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ProtonMail Compares Apple to Mafia, Says App Was Forced Into In-App Purchases in 2018
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Dear MacRumors, if you could please post Apple App Store guidelines. Clearly the average reader doesn’t know or understand the rules - https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#payments
Sorry but just like ALL Developers who post Apps to the platform, Proton agreed to the terms and conditions when they signed up for their Developer account and submitted their app for distribution.
These terms and conditions are CLEARLY defined and are identical for ALL developers.
If Proton does‘t like it, too bad! Maybe they should pay more attention the contracts they agreed to and properly plan their app development!
These terms and conditions are CLEARLY defined and are identical for ALL developers.
If Proton does‘t like it, too bad! Maybe they should pay more attention the contracts they agreed to and properly plan their app development!
It's refreshing to hear a dev call it like it is. Apple has the right to do this, and devs have the right to reject it. I personally think 30% is more than fair but not the way Apple selectively enforces it, so I hope the devs win something out of this.
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Oh they agreed, begrudgingly.
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Those guidelines don't state all the rules, not even the juicy parts, like the one about only having to pay 15% under certain very specific conditions that basically only Amazon currently meets. Some rules I've only heard from the reviewers and can't find anywhere else.
At some point, they are the law. Amazon gets tax credits to set up shop in whatever state offers the best deal. They paid 0 federal income tax in 2018 and possibly other years.
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any app. app store is more than fair. well maybe porn apps aren't.
There is a pattern that the “icritics” will criticize Apple like there is no tomorrow. Apple is not operating above the law, as your “opinion” postulates.
Add to that creating and popularizing the whole damn platform and ecosystem in the first place.
No matter what the Apple defenders believe, where there is smoke there's fire. A wave is coming and it will be very difficult for Apple to prevail.
What hypocrisy?
Businesses generally don’t treat all customers equal and that applies to Apple. Apple has to change as business evolves and creates classes of customers that get treated equally.
Take greedy Epic: lots of money to fight Apple. They got the royal treatment? Amirite? Or is it a perfect example of what $99 buys and apple treating them fairly?
On the flip side of this opinion, the fire will fizzle out. The wave will come and be washed out and go right back to sea. None of us are prescient.
They are using Apples IP to make money, distribute their apps, get technical help...no matter how the app was created. All for $99. Bargain.
Oh I get it. Anyone who disagrees with you and your beliefs is a fanboy and screw headed. Sounds about right.
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So it’s perfectly fine for Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Uber etc. to do this bit not Proton Mail? How come they were allowed to exist this way on the App Store for several years?
What rule is this? The same rule that Apple didn’t care about for 2 years?
During the anti-trust hearing with congress Tim Cook said 84% of apps in the App Store are free. I’ll bet outside of games most people aren’t paying for a thing. They download the free app and put up with whatever ads are in the app. Why Apple wants to screw over indie developers who probably aren’t making a ton of money makes no sense to me. When Steve Jobs launched the App Store he told the WSJ that Apple wasn’t looking to make money off of it. Clearly that’s not the case now. When Tim Cook told Wall Street Apple would double services revenues this is one way they’re doing it - squeezing as much as they can out of indie developers.
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I’ve had my email (and VPN) with ProtonMail from day 1. I pay for a subscription through their website, I suspect like the vast majority of people do....just like with Netflix or Spotify. It really isn’t that hard. For those that want ease of use, there’s IAP. The company can choose to pass on those costs or not - ProtonMail chose to pass on those costs so are NOT losing money AT ALL. I’m a bit concerned that these companies feel it is their right to do business on other people‘s platforms yet don’t want to pay their way.
The easy thing for me to do as a customer, is take my business elsewhere when I don’t like how a company is operating. I no longer use Spotify and will never purchase an Epic game. As from next month, I will no longer be a Proton customer....saving myself $175 US per year. I have already purchased S/MIME email certificates for myself and family to allow digital signatures and end to end encryption of our iCloud email addresses at a significant saving ($14 per 3yrs). ProtonMail is positively clunky and outrageously expensive in comparison.
The easy thing for me to do as a customer, is take my business elsewhere when I don’t like how a company is operating. I no longer use Spotify and will never purchase an Epic game. As from next month, I will no longer be a Proton customer....saving myself $175 US per year. I have already purchased S/MIME email certificates for myself and family to allow digital signatures and end to end encryption of our iCloud email addresses at a significant saving ($14 per 3yrs). ProtonMail is positively clunky and outrageously expensive in comparison.
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Apple has never allowed apps to advertise in the app that they could sign up outside of the app. The concept is that free apps get a free ride. If you bring your own customers that’s one thing, but if your success depends on Apple’s marketing building your business then you have to pay. Period. Keep in mind, there were no free apps when you had to get them from your carrier.
How are they forcing a company to give them a piece of the pie? It INCREASES customer choice. The company can choose to pass on those costs to customers - which ProtonMail has done. ProtonMail is receiving THE SAME amount from IAP customers as they do from customers who sign up via the website. Customers can choose to pay via IAP or go to the website and pay.
Surely you’re not going to say people are so stupid nowadays that they can’t go to a website and learn more about the company that they intend to do business with?
It's not binary, black and white and flip a switch. Apple treats it's developers equally within a class. Changing market conditions, business requirements etc sometimes take time to catch up to each other. However, it still appears Proton violated some app store guidelines.