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Thursday, 27 February 2020

Popular Mobile App Plague Inc. Removed From App Stores in China

Ndemic Creations today released a statement acknowledging that its popular mobile game Plague Inc. has been removed from App Stores in China.

The company says it received a notice saying that Plague Inc. "includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China," but no further information on regulators' objections to the game have been shared.

It's possible and perhaps even likely that the removal is linked to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak that originated in China, with regulators possibly concerned that a game intended to entertain is hitting a little too close to home given the severe ongoing impacts in that country.

As Ndemic Creations points out, however, Plague Inc. has been recognized by the U.S. CDC and other organizations for its educational impact that helps players understand how diseases spread.

It’s not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing. However, Plague Inc.’s educational importance has been repeatedly recognised by organisations like the CDC and we are currently working with major global health organisations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19.

We are working very hard to try and find a way to get the game back in the hands of Chinese players - we don’t want to give up on you - however, as a tiny independent games studio in the UK, the odds are stacked against us. Our immediate priority is to try and make contact with the Cyberspace Administration of China to understand their concerns and work with them to find a resolution.

Despite having been released eight years ago, Plague Inc. has seen regular updates and remains a massively popular game on the App Store, placing near the top of the paid apps chart in Apple's 2019 rankings.

Tags: Wuhan coronavirus, Plague Inc.

This article, "Popular Mobile App Plague Inc. Removed From App Stores in China" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Leaked Documents Suggest Apple Could Be Forced to Build iPhones With User-Removable Batteries in Europe

Leaked proposals from the European Union suggest that smartphone manufacturers in the EU could be forced to make all batteries removable in the future. This would mean that any smartphone brand wanting to sell a handheld in the EU, including Apple, would have to ensure that every device on the market has a user-removable battery (via TechRadar).

Image via iFixit
This proposal is said to be a long way from being confirmed as it's not even out in the public yet. The documents were leaked by Dutch publication Het Financieele Dagblad, which suggested that the proposal will be officially unveiled in March.

Apple has always made its iPhones with non-removable batteries, encouraging users to take their devices in to specialists if they ever face issues with degrading batteries. The leaked EU proposals suggest that users shouldn't have to rely on outside help in these situations, and that they should be able to simply swap the battery out on their own.

The iPhone would have to undergo massive design changes to comply with a removable battery design. With a removable battery, the ‌iPhone‌ would potentially lose features like waterproofing and a slim design.

Apple is already pushing back against one ongoing change in the European Union, related to a common charging standard for mobile devices. The European Parliament wants one charger to fit all smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices, with the likely candidate to be USB-C.

This could make the Lightning port on current ‌iPhone‌ models incompatible with the law, and Apple's current stance is that the ‌iPhone‌ is too thin to house a USB-C port. Given that the company disagreed with the charging standard vote, it's likely that if the removable battery proposal ever becomes real legislation in the EU, Apple will once again push back against the proposal.

Tag: Europe

This article, "Leaked Documents Suggest Apple Could Be Forced to Build iPhones With User-Removable Batteries in Europe" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Latest Attempt at the Lost Boys TV Show Has Found Its Potential Stars (Again)

The Matrix 4 keeps adding to its mysterious cast. Get a new look at The Hunt’s attempt to return. NBC has found a star for its “doomsday drama” La Brea. A peculiar Mandalorian rumor discusses some intriguing guest directors. Plus, Wally West returns to The Flash and the latest wild goings-on in Riverdale. Spoilers now!

You Can Pretend to Murder This Adorable Robotic Balloon Dog

Unless artist Jeff Koons, known for his giant balloon dog sculptures, decides to get litigious, Moose Toys will be introducing some competition for Sony’s Aibo later this year with Squeakee, the world’s first robotic balloon dog that could potentially put clowns and birthday party entertainers out of business.