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But Gmail, Netflix, and others have enough weight to “convince” Apple to give them a free pass. I would not be surprised if legal threats are common in these co

But Gmail, Netflix, and others have enough weight to “convince” Apple to give them a free pass. I would not be surprised if legal threats are common in these conversations. Recently I was looking at iOS hacks that turn the volume buttons into application controls, you know how both Snapchat and the native Camera app work. This is explicitly prohibited, but I would bet that Snapchat has threatened to sue over it, which is why it still works for them.

tomnipotent 6y ago
> I would bet that Snapchat has threatened to sue over it I'd gladly take that bet. Just preferential treatment for a large customer and is very common.
- guscost 6y ago
  You would bet that no threat has ever been implied, even? Maybe Snapchat’s reviews pass through someone on the legal team proactively?
  - tomnipotent 6y ago
    Yes, because there is no legal ground from which Snapchat can sue on this issue. And what are they going to threaten with? Pulling their app from the Apple App store only to hurt their own business? Apps like Facebook, Netflix, and Snapchat are going to be on a first-name basis with their peers at Apple/Google and are going to have relationships and cards to pull that most others do not. Same is true for any b2b relationship, whether it's auto manufacturers/dealers or advertisers/publishers. Big customers get perks.
    - guscost 6y ago
      > And what are they going to threaten with? A lawsuit! That’s the theory, there is at least enough legal ground to cause damage (even if they can’t win in court). But maybe you are right and most cases like this are handled smoothly without conflict.
Hamuko 6y ago
>I would not be surprised if legal threats are common in these conversations. Is that even needed? Imagine iOS without Gmail (or perhaps all Google apps) and Netflix. That would significantly affect the value of an iPhone to an individual consumer. And in Netflix's case, it's not like Apple can just roll their own version and push that to users (since Apple TV+ is quite sad).
- guscost 6y ago
  Sure, but imagine Snapchat without an iOS app...

tomnipotent 6y ago

> I would bet that Snapchat has threatened to sue over it I'd gladly take that bet. Just preferential treatment for a large customer and is very common.

guscost 6y ago
You would bet that no threat has ever been implied, even? Maybe Snapchat’s reviews pass through someone on the legal team proactively?
- tomnipotent 6y ago
  Yes, because there is no legal ground from which Snapchat can sue on this issue. And what are they going to threaten with? Pulling their app from the Apple App store only to hurt their own business? Apps like Facebook, Netflix, and Snapchat are going to be on a first-name basis with their peers at Apple/Google and are going to have relationships and cards to pull that most others do not. Same is true for any b2b relationship, whether it's auto manufacturers/dealers or advertisers/publishers. Big customers get perks.
  - guscost 6y ago
    > And what are they going to threaten with? A lawsuit! That’s the theory, there is at least enough legal ground to cause damage (even if they can’t win in court). But maybe you are right and most cases like this are handled smoothly without conflict.

Hamuko 6y ago

>I would not be surprised if legal threats are common in these conversations. Is that even needed? Imagine iOS without Gmail (or perhaps all Google apps) and Netflix. That would significantly affect the value of an iPhone to an individual consumer. And in Netflix's case, it's not like Apple can just roll their own version and push that to users (since Apple TV+ is quite sad).

guscost 6y ago
Sure, but imagine Snapchat without an iOS app...