Twitter is not looking to circumvent App Store rules or payments as it prepares to launch Super Follows, a product that will allow followers to pay creators for content. Kayvon Beykpour, the head of consumer products at the social media firm, explained its stance in the latest of The Verge’s Decoder podcast.
Twitter Exec Accepts Products Like Super Follows Come With ‘Transaction Costs’
Asked about the 30 percent cut Apple takes on in-app purchases, Mr. Beykpour said:
There are transaction costs, be it the platforms or otherwise, that will need to be involved in that transaction. This is distinct, by the way, from other things we might do in the future, like a Twitter subscription.
He continued:
On the creator side, I think the platforms and the app stores, be it Apple or Google, they have these tried and true workflows and frameworks for developers to leverage when it comes to facilitating digital goods and in-app payments, and that comes with a cost, but it also comes with a lot of benefits that increase conversion and improve simplicity and decrease fraud.
Apple execs would be proud to give that answer. Indeed, when pushed on whether or not Twitter would try and bend the rules, he said:
We’re not in the business of getting around platform rules.
Elsewhere in the interview, Mr. Beykpour reiterated that “a lot of that is taken off of your plate” by working with platforms like the App Store. He also emphasized that the services and features are not tied to one platform and will work across iOS, Android, and the web.