The EC Goes EZ on App Store In-App Purchases – TMO Daily Observations 2023-03-01
Facebook has a plan to help fight CSAM and revenge porn. TMO writer Nick deCourville joins Ken with more info. Plus – The European Commission drops its objection to Apple’s In-App Purchase requirements, but has a message on messaging.
Show Notes
- European Commission Drops App Store IAP Objection, Still Objects to “Anti-Streeing” Provision
- Spotify Issues Victorious Statement on EC App Store Direction
- Apple Issues Victorious Statement on EC App Store Direction
- TIDAL will cut ‘direct artist payout’ program to invest more in emerging artists
- Revenge porn blocked in similar way to Apple’s abandoned CSAM scans
When people judge Apple about their AppStore policies they forget the potential issues that Steve thought thru so well back a decade ago when he said:
If you bring the user, you pay us nothing, if we bring you the user you pay us 30%.
This sounds very reasonable. Steve knew the AppStore would be a huge marketing tool that would allow people to bring apps to market at very discounted rates due to sheer volume and that Apple should get paid for giving access to this huge number of users. Fast forward to today and ask your self, how do you know if Apple brought the user or if Spotify brought the user. I’d say it is reasonable to think that if someone went to spotify’s website to sign up and then linked to the App Store for the app, Spotify brought that user. But if the user finds the App in the AppStore and the App directs the user to Spotify to sign up that Apple still should get paid.
Look at it a different way. Say Blizzard decides to bring its next AAA title to iOS at the same time as Windows, Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox. The game is $79 at distribution through numerous resellers for other platforms and the distributer of those all get their 30% cut but on iOS a limited version of the game is free but can be unlocked via an in app purchase. Everyone is whole….but wait? Blizzard also includes a link directly to their site that can unlock the game and That link is only $69. Apple gets cut out, is it still fair?
I understand it feels wrong to limit how someone can advertise, but do you think Walmart would allow shelf space for that new Blizzard title if it was “free” and then could be unlocked? More importantly, do you think Microsoft would allow it on Xbox if it were Free and just required a link to Blizzard to “unlock”. Blizzard is willing to give over 30% of sales to get its product in front of hundreds of thousands of people. That is why people pay retailers and Apple their cut.
Just a thought.