitor lineup, including the Odyssey 3D G90XH, the first display with glasses-free 3D using real-time eye tracking.
• 📱 A YouTube test of the Samsung Galaxy Trifold showed the device developing creaking sounds around 61,000 folds and becoming harder to open/close by 144,000 folds, though the screen remained functional.
• 🎮 Nvidia's GeForce Now game streaming service will limit play time to 100 hours per month, with additional fees for extra playtime, though founding members are exempt.