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Comment by isoprophlex | Hacker News Reader

> For App Store apps that link out of the app to complete purchases, the commission will be 15 percent. Developers in the programs mentioned above will pay a reduced rate of 10 percent.

What the fuck. Does this also include apps that keep purchase management entirely out of the app? And if so, is that even legal?

Hope I'm misreading this...

Edit: to give some context to my "what the fuck is that even legal", consider this. my phone provider has an app that lets me modify my cell contract, and buy additional services (fast 5g, extra sims, whatever). Utility providers, grocery delivery platforms, many such cases. what's next for apple, will they come for their pound of flesh there, too?

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* They have for years turned a blind eye to apps that sell things that aren't "digital goods" - so the Barnes & Noble app can sell you a physical book and pay $0 to Apple, but if they sell you an ebook in any way in the app, they owe 30%. But if they sell you an ebook in Safari, back to $0.

All of it's purely arbitrary and based on whatever the max Apple thinks they can skim from every transaction based on what leverage they have. The App Store has corrupted Apple into a form I don't even recognize anymore.

In the past, all In-App purchases were distributed by Apple, so that in the shipping fee for your digital good. Apple needs to catch up with the changing requirements, so digital goods delivered by the developer’s infrastructure shouldn’t have a commission.

"Distributed" ... LOL. That's certainly how they want the media and casual observers to see it. Meanwhile, what's mainly being sold as IAP is "Gems" or "Gold" or "Robux" -- incrementing numbers in a table in a Postgres DB somewhere. Or toggling a plist value in your app, for "unlock pro version" or "remove ads."

If you place an upsale button in your app and then break out from the app to complete the purchase, yes. Are you living under a rock? It’s been like this for a bit. You want to avoid it? Don’t place the upsale button in your app.

At least in the US that’s no longer true - see Kindle app

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