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Some Developers Say Apple Letting Apps Like Netflix and Spotify Share a Link to Web for Account Sign-Up Isn't Enough

citysnaps said:
And... Apple will not be losing revenue in any changes they make. They'll simply make it up elsewhere with increased prices for products and services consumers purchase. And continue to set record-breaking revenue numbers every quarter.

Either way the consumer will pay.
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To be fair... the biggest of the big developers (Netflix, Spotify, etc) have already removed subscriptions from the App Store.

So Apple hasn't been getting their money for years. Netflix stopped in 2018 and Spotify was before that, I believe.

It's unclear how "adding a link" will really affect Apple's income in any major way from now on.

Aren't most "reader apps" big media streaming services who can skirt the App Store and have users subscribe directly?

If this was about Candy Crush IAP... then yes... Apple would lose hundreds of millions of dollars every month if people could buy their gems or jewels or whatever from a website.

I guess I need to know what apps are considered "reader apps"
 
turbineseaplane said:
It's not enough and it's infuriating that they are determined to do endless tiny little breadcrumb sized baby steps to avoid legal problems.

Apple should be leading on this and making big sweeping changes and fixing the issues and the narrative here.

I'm so totally disappointed in Apple leadership of late.

The magic is gone from this company.
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Apple likes Money. I like Money. We all like money!
 
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Michael Scrip said:
To be fair... the biggest of the big developers (Netflix, Spotify, etc) have already removed subscriptions from the App Store.

So Apple hasn't been getting their money for years. Netflix stopped in 2018 and Spotify was before that, I believe.

It's unclear how "adding a link" will really affect Apple's income in any major way from now on.

Aren't most "reader apps" big media streaming services who can skirt the App Store and have users subscribe directly?

If this was about Candy Crush IAP... then yes... Apple would lose hundreds of millions of dollars every month if people could buy their gems or jewels or whatever from a website.

I guess I need to know what apps are considered "reader apps"
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"I guess I need to know what apps are considered "reader apps"

Some people here believe "reader apps" are just the beginning.

Makes no difference. The consumer will pay either way with increased product and services prices. Guaranteed.
 
hn333 said:
Great now I can buy Kindle books directly from the app.
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Not so fast...

"Because reader apps do not offer in-app digital goods and services for purchase, Apple has agreed to let these apps share just one link to their website for "account management" purposes."

Kindle book are digital goods for purchase... and thus would be excluded from this new policy.

If you has some sort of subscription to Kindle books... then maybe.

But as it reads right now... this change won't let you buy Kindle books in-app.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong...
 
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citysnaps said:
Some people here believe "reader apps" are just the beginning.

Makes no difference. The consumer will pay either way with increased product and services prices. Guaranteed.
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I see.

So what you're saying is... the old way kept prices low for consumers.

But because Apple is now being forced to change their policies after all these lawsuits and anti-trust investigations... prices will rise.

Well crap... maybe we should have left everything the same!

No links to websites... every subscription should flow through the App Store... every developer must pay their 30% cut...

Keep it the same! Right? We gotta protect the consumers!

:p
 
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Michael Scrip said:
I see.

So what you're saying is... the old way kept prices low for consumers.

But because Apple is now being forced to change their policies after all these lawsuits and anti-trust investigations... prices will rise.

Well crap... maybe we should have left everything the same!

No links to websites... every subscription should flow through the App Store... every developer must pay their 30% cut...

Keep it the same! Right? We gotta protect the consumers!

:p
Click to expand...

Really makes no difference. Whatever floats your boat.
 
hn333 said:
God no. We don't need thousands of malware on iPhones.
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Exactly.

But that's OK. The onus and responsibility will now be on consumers for any adverse consequences regarding their phone's behavior (malware, privacy, security, payment, ransomeware, etc issues) from engaging with non-Apple app stores. As it should be.

Apple apparently rejected 1 million new apps submitted to Apple for App Store inclusion in 2020. Should be fun to watch once people have multiple "stores" to purchase from.
 
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citysnaps said:
Really makes no difference. Whatever floats your boat.
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It's not my boat... it's the consumers' boat.

If you say all these new changes will raise prices for consumers... then we need to STOP THESE ******* CHANGES!

IMMEDIATELY!

I don't want higher prices. And you don't either, right?

We need to tell these governments and "coalitions" to stop meddling with Apple and the App Store.

;)
 
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I understand developers frustration. Apple is basically saying we need Netflix and Spotify but all you smaller developers can go screw yourselves. The biggest app store developers (in terms of revenues) either don’t have to pay Apple a commission because they fall under this reader category or are free and cost users nothing to download/use.
 
I guess They’ll have to offset the losses with an increase in price of other apple products
 
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dumastudetto said:
It's huge business for Apple. Business they have earned through huge investments in industry-leading products, services, and development tools for years and years.

Apple will not not, and should not, just give up on all that revenue and profit without a fight.
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BS. It’s rent seeking at this point. Heck even Phill Schiller knew this back in 2011 when he questioned whether the 30% cut should exist forever.
appstore-4.png
 
Unregistered 4U said:
“Two way relationship” is NOT the same as “equal relationship”, though. In order to see where the power resides in this particular situation, imagine if the App Store were to shut down tomorrow. There are many developers that would find themselves without an income stream. Apple would lose some millions, but they will still continue to sell hardware and other services that their customers want.
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How many people would continue to use an iPhone if the only apps on it were Apple’s first party apps?
 
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I7guy said:
Wow, n

Right. Large developers want complete access to the ios ecosystem on Apple's dime.
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Is it the iOS ecosystem or is it the internet ecosystem? Should my ISP or mobile provider get a cut because without internet access all this is pretty much worthless?
 
Michael Scrip said:
I see.

So what you're saying is... the old way kept prices low for consumers.

But because Apple is now being forced to change their policies after all these lawsuits and anti-trust investigations... prices will rise.

Well crap... maybe we should have left everything the same!

No links to websites... every subscription should flow through the App Store... every developer must pay their 30% cut...

Keep it the same! Right? We gotta protect the consumers!

:p
Click to expand...
You are likely correct that costs will increase. By making it harder for customers to directly compare the true cost of an app developers will raises prices for without adding any value.
 
Rogifan said:
Is it the iOS ecosystem or is it the internet ecosystem? Should my ISP or mobile provider get a cut because without internet access all this is pretty much worthless?
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No. Your ISP should have no say. Just like your wireless carrier gets no say. That’s your point, right? Apple is not a telecom provider.
 
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It's apparent nothing is enough for developers. Well perhaps Apple offering the AppStore and their ecosystem & user base on a silver platter free of charge would be.
 
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iSRS said:
Not trying to be sympathetic to one of the most valued companies ever, but, Apple can not win here no matter what it does.

To summarize:
  • Treat every developer the same, they get grief
  • Treat subscriptions differently after the first year, they get grief
  • Treat small developers differently (better rate), they get grief
  • Allow reader apps to have one link to bypass the IAP, they get grief
  • Apple has a purposely low annual fee to encourage more developers, they get grief that this fee should cover everything
Newsflash - Apple is not a charity.

Think about it this way - every one of us wants to get paid the most possible for doing our jobs. There are millions of free apps littered with ads that benefit from the App Store, and aside from the $99/year or whatever it is, Apple sees $0 from. They pay people to review apps, they store the apps, they pay the bandwidth for those apps to be downloaded, etc. But, yeah, a free app with ads that submits a new app update 6 times a year is clearly making Apple a profit.

”But they can afford it!” - only for so long. They start operating as a charity and then what?
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You're right, every developer wants Apple to do exactly what makes them the most money. This is the reason why Epic is still not happy with the 15% deal for smaller developers since it doesn't work for them. If it were the other way around and Apple would cut them a deal instead of small developers you wouldn't hear them anymore.
 
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Rogifan said:
Is it the iOS ecosystem or is it the internet ecosystem? Should my ISP or mobile provider get a cut because without internet access all this is pretty much worthless?
Click to expand...
Did the internet build or invent the iphone? Did the internet build or invent IOS? Did the internet build , invent or innovate, the App store model and provide hosting, management, testing etc? Did any ISP invent the internet or are ISPs pipes delivering the internet to your doorstop for a fee? Does you ISP charge you more for unlimited, unthrottled access?
 
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Mescagnus said:
It's apparent nothing is enough for developers. Well perhaps Apple offering the AppStore and their ecosystem & user base on a silver platter free of charge would be.
Click to expand...

Apple could have a 0% cut... and waive the $99/year developer fee... and give them a free Macintosh...

And some developers would still have a problem staying above the poverty line.

Building an app isn't too difficult. But building a successful "this is now my job" apps is damn near impossible, statistically speaking.

So while I see why developers are just trying to maximize their profit... they are still responsible for making a good app that people want to use and pay money for.

Again... Apple could charge no fees... and some developers still wouldn't make any money.
 
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I7guy said:
Did the internet build or invent the iphone? Did the internet build or invent IOS? Did the internet build , invent or innovate, the App store model and provide hosting, management, testing etc? Did any ISP invent the internet or are ISPs pipes delivering the internet to your doorstop for a fee? Does you ISP charge you more for unlimited, unthrottled access?
Click to expand...
Did iOS invent games?
 
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