store

AppWizard
July 16, 2026
VK has announced its decision to sell 100% of RuStore to Dmitry Pankrushev, the CEO of Mnogo Prilozheniy. This announcement coincided with recent European Union sanctions against VK. RuStore was established as a domestic alternative for Android users in response to restrictions imposed by Apple and Google after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The platform currently features over 110,000 applications and games, attracting 68 million monthly users. VK did not disclose the financial details of the sale or the reasons behind the divestment, while assuring users that operations would continue seamlessly. On the same day, Russian media reported that VK-related applications were removed from Google Play and Huawei's AppGallery, following previous removals from Apple's App Store. RuStore has faced allegations of user tracking and unauthorized access to data, which it denies, stating that its practices are standard for major app storefronts.
AppWizard
July 16, 2026
Max, a messaging application launched by VK in 2025 and endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was removed from Google’s Play marketplace on July 16, 2023. The app does not provide end-to-end encryption, raising concerns about government access to user communications. This removal is part of a trend affecting other VK-owned applications, coinciding with recent EU sanctions targeting VK Company and its subsidiary Communication Platform LLC, which oversees the Max app. The EU characterized Max as having extensive surveillance features used against critics of Russia's military actions in Ukraine. Apple also removed Max from its App Store in June without explanation. Max aims to be an all-encompassing platform for messaging, social media, digital identification, payments, banking, and government services, which critics say could enhance government monitoring of citizens. The Russian government has implemented strict measures against foreign social media platforms and previously enacted a ban on Telegram in 2026, which faced public backlash.
AppWizard
July 16, 2026
The Hasselblad Phocus Mobile app has been released for Android users after being exclusive to iPhones and iPads. The app integrates with Hasselblad's medium format cameras, including the X2D II 100C and X2D 100C, and offers a suite of editing tools. It supports Hasselblad's Natural Colour Solution for accurate color representation and allows image exports in various formats. The editing toolkit includes features like exposure adjustment, curves, white balance, and noise reduction. Users can connect via Wi-Fi or USB-C, and the app is available for download on the Google Play Store and Hasselblad's website.
Tech Optimizer
July 16, 2026
Google Cloud has enhanced AlloyDB by integrating AlloyDB AI Functions with Gemini models to improve search indexing for logographic languages like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. This update addresses challenges in database search functionality, particularly for languages written in continuous scripts, where traditional PostgreSQL text parsing struggles. Developers can now invoke Gemini models directly from SQL to facilitate word segmentation and stop-word removal before creating full-text indexes, offering a more efficient alternative to traditional methods. The architecture maintains raw text, segmented text, search vectors, and embeddings in a single table, with generated columns ensuring automatic updates to search vectors and embeddings. A batching process using a PL/pgSQL stored procedure allows for efficient processing of extensive document collections by aggregating rows into arrays for model requests, thus reducing row-locking issues. Google Cloud provides tailored text search configurations for different datasets, suggesting a simple configuration for solely Chinese text and an English configuration for bilingual datasets. This preprocessing logic can also be applied during query execution, allowing user searches to be directed to Gemini for text segmentation and stop-word elimination. AlloyDB supports RUM indexes on search vectors, which store lexeme positions for computing relevance and word distance, enabling rapid query responses. Additionally, a hybrid search methodology combines full-text and vector search using a ScaNN index on embeddings, merging results through Reciprocal Rank Fusion. This development allows for robust multilingual search and vector retrieval solutions within the database environment, eliminating the need for external microservices.
AppWizard
July 16, 2026
Riot Games has introduced optional parental controls in League of Legends as part of patch 26.14 to enhance the safety of young players. The features include the ability for parents to view and edit their child's friend lists, enable or disable communication channels (text and voice chat), access messages from adult accounts that have interacted with their child in the past 30 days, and control incoming friend requests. Additionally, the parental controls include purchase and playtime limits, applicable only to purchases made through Riot's platforms and for PC users.
AppWizard
July 16, 2026
RPCS3 is a multi-platform open-source emulator for PlayStation 3, with 2,681 out of 3,559 PS3 titles currently compatible. It allows gaming on Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD. The development team aims for full preservation of the PS3 library. Sony plans to cease production of physical game discs by 2028 and shut down the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita in 2027. Of the remaining titles, 816 are playable but have serious glitches, 60 can reach the main menu but do not load further, and 2 titles initialize but are stuck on a black screen. Emulation is not inherently illegal if users play games they own, as established by legal precedents. A DMCA takedown request from Atlus regarding Persona 5 was unsuccessful. RPCS3 has shown performance improvements, achieving a 5% to 7% boost in FPS, with some titles reaching over 1500 FPS.
AppWizard
July 16, 2026
Denshattack! is a cel-shaded trick-based 3D platformer developed by the indie studio Undercoders in Barcelona, Spain. The game features a protagonist named Emi Araki, a 19-year-old ramen delivery driver in Beppu, Japan, who dreams of riding the VACTRAIN, an underground train. The narrative involves Emi leaving her hometown to confront the mega-corporation Miraidō, which governs the state and operates the VACTRAIN. Players engage in gameplay inspired by classic titles, performing stunts and achieving high scores across 60 levels in eight regions. The game includes boss battles, a scoring system, and a vibrant visual style complemented by a notable soundtrack featuring guest composers. Despite some navigation challenges and minor imperfections, Denshattack! has been well-received for its engaging gameplay and artistic presentation.
AppWizard
July 16, 2026
In October 2024, a judge ordered Google to allow third-party app stores on the Android platform. Google has now decided to comply with this ruling, retracting its motion to amend the injunction. Changes are set to be implemented starting July 22, 2026, allowing third-party app stores to operate within the Play Store in the U.S. Developers' app listings will automatically be available to these stores unless they opt out. Third-party stores can offer apps from the Play Catalog if they pay an annual fee and meet certain criteria. However, questions remain regarding the integration of Play Protect security features and the assessment of third-party store security.
AppWizard
July 16, 2026
Google will allow third-party app stores on its Android platform starting July 22, 2026, following a legal agreement with Epic Games. This decision comes after Google withdrew its motion to modify a court injunction requiring the inclusion of third-party stores. The new framework will enable third-party app stores to list apps and games available on the Play Store, with developers having the option to participate under the same conditions as those in the Play Store. Third-party stores will incur a ,000 annual access fee to list Play Store apps and must adhere to specific security and policy protocols.
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