Oh, jealousy is such a sad thing... wish Apple would create a social network. You know, just for your contacts, secure, minimalist and not selling your personal information.
Maybe someday.
So Apple thinks it deserves commissions but doesn’t have to pay them. Curious what the defense of that would be.The latter.
The problem isn't Apple taking a share, it is just the fact that the 30% of things sold in-app makes no sense anymore.Funny to me how all these multi-billion dollar businesses are coming out of the woodwork to demand lower fees. I don't necessarily side with Apple on this issue but it's hard to feel sorry for these giants.
If any of them were in Apples position to have a smash hit phone ecosystem they would undoubtedly do the same. Heck Epic Games takes a cut from the games on their game store as an example.
Well, it’s not against Google’s rules for the Play Store. The only Play Store apps that must use Google’s IAP system are games; other than that, it’s left up to the developer whether they want to use it in combination with their own option or at all. This is, of course, pretty different from Apple’s own stance, currently.So Apple thinks it deserves commissions but doesn’t have to pay them. Curious what the defense of that would be.
Spotify, Netflix, Epic, Microsoft, Facebook (WhatsApp/Instagram/Messenger) should have all did the same what Epic did yesterday and get their apps pulled.
With that much leverage Apple would be forced to act quickly.
I am a huge Apple fan, but they got very bad points for blocking innovation like xCloud because I am a gamer.
They should just allow sideloading of stuff they don't want to approve. Everybody happy. They can even keep their 30 percent then without issue.
That's why I feel the policy should be changed, but not in favor of these big businesses. Who does this really hurt? The independent developers with small teams (sometimes one person!) who then have to leave 30% of their profits on the table. Facebook is complaining about a 30% charge for something that, in the end, they could eat. They could eat the entire surcharge and their bottom line wouldn't change much at all. Facebook does not have my sympathy here at all. Maybe Apple should charge up to 30% based on the size of your development team.
If that's true, then Apple is violating Google's Play Store policies. They have the same rule about requiring purchasable digital goods to be done through Google's payment platform.The latter.
So basically Google offers something Apple should offer. If Apple had the same rule as Google (i.e. excluding game apps) they still would rake in $$$ from the App Store.Well, it’s not against Google’s rules for the Play Store. The only Play Store apps that must use Google’s IAP system are games; other than that, it’s left up to the developer whether they want to use it in combination with their own option or at all. This is, of course, pretty different from Apple’s own stance, currently.
Doesn’t Google offer alternate payment methods in-app (at least for non-game apps)?If that's true, then Apple is violating Google's Play Store policies. They have the same rule about requiring purchasable digital goods to be done through Google's payment platform.
Hey Apple, why not play by the same rules you enforce?
People fail to see that without a commission on the IAPs developers would list the app as free then charge you a per turn, per use or per time to play which would cut Apple out completely. How would you fix that?People who fail to see the issue with all of this really need to put down the Apple Kool-aid. Sure, App Store purchases make sense to have a commission fee, but does it make sense for Apple to take 30% of every single transaction within the ecosystem, even inside of each app?
Anyone that supports Apple is just suckling their teet at this point. A 30% commission on in-app purchases is robbery.
Then Playstation, Nintendo, TV-boxes and Samsung's connected fridge should open up to forced apps with fee-free in-app purchases. Not everything needs to be a PC.People who fail to see the issue with all of this really need to put down the Apple Kool-aid. Sure, App Store purchases make sense to have a commission fee, but does it make sense for Apple to take 30% of every single transaction within the ecosystem, even inside of each app?
No.
People fail to see that without a commission on the IAPs developers would list the app as free then charge you a per turn or per time to play which would cut Apple out completely.
Running your own store is not innovation at all. It is also risky if the store does not seem to be that safe. What if Coca-Cola started a small store inside Walmart, selling their products for lower prices than Walmart does, and openly complaining about the prices Walmart asks. Walmart would not allow that either.Except Epic does has their own store, and I'm sure they'd be happy to implement whatever infrastructure would be needed to make it into a viable mobile store for iOS. Call me back when Apple allows a third party app store, then we can talk about allowing innovation.
Don’t forget Apple’s big push of developers towards subscriptions. The app below was told future updates will be rejected because one time charges aren’t allowed. Apparently Apple is treating this day pass as a rental purchase and only certain content can be offered as a rental purchase. Man they need to blow up the App Store rules and re-write them from scratch.People who fail to see the issue with all of this really need to put down the Apple Kool-aid. Sure, App Store purchases make sense to have a commission fee, but does it make sense for Apple to take 30% of every single transaction within the ecosystem, even inside of each app?
No.
Running your own store is not innovation at all. It is also risky if the store does not seem to be that safe. What if Coca-Cola started a small store inside Walmart, selling their products for lower prices than Walmart does, and openly complaining about the prices Walmart asks. Walmart would not allow that either.
Funny how I mentioned basically this in a comment on the post about Epic Games. Now things are going to get really interesting. Not only does Facebook have a ton of market power (they existed well before the App Store did, and I'd argue that any mobile platform today owes some of its success to Facebook's presence on that platform), but they and others like ClassPass have an interesting argument with respect to COVID.
If Apple's rules are "things in person don't require payment via Apple, but things online do", then the fact that things being moved to online is largely due to COVID will put them in an interesting position - regardless of how you feel about Facebook, it's pretty easy to argue that Apple is hurting businesses in their time of need by charging a cut for paid online events that would otherwise not be online, but have been forced to move online due to COVID.
The one thing I see as a positive here is that all of these companies are, at the very least, trying to draw a lot more public attention to the issue. Epic did this pretty brutally, by allowing Fortnite to be completely pulled off the store. Facebook is doing it more subtly, including language that I'm pretty sure Apple is going to try to force them to remove. But both of these moves have the potential to draw a lot more public attention to the issue. If customers are fully aware that 30% of their online purchases are going to Apple (and are OK with the potential increase in cost and/or the reduction in profit for their target business) then the argument that customers want this is valid. But the truly shady part of the whole thing is Apple forcing developers not to even include language in the app indicating that you can purchase elsewhere. This keeps the customer in the dark unless they are the type to follow tech news. I could be wrong but I also seem to recall Apple not allowing you to charge more for iOS users because of their cut, which even further lets them hide what they're doing from the typical consumer. The free market works best when customers are fully aware of what's going on, and these moves will help make customers more aware so they can make truly informed decisions.
Its amazing to me how many people post in support of Apple and against Facebook on this subject, without having actually read the article. Facebook isn't complaining about fees the FB itself has to pay, but rather the fact they (FB) are being forced to forward 30% of the fees that businesses using Facebook charge for classes, services etc... I think 30% is too high regardless, and at worst, FB might be obligated to forward 30% of any fee they charge, but not 30% of the fees THEIR customers charge.
And while companies like FB and Epic are not cash strapped, there are small developers (myself included) that cannot justify attempting to enter the iOS market place. for two reasons. One this environment has totally killed any competitaion, where customers expect to get an app for free or at worst 99c.... and even without the 30% "app tax"... think how long the average developer would have to wait and the number of units that would have to be sold just to cover the cost of the pizza and beer consumed during devlopement....
There are apps out there now that are consider "over-priced" at $1.99, yet those same ones sold for $40-$70 just 10 yrs ago. iOS has destroyed the competivie 3rd party software market.