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Do more than 1% or so of non-hackernews iOS users care about sideloading?

do_not_redeem 2y ago
If they knew every app/subscription they bought would be 30% cheaper I think they would care. But, conveniently for Apple's shareholders, the app store rules forbid developers from providing honest information about those costs to their users.
- dylan604 2y ago
  As if every developer that releases a side loaded app will lower their prices by 30%. that's total poppycock. The whole point of these devs is to keep that 30% and not give it to Apple. That's some funny shit that you think devs will all lower their prices the consumer sees. Do you have a 2 drink minimum for your set?
  - jmholla 2y ago
    > As if every developer that releases a side loaded app will lower their prices by 30%. That is literally already the case for many apps. Many offer a better price outside of the iOS ecosystem. And why are you drawing the goalposts at EVERY developer?
    - gjsman-1000 2y ago
      I have never seen this on Android, and it definitely seems like developers don’t care about the 30% cut on Steam, even though sideloading is fairly easy on Windows. How many Steam games can you buy direct, let alone get a discount for?
      - AnthonyMouse 2y ago
        The majority of PC games aren't sold through Steam even though it has a large installed base and provides some level of promotion. Meanwhile many of the popular Steam games are made by Valve itself or are free games paying Valve 30% of nothing, implying that the large majority of third party paid game developers didn't think the 30% was worth it when given a choice.
  - do_not_redeem 2y ago
    It's not that everyone will lower their prices... it's that in the past they already raised them. In 2023, if you calculated that you need to make $3 per install to be profitable, you'd have to raise that number by 43%* to account for Apple's cut. And if you don't think users will pay 43% more, then the app will just never get made. Who knows whether or not current apps will have their prices lowered, but it would be better if in the future, new apps are not priced 43% higher than they would have been, like all the current ones. * 1/(1-0.30) = 1.43
    - what 2y ago
      More like 18% higher because the fee is 15% on the first million per year.
- scarface_74 2y ago
  Well seeing that most mainstream subscription services don’t allow you to purchase through the App Store including Netflix, Spotify, YouTube etc…
zaik 2y ago
1% of iPhone users is a lot of people.
- Jotalea 2y ago
  Just like Linux's 4.5% market share, it's a lot of people. What does it have to do with iOS? Nothing.
makeitdouble 2y ago
How many iOS user would want to play Fortnite again ? Would people want a Netflix app that handles subscription inside the app ? Who would care about a Kindle app where you can buy the books and read them without leaving the app ? An awful lot of people do care about these issues, even if they never heard of sideloading they'll jump on it if offered the opportunity.
ApolloFortyNine 2y ago
Apple has made it against the rules for apps to notify users of the benefits of not going through the app store. Many subscription services don't allow you to subscribe from your iPhone. Why? Because if they did they'd have to pay Apple 30% for the privilege. And Apple has made it against their rules to notify users of this. And for the ones that eat it, they're not allowed to give users a 25% discount for going to their website. This is what Epic did to prove user harm, they made it cheaper to buy currency through their processor than Apple's. Of course they were banned for it.
- egypturnash 2y ago
  Patreon is letting me bump my prices up for people who subscribe to my work via the iOS app. I don't know if this is because they are simply ignoring the "you have to have the same price through apple" rule or if they worked out some kind of deal.

If they knew every app/subscription they bought would be 30% cheaper I think they would care. But, conveniently for Apple's shareholders, the app store rules forbid developers from providing honest information about those costs to their users.

dylan604 2y ago
As if every developer that releases a side loaded app will lower their prices by 30%. that's total poppycock. The whole point of these devs is to keep that 30% and not give it to Apple. That's some funny shit that you think devs will all lower their prices the consumer sees. Do you have a 2 drink minimum for your set?
- jmholla 2y ago
  > As if every developer that releases a side loaded app will lower their prices by 30%. That is literally already the case for many apps. Many offer a better price outside of the iOS ecosystem. And why are you drawing the goalposts at EVERY developer?
  - gjsman-1000 2y ago
    I have never seen this on Android, and it definitely seems like developers don’t care about the 30% cut on Steam, even though sideloading is fairly easy on Windows. How many Steam games can you buy direct, let alone get a discount for?
    - AnthonyMouse 2y ago
      The majority of PC games aren't sold through Steam even though it has a large installed base and provides some level of promotion. Meanwhile many of the popular Steam games are made by Valve itself or are free games paying Valve 30% of nothing, implying that the large majority of third party paid game developers didn't think the 30% was worth it when given a choice.
- do_not_redeem 2y ago
  It's not that everyone will lower their prices... it's that in the past they already raised them. In 2023, if you calculated that you need to make $3 per install to be profitable, you'd have to raise that number by 43%* to account for Apple's cut. And if you don't think users will pay 43% more, then the app will just never get made. Who knows whether or not current apps will have their prices lowered, but it would be better if in the future, new apps are not priced 43% higher than they would have been, like all the current ones. * 1/(1-0.30) = 1.43
  - what 2y ago
    More like 18% higher because the fee is 15% on the first million per year.
scarface_74 2y ago
Well seeing that most mainstream subscription services don’t allow you to purchase through the App Store including Netflix, Spotify, YouTube etc…

zaik 2y ago

1% of iPhone users is a lot of people.

Jotalea 2y ago
Just like Linux's 4.5% market share, it's a lot of people. What does it have to do with iOS? Nothing.

makeitdouble 2y ago

How many iOS user would want to play Fortnite again ? Would people want a Netflix app that handles subscription inside the app ? Who would care about a Kindle app where you can buy the books and read them without leaving the app ? An awful lot of people do care about these issues, even if they never heard of sideloading they'll jump on it if offered the opportunity.

ApolloFortyNine 2y ago

Apple has made it against the rules for apps to notify users of the benefits of not going through the app store. Many subscription services don't allow you to subscribe from your iPhone. Why? Because if they did they'd have to pay Apple 30% for the privilege. And Apple has made it against their rules to notify users of this. And for the ones that eat it, they're not allowed to give users a 25% discount for going to their website. This is what Epic did to prove user harm, they made it cheaper to buy currency through their processor than Apple's. Of course they were banned for it.

egypturnash 2y ago
Patreon is letting me bump my prices up for people who subscribe to my work via the iOS app. I don't know if this is because they are simply ignoring the "you have to have the same price through apple" rule or if they worked out some kind of deal.