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The anti-apple thing here is, you can't link out to your website for payment. You literally cannot even inform the user that there is another way for them to p

The anti-apple thing here is, you can't link out to your website for payment. You literally cannot even inform the user that there is another way for them to pay. This is shitty. Apple benefits from developers making great apps on their platform, just as developers benefit from being on their platform. It's a symbiotic relationship, but Apple takes up to 30% of your profit which does not feel respectful of what developers are bringing to the table, which is often Apple first, quality apps.

illuminated 6y ago
This is not totally true. If you're using, say, Stripe for your payment processing then you can offer the user a choice if they'd pay through Stripe or Apple pay. If you do not have your own payment processor for mobile payments, then you use only Apple pay. If you do, then you have to include Apple as an option. I've been releasing apps with this in the past few years, it's been a requirement all along.
- johnbellone 6y ago
  You don’t see the problem with that?
  - illuminated 6y ago
    Oh, I do. I don't like it at all as any payment through Apple costs way too much. I was just opposing the statement that you cannot offer another way of payment in an iOS app, that part is just not true.
- zaksingh 6y ago
  That's not totally true, either. You can only use Stripe as an option if the service being paid for is delivered outside of the app (I.e. Uber, Ecommerce, etc). Any purely digital content must be paid for via in-app purchase and take the 30% revenue cut. That's why you can't get an Audible or Spotify subscription from within the app.
  - illuminated 6y ago
    That was the case in all the apps I've been involved with ("the service being paid for is delivered outside of the app"), so I probably did not pay much attention to the small letters.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- rubicon33 6y ago
  It is totally true for the context of this conversation... Which is, software subscriptions. No, you cannot use Stripe for software subscriptions. Stripe (non-Apple pay) can only be used for physical goods, or sale of services rendered outside of iOS/MacOS. In other words, can only be used for non-digital sales. The context of this conversation is the Hey app, which is a software subscription, so no... there is no other way to pay.
  - illuminated 6y ago
    Yes, I have just figured that out. My experience was for the goods/services delivered outside the app.
jonpurdy 6y ago
It's worse. Hey doesn't take payment and only allows users to log in from the app, not sign up. Many apps already do this, including Netflix, Fastmail, and many more. Apple is saying that because Hey offers a subscription elsewhere, Hey should provide an in-app purchase as well, despite other apps not being forced to do this.
stefan_ 6y ago
I mean yes, that's been the case since in-app purchases on the Apple store. What's new? You can complain, tweet and seek regulatory relief but at the end of the day you built that app knowing perfectly well Apple will ask for 30% of your iOS revenue.
truesy 6y ago
I don't get this argument. Apple built the platform, so they can set a price. Any price. Their platform, their decision. Companies like Basecamp can decide to distribute on that platform or not. It's Apple's prerogative to find the optimal fee, to pair with what companies are willing and able to pay. Letting apps link out to websites for paywalls circumvents all of this. If I was in Apple's position I'd limit that as well.
njsubedi 6y ago
>Apple takes up to 30% of your profit They take 30% of your gross revenue. If you spent $x on development and marketing of your app, and generated $1.5x from iOS, they take away $0.45x and you're left with $1.05x which is actually a lot worse than if they only took 30% of your profit, which would be $0.15x.

illuminated 6y ago

This is not totally true. If you're using, say, Stripe for your payment processing then you can offer the user a choice if they'd pay through Stripe or Apple pay. If you do not have your own payment processor for mobile payments, then you use only Apple pay. If you do, then you have to include Apple as an option. I've been releasing apps with this in the past few years, it's been a requirement all along.

johnbellone 6y ago
You don’t see the problem with that?
- illuminated 6y ago
  Oh, I do. I don't like it at all as any payment through Apple costs way too much. I was just opposing the statement that you cannot offer another way of payment in an iOS app, that part is just not true.
zaksingh 6y ago
That's not totally true, either. You can only use Stripe as an option if the service being paid for is delivered outside of the app (I.e. Uber, Ecommerce, etc). Any purely digital content must be paid for via in-app purchase and take the 30% revenue cut. That's why you can't get an Audible or Spotify subscription from within the app.
- illuminated 6y ago
  That was the case in all the apps I've been involved with ("the service being paid for is delivered outside of the app"), so I probably did not pay much attention to the small letters.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
rubicon33 6y ago
It is totally true for the context of this conversation... Which is, software subscriptions. No, you cannot use Stripe for software subscriptions. Stripe (non-Apple pay) can only be used for physical goods, or sale of services rendered outside of iOS/MacOS. In other words, can only be used for non-digital sales. The context of this conversation is the Hey app, which is a software subscription, so no... there is no other way to pay.
- illuminated 6y ago
  Yes, I have just figured that out. My experience was for the goods/services delivered outside the app.

jonpurdy 6y ago

It's worse. Hey doesn't take payment and only allows users to log in from the app, not sign up. Many apps already do this, including Netflix, Fastmail, and many more. Apple is saying that because Hey offers a subscription elsewhere, Hey should provide an in-app purchase as well, despite other apps not being forced to do this.

stefan_ 6y ago

I mean yes, that's been the case since in-app purchases on the Apple store. What's new? You can complain, tweet and seek regulatory relief but at the end of the day you built that app knowing perfectly well Apple will ask for 30% of your iOS revenue.

truesy 6y ago

I don't get this argument. Apple built the platform, so they can set a price. Any price. Their platform, their decision. Companies like Basecamp can decide to distribute on that platform or not. It's Apple's prerogative to find the optimal fee, to pair with what companies are willing and able to pay. Letting apps link out to websites for paywalls circumvents all of this. If I was in Apple's position I'd limit that as well.

njsubedi 6y ago

>Apple takes up to 30% of your profit They take 30% of your gross revenue. If you spent $x on development and marketing of your app, and generated $1.5x from iOS, they take away $0.45x and you're left with $1.05x which is actually a lot worse than if they only took 30% of your profit, which would be $0.15x.