A Change to Apple's App Store Is Pissing Off Developers

After a WatchThe M3 MacBook Pro: Made Dark for Halloween CCShare SubtitlesOffEnglishThe change to Apple’s app policies is the result of a AdvertisementThat lawsuit was largely spurred by Apple’s controversial, “walled garden” approach to apps. Historically speaking, Apple has required all in-app purchases to be made through its own payment system and has charged a 30% commission to app developers for doing so. That substantial sum is the price of admission to Apple’s popular marketplace, which puts companies in direct contact with millions of iPhone and iOS users. AdvertisementIn 2020, Epic problematically tried to circumvent those commissions by launching its own in-app payment system for Fortnite’s virtual currency, V-Bucks. As a result, Epic and, consequently, Fortnite, were kicked out of the App Store. This was problematic for Epic for a number of reasons, not least of which that Fortnite is its top money-maker. Epic refused to hear the case, which meant that it got kicked back to the judgment made at the last stop on the judicial circuit. AdvertisementThe previous judgment in the case was brought by federal judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, of the Northern District Court of Northern California. In 2021, Rogers Yet even if Apple is now allowing app developers to link to outside payment methods, the company is still charging app makers a hefty 27% fee if they want to link to their external payment systems of choice. Developers, naturally, aren’t thrilled. When attempting to use external payments, Apple has also apparently appended a notification to the screen that warns app users they are about to “go to an external website” and that Apple is no longer “responsible for the privacy or security of purchases made” by the user.AdvertisementAside from the warning regarding privacy and security, it’s unclear how these changes will affect iOS customers. Developers could require all of their customers to go through the longer payment process of going to another website to complete a transaction to save a little bit on fees thus making it a bit more inconvenient for customers who before could just handle the transaction via the App Store. There’s also the possibility that more developers will increase their fees to make up for Apple’s fee similar to how Twitter Premium is more expensive for iOS users. The results of the long-running legal drama have largely been viewed as a success for Apple and a pretty raw deal for Epic. The gaming company and, thus, Fortnite, remain kicked off of Apple’s App Store and, to add insult to injury, Epic now owes Apple $73 million in legal costs. Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, is obviously pissed. On X this week, Sweeney laid into Apple for what it dubbed “anti-competitive” practices and signaled that the long-running legal war with its corporate foe might not yet be over: “Epic will contest Apple’s bad-faith compliance plan in District Court,” Sweeney added.

Based on reporting by gizmodo.com.