SSPAI Morning Brief: Apple Cuts App Store Fees in China

Morning Brief

Apple announces lower App Store commission rates in China
Samsung adjusts low-level flashing mechanism for Galaxy devices
PEGI to revise game age rating rules starting in June
NVIDIA open-sources Nemotron 3 Super AI model weights
Feishu launches official OpenClaw plugin
Tencent’s WorkBuddy (Lobster edition) adds direct WeChat connectivity
OpenAI CEO says AI faces multiple obstacles in the United States
Microsoft to roll out Xbox FSE feature to all Windows 11 PCs
Microsoft announces the return of the Xbox backward compatibility program
Steam Machine Verified standards for gaming consoles published
Firefox 115 ESR support extended to August 2026
Other News Worth a Quick Look

Apple announces lower App Store commission rates in China

Apple announced on its developer website that, after discussions with Chinese regulators, the company has decided to adjust App Store distribution commission rates in mainland China. Specifically:

The standard commission rate for in-app purchases and paid apps will be reduced from 30% to 25%;
At the same time, for developers eligible under the App Store Small Business Program and the Mini Apps Partner Program, the commission rate for in-app purchases and the commission applied to auto-renewing subscriptions starting from the second year will be reduced from 15% to 12%.

Apple stated that the new rates will take effect on March 15, 2026, and developers will not need to re-sign related agreements. The company also emphasized that it will continue to provide fair and transparent terms for developers distributing apps in China, and pledged that overall App Store commission levels in China will not exceed those in other markets. Source

Samsung adjusts low-level flashing mechanism for Galaxy devices

Tech outlet Android Authority reported on March 11 that Samsung has adjusted the low-level flashing mechanism for Galaxy devices in the latest One UI 8.5 firmware. Tools such as Odin—commonly used for flashing official firmware, installing custom ROMs, or recovering devices—and the associated Download Mode entry point were briefly believed to have been disabled. Affected models include the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the newly released Galaxy S26 series. When users attempt to enter Download Mode, the traditional interface no longer appears; instead, a blank blue screen with an exit prompt is displayed.

Further investigation shows that Download Mode and Odin still exist, but users must first enable the device’s Maintenance Mode before entering the relevant mode. Samsung has not yet released an official explanation for the change. Discussions generally suggest the adjustment may relate to strengthening system security, restricting firmware sideloading, and tightening ecosystem control. The change may also affect developers, repair services, and users who rely on Odin for device recovery or system downgrades. Source

PEGI to revise game age rating rules starting in June

The Pan European Game Information (PEGI) organization announced that it will update its game age rating standards starting in June. Under the new rules, games containing paid random items (such as card packs, gacha systems, or randomized reward keys) will receive a PEGI 16 rating, while social casino-style games will receive a PEGI 18 rating. The updated system will also consider factors such as in-game purchases, online communication features, and design elements that encourage frequent player return—such as daily missions or consecutive login rewards.

For example, games featuring time-limited or quantity-limited purchase mechanics will typically receive a PEGI 12 rating; if spending features are disabled by default, the rating may be lowered to PEGI 7. If in-game purchases are tied to NFT assets that are required for gameplay and are tradable, the game will be rated PEGI 18.

The new rules will apply only to games submitted for classification after June. PEGI said the changes reference recent reforms to the rating system of Germany’s Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK). The updated standards will place greater emphasis on online interaction risks and the influence of game design on consumer spending and gameplay behavior, rather than focusing solely on traditional factors such as violence or drug content.

PEGI noted that after Germany updated its rating system, about 30% of games were affected by the new standards, with roughly one-third receiving higher age ratings. PEGI believes the updated rules will provide clearer information for parents to help them determine whether a game is appropriate for children, while also acknowledging that some game developers may question higher age classifications. Source

In addition, Valve recently published a statement on the Steam support website responding to a lawsuit filed earlier by the New York State Attorney General regarding loot box systems in games such as Counter-Strike 2 and DOTA 2. Valve stated that paid loot box mechanics in games are similar to opening baseball card packs, blind boxes, or trading card packs in the real world, and therefore do not constitute gambling. Valve emphasized that players can fully enjoy these games without spending money, since items obtained from loot boxes are purely cosmetic and do not affect gameplay balance. The company also said its data shows that most players never open any loot boxes and simply play the games normally, meaning non-paying players are not at a disadvantage.

Previously, the New York Attorney General filed the lawsuit in February, accusing Valve of “facilitating gambling behavior” through the Steam platform and popular online games, and seeking a permanent ban on promoting such mechanics along with financial penalties. In its statement, Valve said the company has long taken action against third-party gambling websites, banning more than one million Steam accounts involved in gambling, fraud, or theft, and introducing mechanisms such as trade reversal and trade cooldown systems to limit related activities. Source

NVIDIA open-sources Nemotron 3 Super AI model weights

On March 11, NVIDIA published a blog post announcing the release of Nemotron 3 Super, the company’s most powerful open-weight AI model to date.

Nemotron 3 Super features 120 billion parameters and uses a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture, activating only about 12 billion parameters during inference. The model is designed for scenarios involving large-scale deployment of complex agentic AI systems. Combined with advanced reasoning capabilities, it helps autonomous agents complete tasks with higher accuracy. The model provides a context window of up to 1 million tokens, allowing agents to retain the full state of workflows in memory, avoid goal drift, and significantly reduce the cost of multi-step reasoning.

NVIDIA stated that companies such as Perplexity, Palantir, and Siemens have already adopted the model in real-world applications, covering core workflows in areas including search, software development, telecommunications, and semiconductor design.

NVIDIA has taken a highly open approach with Nemotron 3 Super. The company has released the model weights under a permissive license and published the full training methodology, including a training dataset exceeding 10 trillion tokens as well as evaluation recipes. Developers can currently access the model through Hugging Face and several cloud platforms, including Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud, with support for AWS and Azure coming soon. In addition, the model is available as an NVIDIA NIM microservice, allowing seamless deployment in on-premises data centers or cloud environments. Source

Feishu launches official OpenClaw plugin

Feishu announced the launch of an official OpenClaw plugin that allows OpenClaw to directly access collaboration tools within the Feishu ecosystem, including documents, group chats, calendars, tasks, and multi-dimensional tables. After granting plugin permissions, OpenClaw can read and analyze messages and document content within Feishu, while also performing actions such as writing documents, sending messages, creating schedules, and generating multi-dimensional tables. This reduces the need for users to repeatedly copy and paste content between AI tools and workplace software.

The official plugin also supports message reading and replies, cloud document creation and updates, multi-dimensional table data management, calendar and participant management, and task management. These capabilities allow AI to better understand contextual information within collaborative workflows.

Feishu stated that the goal of the plugin is to expand AI from a simple chat interface into an intelligent assistant capable of participating in real work tasks. However, the company also warned that because the plugin accesses work-related data such as messages, documents, and schedules, potential data security and privacy risks remain. In addition, since AI may produce misjudgments or “hallucinations,” users are advised to preview and confirm actions—such as sending messages or modifying content—before execution, rather than relying on full automation. Feishu also recommends testing the plugin within a personal account environment before gradually integrating it into real workplace settings. Source

Tencent’s WorkBuddy (Lobster edition) adds direct WeChat connectivity

Tencent’s WorkBuddy (Lobster edition) announced a new version early on March 12. The update introduces one-click WeChat connectivity, allowing users to remotely command the system through WeChat. The enterprise WeChat version also gains persistent connection capabilities along with automated task execution and monitoring features.

Among the updates, the “one-click WeChat connection” feature stands out as particularly useful. To enable it, users open Claw Settings in the upper-right corner, select WeChat Customer Service Integration, and scan a QR code with their phone to complete the binding process. Once connected, a dedicated contact appears within WeChat. Tencent states that from that point forward, users can send simple text commands from anywhere, and WorkBuddy on their office computer will immediately execute tasks such as searching for information, conducting research, writing content, or processing files. All operations run locally on the computer. As long as the computer remains powered on, the system can operate continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Source

OpenAI CEO says AI faces multiple obstacles in the United States

At the BlackRock U.S. Infrastructure Summit held in Washington, Sam Altman said that as AI technology develops rapidly, negative public narratives have begun to emerge. For example, some critics argue that data center construction drives up electricity prices, while certain companies cite AI as a reason when announcing layoffs. The combination of these factors has gradually turned AI into a controversial topic in public discussions. In addition, debates between governments and technology companies over regulation and the boundaries of power remain unresolved, adding further uncertainty to the future of the AI industry.

Multiple opinion polls indicate that the American public is becoming more cautious about AI. A survey by NBC News found that 57% of respondents believe the risks of AI outweigh its potential benefits. Research from the Pew Research Center shows that about half of U.S. adults say they feel “more concerned than excited” about the development of AI, a figure that has increased by 13 percentage points since 2021. Altman also said that the United States still leads in the global AI race, but if AI adoption in industry and the economy does not progress quickly enough, that advantage could weaken. He believes AI still holds strong potential to drive economic growth and may reshape how society operates in the future. Source

Microsoft to roll out Xbox FSE feature to all Windows 11 PCs

On March 12, Microsoft announced that the Xbox FSE full-screen experience (Xbox Full Screen Experience), originally introduced last June for handheld gaming devices, has been officially renamed “Xbox Mode” and will begin rolling out to all Windows 11 PCs starting next month.

According to publicly available information, Microsoft’s FSE full-screen experience is similar to Steam’s Big Picture mode and aims to provide a more user-friendly interface for gaming PCs connected to large displays. The mode supports not only games from Microsoft’s own platform but also titles from Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Ubisoft, and Blizzard’s Battle.net.

With this mode, players can switch between different gaming platforms using only a controller, eliminating the need to frequently navigate menus with a mouse or touchscreen. The interface has also been redesigned specifically for controller input. Meanwhile, the system reduces background processes and postpones non-essential tasks to improve overall gaming performance. Source

Microsoft announces the return of the Xbox backward compatibility program

On March 12, Microsoft announced at GDC 2026 that it will restart the Xbox Backwards Compatibility Program. The initiative aims to allow players to access more classic titles from the original Xbox and Xbox 360 on current and future Xbox platforms.

Microsoft has not yet revealed the specific implementation details of the revived program and has only stated that it will return in some form later this year.

Previous reports suggest that the new Xbox backward compatibility plan may support running classic games directly on devices. At the same time, Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox hardware is rumored to be a compact gaming PC running Windows 11 with an Xbox-style interface. Under this architecture, a plausible scenario is that Microsoft could release official emulators for original Xbox and Xbox 360 games on Windows 11, enabling broader backward compatibility support. Source

Steam Machine Verified standards for gaming consoles published

At GDC 2026, Valve unveiled the hardware verification requirements for the Verified label for the Steam Machine gaming console and the Steam Frame VR headset. The Verified label is a game compatibility certification system introduced by Valve for devices such as Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame, indicating that a game can run smoothly on the device without additional configuration, with optimized controls, clear display, and full controller support.

For Steam Machine consoles, Valve has set a performance benchmark of maintaining 30 FPS at a native resolution of 1080p. Valve also confirmed that the certification standards for Steam Deck Verified and Steam Machine Verified are identical. All games that have already received the Steam Deck Verified label will automatically be compatible and will directly receive the Steam Machine Verified label as well. In addition, the certification includes several core hardware requirements, such as overall hardware performance reaching six times that of the Steam Deck and adopting the same controller input standards as the Steam Deck.

For the Steam Frame VR headset, Valve stated that if a game runs through PC streaming, no additional verification is required. However, for standalone operation on the device itself, games must meet certain performance benchmarks. VR games must maintain a stable 90 FPS, while 2D games must reach 30 FPS at a resolution of 720p.

Valve also recommends that developers optimize their games for SteamOS devices, such as enabling offline play after the first launch, improving performance on lower-end hardware, and enhancing support for controller input. Source

Firefox 115 ESR support extended to August 2026

On March 11, Mozilla announced that it will further extend the support cycle for Mozilla Firefox 115 ESR on older operating systems. The extension applies to systems such as Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and macOS 10.12–10.14, with the support period extended from the originally planned March 2026 to August 2026.

Mozilla also emphasized on its support page that the team plans to conduct another evaluation in July 2026 and will announce the final end-of-support schedule afterward. Therefore, August 2026 may not necessarily be the final deadline, as the timeline will continue to be adjusted based on user data and usage patterns. Source

Other News Worth a Quick Look

Mark Gurman reports that Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone may adopt an interface layout similar to the iPad, allowing users to view two apps simultaneously to enhance multitasking. The outer display is expected to be close in size to a smaller iPhone, while the inner display may use a wider aspect ratio similar to Google’s first-generation Pixel Fold rather than the proportions used by some existing foldable flagships. The device is not expected to run current iPad apps directly. However, Apple plans to introduce a sidebar design for its “core” apps and will provide developers with related tools so that iPhone apps can deliver an experience closer to iPad apps when displayed on a larger screen. The report also notes that because the device’s front panel will be extremely thin, Apple may not use Face ID. Instead, it may integrate Touch ID into the side power button and adopt a hole-punch front camera design, while still supporting the Dynamic Island feature. The foldable iPhone is expected to feature two rear cameras and may be priced at around $2,000. Source
DJI has recently begun teasing its first 8K flagship panoramic drone, the DJI Avata 360, and confirmed that the new product will launch on March 26. Official teaser posters indicate that the drone continues the Avata series’ integrated propeller guard design and familiar body structure, while potentially offering improved control and flight experience along with panoramic aerial shooting capabilities. Previous leaks suggest that the DJI Avata 360 uses a gray ducted-frame structure with fully enclosed spherical propeller guards. The gimbal reportedly supports a rotating storage design that protects the camera from scratches caused by gravel during takeoff and landing. Rumors also indicate the drone will feature a 1-inch sensor, support panoramic imaging, record up to 6K 60FPS HDR video, and include omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. Source

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