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Developers Must Share Phone Number and Address on EU App Store to Meet 'Trader' Requirement Starting in October
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Yep this is what people in this thread dont understand. Not everyone on the App Store is Facebook.
What also benefits consumer is capping profits, put more liability on developers, guarantee support for software for as long as the consumer keeps the same device, provide the source code to consumer upon request, provide financial records for all costs associated in developing the app, etc...
What's good for the consumer doesn't mean it makes sense.
In the EU we have GDPR rules with severe penalties for breaches of it. People are doing serious prison time for it.
Selling that data would be a big breach of GDPR.
In Germany, every commercial app and website already had to list the owner‘s info for almost 30 years. And guess what, the world didn’t end.
The worst thing that ever happened to me was that a guy from Australia once called on that phone number expecting technical support.
The worst thing that ever happened to me was that a guy from Australia once called on that phone number expecting technical support.
Once you do business, you become one as sole proprietorship.
Indies should be selling under an LLC for asset protection. If you don't, any legal action could come back directly to your personal finances and your possessions. If an LLC is sued, you would be protected, and just the LLC's assets would be in play.
It's just dumb to be running a business or selling anything under your own name, no matter how small or how little you make. Even a free app should be posted under an LLC.
I haven’t been able to identify this requirement in the actual text of the DSA, would appreciate a pointer.
Article 30 requires Apple to collect that information, but not to make it public.
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I’ll be pulling my apps from the EU, I’m not sharing that info and I don’t make more than 5 bucks a month at most. It’s a hobby for me not a business.
mailbox + new phone line are upfront added costs. app developers who create free apps are encouraged to switch to a subscription model.
I'm wrong. Checked with the wife (attorney), you do.
It just means that your business and personal assets are fully intertwined, for legal and tax reasons.
Article 30, paragraph 7:
You probably want to check your state's law. Essentially every business activity incurs liability. If you don't have a separate business org, the liability is on yourself, no matter how you name it.
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There is this thing called email. Maybe you’ve heard of it?
An extra small PO Box near me is $190 a year. On top of the 90+ dollars a year you pay for the Apple developer account. Yes really. I do not make enough from the EU to cover that.
Really. So every person that sells an app automatically makes that much profit? Incredible.
Exactly. The keyboard warriors don’t understand what it’s like to actually make an indie app. I do have some sales from the EU, but not enough to justify this. I’ll be pulling my apps also.
Exactly
Tell that to female developers who have had stalking incidents. Let me guess, you don’t get multiple spam calls and texts a day like we do in the USA.
Preach
And this is exact reason WHY Apple was against this EU’s DMA. Indie devs HAVE to provide their personal phone number or address if they are independent, no exception. And yes, they will check to make sure you aren’t using a random abandoned house as address when you do submit the info to the regulators.
App store may not be perfect but they sure provide huge privacy to developers.
Yep. I have seen some posts from people having trouble getting verified from D&B for a PO Box, even though the Apple documentation seems to indicate that would be allowed.
This rule is not part of the DMA. It's in the Digital Services Act, a completely different framework, debated and passed independent of the DMA.
Apple is against the DMA because they will make less money. Nothing more, nothing less.
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Huh. You're probably right. Learned something new. I wonder where the line is between selling your lawnmower to your neighbor and selling an app on the App Store.
That said, I still don't think making $10/month on the App Store as a hobby should require you to publish your phone number and address across the EU.
Sure, but that's a reductionist argument in that any decision that a business makes is ultimately about money. I'm sure there are people in Apple that are against the DMA for any number of reasons including the ones they've stated publicly.
I read in CA if people have more than 2 garage sales a year, they are considered retailer and need a permit.