Apple’s $100M settlement agreement changes a key App Store rule for devs
theverge.com
theverge.com
It seems like companies like Netflix, for instance, have been doing this for years - you can buy the service via the app store if you want, or you can buy it directly, but you can still use it either way.
Netflix contacts its users about payments via email all the time. What's new?
Regardless of what we may think of Apple, its stated rules, or its motivations, the outcome was that “The rich got richer and the poor got poorer,” because Apple only applying these rules to smaller companies effectively created a moat to protect the existing incumbents with the leverage to skirt the rules.
Now the playing field is still tilted in Apple’s favour—they own the orchard, after all—but it is no longer tilted in favour of its fellow oligopolists as well.
Look at Waze, for example. Waze uses OS-level APIs to interact with your hardware and provide a safe driving experience. Larger companies like Facebook and Google have no trouble accessing these APIs: their developer accounts are already entitled with a high number of permissions that a smaller developer would need to apply to use.
Innovation!
Previously an app wasn’t allowed to ask for your contact information, and then use that to email you about buying things outside the App Store.
If your app just presents a sign in page like Netflix does then they didn’t have that issue.
In theory this would allow someone to register for a free trial etc. in the app with an explicit opt-in to communications, and then the developer is no longer restricted email them about alternate payment methods.
- user downloads Netflix wanting to sign up
- user enters their email address, ticking a box to confirm they consent to being contacted in order to complete their account setup
- the email contains a link to the sign-up form on netflix.com, including the payment form
While it's absolutely absurd to still have to jump through so many hoops, this would be a significant improvement over the current situation which has a "Sign In" button and nothing else.
See these comments:
"Apple has agreed to revise its App Store Guidelines to permit developers of all app categories to communicate with consenting customers outside their app, including via email and other communication services, about purchasing methods other than in-app purchase. See Berman Decl., Ex. A at § 5.1.3. Under the App’s Store existing Guidelines, developers may not use contact information (emails, phone numbers, etc.) obtained within an app to contact their user base outside the app. As a practical matter, this prevents developers from alerting their customers to alternative payment options. The proposed Settlement lifts this restriction, and it does so for all app categories."