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I subscribed to Google One through the Google Photos iOS app because I wanted photos I took on my iPhone to be backed up to Google. When I switched to Android a

I subscribed to Google One through the Google Photos iOS app because I wanted photos I took on my iPhone to be backed up to Google. When I switched to Android and went into Google One to increase my storage capacity in my Google account, I found that it was literally impossible, because the subscription was tied to my iCloud account. I even got on a line with Google Support about it and they told me yeah it's not even possible on their side to disconnect my Google One subscription from Apple. I had to wait for the iCloud subscription to Google One to end, and then I was able to go into Google One and increase my storage capacity.

bilalq 1y ago
The root problem here lies with Apple. It's so frustrating how they take a 30% cut for the privilege of being unable to actually have a relationship with your customers. Want to do a partial refund (or a refund at all)? Want to give one month free to an existing subscriber? Tough luck. Your users are Apple's customers, not yours.
- kridsdale3 1y ago
  I implemented Google One integration in an iOS app. This comment chain is accurate. Users want to pay with Apple (like other app subscriptions) but then your “account” is inside their payments world. Which is super confusing since users (rightly) think they are dealing with their Google account.
  - zo1 1y ago
    Sounds like the analysts and product owners didn't really want to solve this problem. Instead they ticked the boxes, got the bonuses, and the devs never questioned it and just implemented it for fear of being PIPed. I'm sure there is technically nothing that stopped you from treating this "Pay with Apple" thing as just another payment method inside the google account, except maybe additional complexity and red-tape. Seen this many times when PMs, POs, and Devs code by features instead of trying to actually solve something. I don't even want to know what mess of a database schema is behind this monstrosity.
- jiggawatts 1y ago
  Same as a shopping centre, clothing retailer, or any other non-bazaar marketplace with its own brand and transaction processing. Apple is selling you a huge lucrative market. Customers buy Apple’s curated marketplace. Apple takes a cut for being in the middle and enabling all of this. Believe me, I would never pay for most of the apps that I did pay for via Apple if it wasn’t via their marketplace and their consumer protections. There is no counterfactual scenario where you and millions(!) of other ISVs get 100% of the same money without Apple. What’s difficult to understand about these business relationships?
  - cma 1y ago
    > Apple takes a cut for being in the middle and enabling all of this. Enabling this like Ticketmaster enables selling tickets. In ticketmaster's case I believe they give kickbacks and lucrative exclusive contracts with large venues, to squeeze smaller ones, maybe making whole tours use it but only kicking back to the biggest or select venues on the tour I think. Apple sometimes does special deals and special rules with important providers, among many other tactics behind their moat. All single signons must also offer apple single sign-on, for instance, and they have even disabled access to customer accounts using their single sign-on for unrelated business disputes, though they walked it back in the big public example I'm aware of, the threat is there if you go against them in any way.
    - jiggawatts 1y ago
      Amazon or Wallmart are much better analogies. Ticketmaster is in no way comparable, because they gouge customers and provide no protections. Someone in the music industry explained that both bands and venues like Ticketmaster because then Ticketmaster is the "bad guy" and the band can just shrug their shoulders and pretend to be the victim while profiting enormously from Ticketmaster's evil practices.
  - fennecbutt 1y ago
    Lmao no. Okay, all the app developers pull out of iOS because they're not actually useful, in fact they should be paying Apple! How many people do you think would still buy iPhones if there are 0 apps on the app store? Lmaooo, it's almost like it's a co-operative relationship and Apple don't deserve a huge cut because it's the apps that sell their phones.
- Traubenfuchs 1y ago
  I love Apple subscriptions. No way for you to scam me or make it hard ro cancel. I can view them all in the apple account subscription view. No tricks, no unexpected behaviour.
  - rvnx 1y ago
    Same with Stripe, minus the 30% fee. Even better, if you accidentally let the renewal happen they will instantly refund in one-click.
    - bloppe 1y ago
      This is exactly the kind of innovation Apple apologists don't realize they're missing out on in the walled garden. You could still have easy, centralized billing with all-in-one management and one-click cancellation, while paying 30% less for everything. Give the free market a chance.
      - skinnymuch 1y ago
        That is the free market. That is why libertarians love the free market.
        bloppe 1y ago
        Idk if you just have a bone to pick with libertarians, but monopolized markets by definition are not free markets, regardless of how they arise
      - lofijeff 1y ago
        This IS the free market ya dingus.
        bloppe 1y ago
        It's not a free market without meaningful choice. You can't say a slave is free because their master is free to enslave them, and they're free to escape if they can. Sometimes you need rules to create real freedom.
- lynx97 1y ago
  > Your users are Apple's customers, not yours. At least on my side, thats fine / intended. As long as their is no useable regulations around unsub dark patterns, that type of firewall is what I want as a customer.
- hbn 1y ago
  I bought my Google Photos subscription through the iOS app because it was cheaper than through Google directly. I have no idea why, but it was when I compared prices.

bilalq 1y ago

The root problem here lies with Apple. It's so frustrating how they take a 30% cut for the privilege of being unable to actually have a relationship with your customers. Want to do a partial refund (or a refund at all)? Want to give one month free to an existing subscriber? Tough luck. Your users are Apple's customers, not yours.

kridsdale3 1y ago
I implemented Google One integration in an iOS app. This comment chain is accurate. Users want to pay with Apple (like other app subscriptions) but then your “account” is inside their payments world. Which is super confusing since users (rightly) think they are dealing with their Google account.
- zo1 1y ago
  Sounds like the analysts and product owners didn't really want to solve this problem. Instead they ticked the boxes, got the bonuses, and the devs never questioned it and just implemented it for fear of being PIPed. I'm sure there is technically nothing that stopped you from treating this "Pay with Apple" thing as just another payment method inside the google account, except maybe additional complexity and red-tape. Seen this many times when PMs, POs, and Devs code by features instead of trying to actually solve something. I don't even want to know what mess of a database schema is behind this monstrosity.
jiggawatts 1y ago
Same as a shopping centre, clothing retailer, or any other non-bazaar marketplace with its own brand and transaction processing. Apple is selling you a huge lucrative market. Customers buy Apple’s curated marketplace. Apple takes a cut for being in the middle and enabling all of this. Believe me, I would never pay for most of the apps that I did pay for via Apple if it wasn’t via their marketplace and their consumer protections. There is no counterfactual scenario where you and millions(!) of other ISVs get 100% of the same money without Apple. What’s difficult to understand about these business relationships?
- cma 1y ago
  > Apple takes a cut for being in the middle and enabling all of this. Enabling this like Ticketmaster enables selling tickets. In ticketmaster's case I believe they give kickbacks and lucrative exclusive contracts with large venues, to squeeze smaller ones, maybe making whole tours use it but only kicking back to the biggest or select venues on the tour I think. Apple sometimes does special deals and special rules with important providers, among many other tactics behind their moat. All single signons must also offer apple single sign-on, for instance, and they have even disabled access to customer accounts using their single sign-on for unrelated business disputes, though they walked it back in the big public example I'm aware of, the threat is there if you go against them in any way.
  - jiggawatts 1y ago
    Amazon or Wallmart are much better analogies. Ticketmaster is in no way comparable, because they gouge customers and provide no protections. Someone in the music industry explained that both bands and venues like Ticketmaster because then Ticketmaster is the "bad guy" and the band can just shrug their shoulders and pretend to be the victim while profiting enormously from Ticketmaster's evil practices.
- fennecbutt 1y ago
  Lmao no. Okay, all the app developers pull out of iOS because they're not actually useful, in fact they should be paying Apple! How many people do you think would still buy iPhones if there are 0 apps on the app store? Lmaooo, it's almost like it's a co-operative relationship and Apple don't deserve a huge cut because it's the apps that sell their phones.
Traubenfuchs 1y ago
I love Apple subscriptions. No way for you to scam me or make it hard ro cancel. I can view them all in the apple account subscription view. No tricks, no unexpected behaviour.
- rvnx 1y ago
  Same with Stripe, minus the 30% fee. Even better, if you accidentally let the renewal happen they will instantly refund in one-click.
  - bloppe 1y ago
    This is exactly the kind of innovation Apple apologists don't realize they're missing out on in the walled garden. You could still have easy, centralized billing with all-in-one management and one-click cancellation, while paying 30% less for everything. Give the free market a chance.
    - skinnymuch 1y ago
      That is the free market. That is why libertarians love the free market.
      - bloppe 1y ago
        Idk if you just have a bone to pick with libertarians, but monopolized markets by definition are not free markets, regardless of how they arise
    - lofijeff 1y ago
      This IS the free market ya dingus.
      - bloppe 1y ago
        It's not a free market without meaningful choice. You can't say a slave is free because their master is free to enslave them, and they're free to escape if they can. Sometimes you need rules to create real freedom.
lynx97 1y ago
> Your users are Apple's customers, not yours. At least on my side, thats fine / intended. As long as their is no useable regulations around unsub dark patterns, that type of firewall is what I want as a customer.
hbn 1y ago
I bought my Google Photos subscription through the iOS app because it was cheaper than through Google directly. I have no idea why, but it was when I compared prices.