Apple to Allow Media Apps to Link to Own Websites for Payment Options | Hacker News Reader

Apple to Allow Media Apps to Link to Own Websites for Payment Options

wsj.com

87 pointsvthallam20 comments

Ongoing related thread:

Japan forces Apple to slightly loosen restrictions on ‘reader’ apps - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28387094

So now we’ll be locked into using those companies’ payment systems, from which they make it next to impossible to unsubscribe?

It sounds like if these companies don’t offer an Apple subscription then plenty of people say they won’t use it and a competitor will have room to fill that gap.

Not at all, use a different company if you like.

I think you're misinformed, you currently cant use Apple payment in spotify.

Apple currently taks 100% of profits from Apple Music and takes 30% of their direct competitors, essentially 130% profit. Margins are already very low for a lot of these apps, so its impossible to even compete using Apples payment.

For a big company like Spotify I’d be happy to pay by card but for an unknown company I would not subscribe without Apple.

I don’t understand this mindset, “I want to subscribe to services of a shady company, so I will let apple to take 30% of my payments from all the developers. To manage it for me”.

You know what thinking of it, I think instead apple must start adding 30% markup to the consumers explicitly instead of developers and make apple payment option requirement. That way developers don’t have to pay for the convenience, and the consumers can decide if they want thing cheaper or convenient.

you know the github app? i think we should merge it with the app store and create a new type of system. the code can be compiled through the interface or it could be a precompiled binary. one good thing about this network is the community aspect

I think this is a naive approach. Yes, a lot of us on HN are software capable folks but you have to consider the attack surface that is convincing your parents, grandparents, etc to install some custom app that is malicious. Apple would never. Payments is one thing, side-loading on an iPhone is something else entirely.

(Typical that you are being downvoted for voicing a sensible criticism against Apple.)

Let's do the maths with an example:

A service usually charges $10 a month. Add Apple's 30 percent cut and you end up paying $13 per month for the same service. So instead of paying $120 annually, you end up paying $156 with Apple pay.

It's easy to see why both the developers and the users will be outraged by this - as a developer you are losing money after adding value to Apple's ecosystem, and as a user you are literally paying Apple just for the privilege of using an expensive device that you already paid for and thought that you owned!

(Well, the user would be outraged if they actually knew that 30% of their money is going to Apple. By charging developers instead, Apple keeps its users ignorant and is indirectly exploiting their users, as every developer will just pass on the "Apple Tax" to the user. If it was apparent to the user that they have to pay Apple 30% for every app or subscription they purchase, all Apple users would think twice or thrice before purchasing an Apple device.)

(And not being able to end subscription seems a very American problem.)

You assume the 30% done nothing. For lower end just distribution and collecting money is a hugh barrier. For large firm I understand the same percentage does not make sense. They can handle it. Hence not sure it is the lower end developer revolt.

A lot more companies make it difficult to manage subscriptions that those you happen to consider "shady".

If your company makes it difficult for you to cut your association with it, hundreds of developers don’t have to pay a 30% fee. All Im saying is its a user convenience , and zero value to even ethical developers. If apple is to label it as Apple convenience fee and charges its 30% to users, sure. Lets see what market wants after that.

from what I understand Apple can still force developers to add an Apple option, so you can chose to pay more for the Apple Premium experience. The difference is that some poor pessant will be informed that he could always have bought a subscription from the developers website , please defend Apple "protecting" you from the information that you have an option to buy from the developer website, what is next, Apple protecting adults from adult content? /s

Users have a choice whether to use Apple payment for all purchases on the platform.

The App Store terms for developers now require any app which allows self-service sign up to also allow closing your account in the same way. That means forcing people to call up to cancel their subscription would result in having the app rejected at review.

Article is paywalled.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. I for one like the fact that I can easily manage my subscriptions from inside the settings app. I cancel a subscription, and I'm guaranteed not to get double charged again. It's as easy as pie.

With every Tom Dick and Harry app linking to their own subscription and payment system, this already becomes incredibly more complex for the consumer (in this case, me).

I have already been avoiding using apps that require me to sign up manually (i.e without the "Log in with Apple" option) because it's simply inconvenient and I know one day or another each of these websites will be compromised, my e-mail leaked, as well as other payment processing info.

This just fragments the ecosystem even more and I'm quite happy to avoid such applications and stick to those that use Apple for payment processing and subscription management (if these are only the Apple related apps, e.g music, TV, etc., so be it).

How do you use browsers today ?

Apple payment option won’t disappear. You will still be able to pay extra for that specific provider. But now, by offering other service providers, we can finally let users pick what they prefer, and the Apple payment 30% fees should become obvious. Currently Netflix is 30% more expensive on iPad because of Apple subscription fees and the company is not allowed to communicate that info to users, or link to other payment options. Hopefully competition should bring some transparency as users can now arbitrage.

Everybody but Apple should benefit from this.

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