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I don’t get this, spotify has been bypassing the app store for memberships for years??
Also, what’s Patreon ?? 🤔
 
What Apple does with the app store reminds me of the mobster days of the 1920's and 30's where they would go into shops, throw out the existing till and put in their own till with the mobsters telling the shop keeper that they will be take a percentage of everything that is in the till.

It's very simple with Apple, Apple have written the app store T&C's in such a way that developers either have to pay Apple a percentage on every in app purchased or to take a hike (meaning get lost, we don't want you)
 
Greedy Apple taxes small businesses and content creators.
Perfect PR disaster in the making!
Sure having a portion of the money going to fees sucks, especially 30% (Wouldn't patreon, or the creators be eligible for the 15% fee on subscriptions after a year though?)

But let's be real EVERYONE is taking their cut. It's intellectually dishonest to say only Apple can't take their cut. These subscription rules have been in place for years, or a decade or more. You know it, I know it, the Patreon developers know it the Patreon C Suite know it.

Lets break it down and say a content creator creates videos.

They post to YouTube, YouTube says - We provide this platform that brings in 10's of millions of users to potentially see your content, provide the storage for your content and offer backend tools to manage everything. so we will take 30% of memberships and 30% of superchats.

So you mirror your content to Rumble.
Rumble says - We provide this platform that brings in millions(?) of users to potentially see your content, provide the storage for your content and offer backend tools to manage everything. we're not as big as YouTube and trying to grow so only take 20% of rumble rants.

Said creator also opens a Patreon.
Patreon says - We provide this platform that brings in millions of users to potentially see your content, provide the storage for your content and offer backend tools to manage everything. Lucky you, we're still trying to grow more and only take 12%.

Creator then creates their own website. A hosting company will charge them a fee for hosting and storage. The creator also rolls their own payment system but has to eventually integrate it with a payment processor - it's cheaper than the other platforms they are using but requires more work and potentially the cost of hiring a web developer (in the high 4 figure low 5 figure range)

The creator writes their own iOS app for the content and build a community of subscribers.
Apple says - We provide this platform that brings in 100's of millions of users to potentially download your app, provide the storage for your app binary and handle the various builds you will submit and offer backend tools to manage everything. So we will take 30% of any subscriptions for the first year and 15% after.

Funny enough this is where people get pissed ---> Patreon, a billion dollar corporation creates their own iOS app.
Apple says - We provide this platform that brings in 100's of millions of users to potentially download your app, provide the storage for your app binary and handle the various builds you will submit and offer backend tools to manage everything. So we will take 30% for any subscriptions and digital in-app purchases you offer.
 
Thus submitting their entire life to Apple, giving up their privacy to Apple in exchange for “protection of privacy and security” From Apple. Sounds good to me.

People have the freedom to use other ecosystems. Those of us who choose Apple do so willingly and because we know they are the best when it comes to privacy and protecting our valuable personal information.
 
Seeing how Tim Cook is doing what he can to continually make Apple a trillion $$$ company it's ironic to see in the companies early days, Steve Jobs wanted to make great products but CEO John Sculley wanted to make money. They clashed, Jobs left, Sculley stayed to make money, it did not work, Sculley left, Jobs came back to make great products, Jobs passed away and the company ended up in the hands of a Sculley type person, someone that want's to make money and oh boy has he done just that for Apple and continues to do so.
 
Apple could lower the 30% to 10% and still make money just from the volume, everyone would be happy and government regulations would mostly go away. I just don’t understand the greed.. I’m a business owner and I didn’t raise prices the past 3 years and built it up to 2 million in revenue before I sold the business earlier this year. If I raised prices it would have been better short term but would’ve sold for half if at all.
 
For creators making less than $1 million per year:

Apple charging 15% for digital content = bad.
Patreon charging up to 27% for digital content = ???.
Patreon doesn't charge up to 27%. Where did you hallucinate that number? They charge up to 12% and usually less

Your other number is also wrong. Apple is charging 30%
 
Patreon doesn't charge up to 27%. Where did you hallucinate that number? They charge up to 12% and usually less

Your other number is also wrong. Apple is charging 30%
Asked and answered. Both numbers are accurate as stated. But you disliked posts where I simply posted Patreon's fees, so who knows.


 
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They can still do web. No app needed. Why are there even on iOS?
Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe because it's convenient for their users?

I know a lot of Apple users have forgotten that corporations are supposed to serve them instead of the other way around but that's what a good business does


Like another user pointed out, you cherry picked a *very* specific scenario (when a user is paying $1/month to a Patreon) to get to your number. You were misleading on purpose for an agenda
 
Sure having a portion of the money going to fees sucks, especially 30% (Wouldn't patreon, or the creators be eligible for the 15% fee on subscriptions after a year though?)

But let's be real EVERYONE is taking their cut. It's intellectually dishonest to say only Apple can't take their cut. These subscription rules have been in place for years, or a decade or more. You know it, I know it, the Patreon developers know it the Patreon C Suite know it.

Lets break it down and say a content creator creates videos.

They post to YouTube, YouTube says - We provide this platform that brings in 10's of millions of users to potentially see your content, provide the storage for your content and offer backend tools to manage everything. so we will take 30% of memberships and 30% of superchats.

So you mirror your content to Rumble.
Rumble says - We provide this platform that brings in millions(?) of users to potentially see your content, provide the storage for your content and offer backend tools to manage everything. we're not as big as YouTube and trying to grow so only take 20% of rumble rants.

Said creator also opens a Patreon.
Patreon says - We provide this platform that brings in millions of users to potentially see your content, provide the storage for your content and offer backend tools to manage everything. Lucky you, we're still trying to grow more and only take 12%.

Creator then creates their own website. A hosting company will charge them a fee for hosting and storage. The creator also rolls their own payment system but has to eventually integrate it with a payment processor - it's cheaper than the other platforms they are using but requires more work and potentially the cost of hiring a web developer (in the high 4 figure low 5 figure range)

The creator writes their own iOS app for the content and build a community of subscribers.
Apple says - We provide this platform that brings in 100's of millions of users to potentially download your app, provide the storage for your app binary and handle the various builds you will submit and offer backend tools to manage everything. So we will take 30% of any subscriptions for the first year and 15% after.

Funny enough this is where people get pissed ---> Patreon, a billion dollar corporation creates their own iOS app.
Apple says - We provide this platform that brings in 100's of millions of users to potentially download your app, provide the storage for your app binary and handle the various builds you will submit and offer backend tools to manage everything. So we will take 30% for any subscriptions and digital in-app purchases you offer.

So should Apple also start imposing a 30% surcharge on purchases made through any browser running on the iPhone? After all people are accessing those pages through Apple's WebKit through a browser running on Apple hardware. All those sellers are getting all those people from Apple's ecosystem and poor Apple's not getting a cut...
 
If you are using Apple platform, on Apple technology, why won't you have to pay them taxes? This is the whole Reddit API thing again. People sides with Apollo thinking that he should get a free pass to use someone else's API. Why? Literally that's not how anything else in this world works.
 
If you are using Apple platform, on Apple technology, why won't you have to pay them taxes? This is the whole Reddit API thing again. People sides with Apollo thinking that he should get a free pass to use someone else's API. Why? Literally that's not how anything else in this world works.
I'm not renting my phone from Apple, it's my phone. Apple does not have the right to insert themselves into every single thing I do on my phone.

When I support a creator on Patreon, I'm not supporting Patreon - the company - I'm supporting my creator. I'm trying to send money to a specific person. If Apple said to Patreon "You have to give us a cut of your App Store profits to be on the App Store" I'd be okay with that. What I am NOT okay with is Apple taking a huge cut of the money I'm trying to send my creator. Patreon itself takes between 8-12%. Apple is trying to take 30. On top of what Patreon is taking! And the only real service they're providing is payment processing, for which the typical rate is 3% + 0.30. Apple is not inserting itself into a relationship between me and Patreon, they're inserting themselves into a relationship between me and my creator, someone I like and feel is talented in some way and that I want to see succeed. This is like Apple taking a 30% cut of donations to the Red Cross, or taking a 30% cut when I send people money through Apple Pay. It's Apple trying to steal money from artists, musicians, writers, open source software developers, etc, many of whom are barely scraping by. This is 100% wrong.
 
I'm not renting my phone from Apple, it's my phone. Apple does not have the right to insert themselves into every single thing I do on my phone.

When I support a creator on Patreon, I'm not supporting Patreon - the company - I'm supporting my creator. I'm trying to send money to a specific person. If Apple said to Patreon "You have to give us a cut of your App Store profits to be on the App Store" I'd be okay with that. What I am NOT okay with is Apple taking a huge cut of the money I'm trying to send my creator. Patreon itself takes between 8-12%. Apple is trying to take 30. On top of what Patreon is taking! And the only real service they're providing is payment processing, for which the typical rate is 3% + 0.30. Apple is not inserting itself into a relationship between me and Patreon, they're inserting themselves into a relationship between me and my creator, someone I like and feel is talented in some way and that I want to see succeed. This is like Apple taking a 30% cut of donations to the Red Cross, or taking a 30% cut when I send people money through Apple Pay. It's Apple trying to steal money from artists, musicians, writers, open source software developers, etc, many of whom are barely scraping by. This is 100% wrong.
You bought the phone. You didn't buy the entire Apple company, which is required to run all the services, update all the software and OS (which you get free every year). Go ahead and pay the content creator outside of the Apple ecosystem, no one is going to object to that. Just don't pay them using Apple technologies. Easy. Done. What's the complaint? Use your phone, go to the browser, pay. Done.
 
But I’m not paying 30% extra to buy a product or service on the app. So why does Apple feel the need to do this with Hulu, Patreon, etc… when it doesn’t with Amazon purchases?
Just because they can. Leverage.
Amazon can sell their stuff through a web site in the browser instead and deliver by mai/express.
Hulu or Spotify can’t, really. Having no app would seriously compromise their user experienc.
And I can imagine the outrage if Apple starts to charge a 30% transaction fee for all money flowing through their Apple Pay system, whether it’s you sending money to your family member, or pay a business, or just transfer money to another account.
They won’t.
Why not? Payments are a competitive market - so Apple will charge competitive rates, if any.
The App Store isn’t subject to competition- so they charge supracompetitive commissions.
Now millions of people will be impacted by this and the resulting negative impression that Apple is greedy
👉 And that’s exactly what we need.

More alienation of users.
More outcry and outrage.
More bad press coverage.
More David vs. Goliath narrative.
More pressure on regulators to regulate.
More pressure on lawmakers to legislate.
More evidence for antitrust regulators to fine Apple or sue them in court.

That’s the way to stop the greed.
If this keeps up, I think I’ll be looking past Apple for my future hardware purchases
I’m just in the process of buying a small M.2 SSD for a mini PC.
About $150 for a 2TB of storage capacity - what a breath of fresh air!
 
I'm surprised Patreon doesn't do what Amazon did with their Kindle apps -- totally remove the previous in-app ability to buy something, so you have to use the web browser. Cuts both Apple and Google right out.
 
You bought the phone. You didn't buy the entire Apple company, which is required to run all the services, update all the software and OS (which you get free every year). Go ahead and pay the content creator outside of the Apple ecosystem, no one is going to object to that. Just don't pay them using Apple technologies. Easy. Done. What's the complaint? Use your phone, go to the browser, pay. Done.
Ok so I guess there are enough people to support Apple do whatever they feel like it without consequences as they will waive them any consequences, including but not limited to collateral damage, life-threatening damage and more. I knew Apple was powerful but I am surprised to see Apple has true immunity for all of their actions.
 
Timmy is like a lemon squeezer when it comes to money. Squeeze the developers and the customers till the last drop. Someday it will bite them back. I really hope this day comes sooner than later.
One day? It's been coming like an avalanche with all this anti-trust action around the world. And yet Apple keep on throwing logs onto the fire to try and put it out.
 
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Ok so I guess there are enough people to support Apple do whatever they feel like it without consequences as they will waive them any consequences, including but not limited to collateral damage, life-threatening damage and more. I knew Apple was powerful but I am surprised to see Apple has true immunity for all of their actions.

Isn't there an episode of south park where Apple's EULA gives them the right to make their customers into a human centipede? I get the feeling some MR users would be perfectly ok with that outcome!
 
Ok so I guess there are enough people to support Apple do whatever they feel like it without consequences as they will waive them any consequences, including but not limited to collateral damage, life-threatening damage and more. I knew Apple was powerful but I am surprised to see Apple has true immunity for all of their actions.
You are speaking about this as if Apple is commiting crime or a genocide? lol. We are talking a company changing a price and they are free to do whatever they want. If walmart decided to charge $40 for milk, is that life-threatening damage as well? Please.

Companies can price however they want, consumers can choose to buy or not buy. Go ahead, everyone can stop buying iPhones and see how quickly they will adjust their prices. Truth is, no one cares about the 30%. It might as well be 40%. Users love apple products and is happy to pay the price.
 
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