4 ms·

Maybe they could add the option to buy within the app, but charge the user the 30% markup too. And let the user know they can purchase outside the app for a dis

Maybe they could add the option to buy within the app, but charge the user the 30% markup too. And let the user know they can purchase outside the app for a discount. Kind of like paying cash instead of card at a restaurant. Edit: Interesting replies. But selling physical goods is an exception to the Apple tax. Maybe they can sell you a magic coin for $1 and ship it to you and that magic coin also coincidentally authorizes you to use the app...

AlexandrB 6y ago
AFAIK this is specifically disallowed in the Apple's TOS and will get your app banned. Edit: Oops, my recollection is almost 10 years out of date[1]. [1] https://appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/09/apple_backs_down_on_in_app_purchasing_rules_allows_lower_prices_for_out_of_app_purchases https://appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/09/apple_backs_down_...
- ummonk 6y ago
  It is true that now you can charge different prices on and off platform (and I believe Spotify was doing this at one point). But you still can't have your app link to or mention the option to do purchases outside the app.
nkozyra 6y ago
I believe this is technically prohibited by TOS (incidentally so is charging a service fee to use a credit card but most skirt by that with a "cash discount")
- wool_gather 6y ago
  In the US it's not (universally) illegal to add a service charge for credit cards. What is disallowed by federal law is having a "minimum purchase".
  - nkozyra 6y ago
    Sorry, not illegal, against the terms of service for the merchants utilizing Visa, MasterCard, Amex, etc.
soheilpro 6y ago
App Store Review Guidelines 3.1.1 In-App Purchase [1]: "Apps and their metadata may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase." [1] https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#payments https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#pay...
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  No surprise the EU has opened an anti trust investigation. Just because you put verbiage in a contract does not make it legal.
  - JMTQp8lwXL 6y ago
    I would be curious to see legal opinions of past anti-trust cases most similar to what is before us with App stores.
- throw587654 6y ago
  Could they send an automated email? You install HEY, sign up for a free trial, and the first email you receive is an ad to sign up on their site for a discount. If you sign up with the app, it’s 30% more.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
frosted-flakes 6y ago
> And let the user know they can purchase outside the app for a discount. I expect that's not allowed either. Look at Audible. There is nothing that tells you that you have to sign into the website to buy books, because Apple won't allow it, and Apple will take a 30% cut if Audible does it in-app. They rely entirely on users having prior knowledge that (a) you can buy books at all, and (b) the app is just a player, and the store is on the website.
- intopieces 6y ago
  YouTube premium does it.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
lnanek2 6y ago
Companies do that, but you have to scrub all references to outside app purchases from the app itself. I've had app reviews fail on both Google and Apple for mentioning things like that.
gnicholas 6y ago
What if they offered the subscription as an in-app purchase that was so expensive ($1,000 per month?) that users would realize it must be available cheaper elsewhere? If I ran into a subscription like that my first reaction would be to google it. Then I'd find out what the situation was, and purchase externally for the regular price.

AlexandrB 6y ago

AFAIK this is specifically disallowed in the Apple's TOS and will get your app banned. Edit: Oops, my recollection is almost 10 years out of date[1]. [1] https://appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/09/apple_backs_down_on_in_app_purchasing_rules_allows_lower_prices_for_out_of_app_purchases https://appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/09/apple_backs_down_...

ummonk 6y ago
It is true that now you can charge different prices on and off platform (and I believe Spotify was doing this at one point). But you still can't have your app link to or mention the option to do purchases outside the app.

nkozyra 6y ago

I believe this is technically prohibited by TOS (incidentally so is charging a service fee to use a credit card but most skirt by that with a "cash discount")

wool_gather 6y ago
In the US it's not (universally) illegal to add a service charge for credit cards. What is disallowed by federal law is having a "minimum purchase".
- nkozyra 6y ago
  Sorry, not illegal, against the terms of service for the merchants utilizing Visa, MasterCard, Amex, etc.

soheilpro 6y ago

App Store Review Guidelines 3.1.1 In-App Purchase [1]: "Apps and their metadata may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase." [1] https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#payments https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#pay...

toomuchtodo 6y ago
No surprise the EU has opened an anti trust investigation. Just because you put verbiage in a contract does not make it legal.
- JMTQp8lwXL 6y ago
  I would be curious to see legal opinions of past anti-trust cases most similar to what is before us with App stores.
throw587654 6y ago
Could they send an automated email? You install HEY, sign up for a free trial, and the first email you receive is an ad to sign up on their site for a discount. If you sign up with the app, it’s 30% more.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

frosted-flakes 6y ago

> And let the user know they can purchase outside the app for a discount. I expect that's not allowed either. Look at Audible. There is nothing that tells you that you have to sign into the website to buy books, because Apple won't allow it, and Apple will take a 30% cut if Audible does it in-app. They rely entirely on users having prior knowledge that (a) you can buy books at all, and (b) the app is just a player, and the store is on the website.

intopieces 6y ago
YouTube premium does it.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

lnanek2 6y ago

Companies do that, but you have to scrub all references to outside app purchases from the app itself. I've had app reviews fail on both Google and Apple for mentioning things like that.

gnicholas 6y ago

What if they offered the subscription as an in-app purchase that was so expensive ($1,000 per month?) that users would realize it must be available cheaper elsewhere? If I ran into a subscription like that my first reaction would be to google it. Then I'd find out what the situation was, and purchase externally for the regular price.