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We got a really similar issue. Apple rules are that every app with subscription should use apple pay. They added an exception for content streaming app though (

by boudin 6y ago

We got a really similar issue. Apple rules are that every app with subscription should use apple pay. They added an exception for content streaming app though (so netflix, spotify, etc...) In our case (a small companion app to a web app which is the core of the service) they started rejecting everything saying we had to change our business model to have our customers using apple pay from now on. After finally being able to have more information other than "change your business model", they finally told us that, unless the user of the ios app is not the person who's supposed to pay, you have to go through apple pay and pay the apple tax. In our case we had several plans, the cheapest being mono-user. In this case the user is always the customer as well indeed. The solution was in our case to prevent users on our cheapest plan to use the ios app. Not that it's a great solution... Another one we thought was to always offer at least 2 user accounts but the impact on our plans was too problematic.

ksec 6y ago
>they finally told us that, unless the user of the ios app is not the person who's supposed to pay, you have to go through apple pay and pay the apple tax. Somewhere in the past 2 years I knew their push towards services revenue is going to take things too far. And this is it. Unless there is something Basecamp not telling us or Apple has a better explanation this is very wrong in my book. And I have previously always sided with Apple on App Store policy. Someone needs to explain why Fastmail, and Gmail were allowed without IAP but Hey is not. Edit: Other mail clients under the same condition without IAP were allowed and Hey is not. And yet people still sided with Apple. Someone need to explain the downvoting.
cm2187 6y ago
Did they do that before or after the anti-trust investigations were announced?
- boudin 6y ago
  Before, it was a few months back.
cercatrova 6y ago
Could you also increase the iOS subscription price by 30 percent? Then people who want it on iOS primarily will use the in app subscription. However, those who know about the web version will buy on the website and still be able to log into iOS.
- bryan_w 6y ago
  30% isn't enough to send a message. Make the in-app purchase price $999/month so that no reasonable person would pay it.
  - cercatrova 6y ago
    But I mean, more people would probably pay for it if it's only marked up 30 percent rather than a higher amount. You make the same amount from the web subscription or the in app subscription either way if you just adjusted the prices.
- bradgessler 6y ago
  You can’t. It’s against App Store policies. Here’s where bathing s get annoying though; companies do this all the time. Microsoft Office , for example, has over 5 different pricing tiers for Office. They have a consumer pricing tier that matches Apple IaP pricing, then a set of a bunch of business, education, and enterprise plans. You’d have to do something like that and then negotiate with them that one of your tiers is the same price as IaP. The point isn’t that there’s workarounds; what’s problematic is how Apple tries to tell you how to price your product and run your business, even if you try to give them a cut.
  - cercatrova 6y ago
    You can actually charge different prices for in app versus out of app. Apple changed this policy around 9 years ago.
    - Hamuko 6y ago
      Yeah, I think the sticking point in the different prices is that you cannot in any way indicate to the user that they can get the same service for cheaper or that there's an included Apple tax. This means that Hey would need to be charging $142 on iOS without a mention that $43 is an Apple tax that is not present when signing up on Hey.com.

by boudin 6y ago

ksec 6y ago

>they finally told us that, unless the user of the ios app is not the person who's supposed to pay, you have to go through apple pay and pay the apple tax. Somewhere in the past 2 years I knew their push towards services revenue is going to take things too far. And this is it. Unless there is something Basecamp not telling us or Apple has a better explanation this is very wrong in my book. And I have previously always sided with Apple on App Store policy. Someone needs to explain why Fastmail, and Gmail were allowed without IAP but Hey is not. Edit: Other mail clients under the same condition without IAP were allowed and Hey is not. And yet people still sided with Apple. Someone need to explain the downvoting.

cm2187 6y ago

Did they do that before or after the anti-trust investigations were announced?

boudin 6y ago
Before, it was a few months back.

cercatrova 6y ago

Could you also increase the iOS subscription price by 30 percent? Then people who want it on iOS primarily will use the in app subscription. However, those who know about the web version will buy on the website and still be able to log into iOS.

bryan_w 6y ago
30% isn't enough to send a message. Make the in-app purchase price $999/month so that no reasonable person would pay it.
- cercatrova 6y ago
  But I mean, more people would probably pay for it if it's only marked up 30 percent rather than a higher amount. You make the same amount from the web subscription or the in app subscription either way if you just adjusted the prices.
bradgessler 6y ago
You can’t. It’s against App Store policies. Here’s where bathing s get annoying though; companies do this all the time. Microsoft Office , for example, has over 5 different pricing tiers for Office. They have a consumer pricing tier that matches Apple IaP pricing, then a set of a bunch of business, education, and enterprise plans. You’d have to do something like that and then negotiate with them that one of your tiers is the same price as IaP. The point isn’t that there’s workarounds; what’s problematic is how Apple tries to tell you how to price your product and run your business, even if you try to give them a cut.
- cercatrova 6y ago
  You can actually charge different prices for in app versus out of app. Apple changed this policy around 9 years ago.
  - Hamuko 6y ago
    Yeah, I think the sticking point in the different prices is that you cannot in any way indicate to the user that they can get the same service for cheaper or that there's an included Apple tax. This means that Hey would need to be charging $142 on iOS without a mention that $43 is an Apple tax that is not present when signing up on Hey.com.