Hacker News Reader

Comment by pantalaimon | Hacker News Reader

How can they even charge for installs on an alternative app marketplace? Would the iPhones have to track those and report them back to Apple?

View on HN

The installation of apps from alternative app marketplaces is entirely controlled by Apple and iOS, and can only be done via a set of new APIs called AppLibrary [1]. That will make it very easy for Apple to track installs.

[1] https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appdistribution/in...

EU subpoena for all tracked installs that were billed by Apple incoming in... 3... 2...

So handy that Apple will keep such meticulous records of exactly how much and who they're charging.

The docs are unusually unpolished by Apple standards — search for “progess” in this documentation link.

I assume it's apples best interest to have this documentation as incorrect and confusing as possible :/

Those apps still have to be notarized by Apple, and the notarization will be checked upon installation. Presumably this will require an online check. So yes, Apple will track those.

I had the same thought. I imagine that Apple will have a very strict templated way to install and run an alternate App Store, you’ll have to use certain API calls to register the apps installed so that they show up on the Home Screen etc. So the reporting side of this should be reasonably easy.

I wonder if the alternate App Stores will have to be installed via the official App store?! That’s the way I would do it. Gives Apple a way to shut them down if they try to circumvent the reporting piece to bypass the 0.50 fees.

I doubt the alt-stores will be doing any installing of their own. They probably get a higher level API and get to say "install this package at this url" and iOS will handle the usual verification checks, permissions, actual installation, Home Screen and App lists, etc.

GaaS - Gatekeeping as a Service for and by gatekeepers.

Unsurprisingly not allowing us to create our mini-gatekeeping services

Briefly reading sounds like this is the case, very limiting as an app store

I would not be surprised it is how the App Store has worked for a long time though. The store is the catalog and just tells the OS what to download and install.

That app is clearly connected to the os in ways that no other developer will ever be given access

The same way they can take a percentage of any completely external purchase "initiated" via an iOS app. It's literal racketeering and the courts are ok with that.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com