Apple continues to make it clear that it will collect its share of iOS app purchases

Posted:
in General Discussion
If Epic being forced to cough up App Store fees after the trial, and Tim Cook saying multiple times that Apple would find a way to charge developers for iOS and iPadOS app purchases made outside the App Store weren't enough, a new court filing by the company further nails home the point.

Apple reiterates that it's going to collect its commission one way or another.
Apple reiterates that it's going to collect its commission one way or another.


Apple on Tuesday filed a reply brief with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California supporting a motion to stay an injunction that would force it to allow developers to add alternate payment links or buttons within apps.

In the brief, Apple attorneys shot down Epic Games' suggestion that the company wouldn't receive a cut of transactions that occur outside of the App Store.

"That is not correct. Apple has not previously charged a commission on purchases of digital content via buttons and links because such purchases have not been permitted," the brief reads. "If the injunction were to go into effect, Apple could charge a commission on purchases made through such mechanisms."

The issue at hand is a decision given by U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Although she largely ruled in favor of Apple, she did issue a decision that would bar Apple from prohibiting developers to add alternate payment links or buttons within apps.

Apple has repeatedly asked the court to stay the injunction.

What I've come to assume is now in black and white in this filing from Apple: If the injunction goes into effect, Apple seems likely to charge a commission on any transactions that start in the app, even if they are completed on the web. https://t.co/GVoEhiQbFS pic.twitter.com/uyXjAmM1uD

— David Barnard (@drbarnard)


The section in the court filing isn't revelatory. Back during the Epic Games v. Apple hearings, Apple CEO Tim Cook specifically said that Apple would get its cut even without in-app purchase mechanisms.

"We would have to come up with an alternate way of collecting our commission," Cook said at the time. "We would then have to figure out how to track what's going on and invoice it and then chase the developers; it seems like a process that doesn't need to exist."

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    applguyapplguy Posts: 235member
    Apple could also monetize API usage. 
    ronnwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 13
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?
    elijahglkrupp
  • Reply 3 of 13
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?
    So with that, You mean Apple should shut down their app store eco system, and pull all development tools.  Apple has every right to collect fees for their role in ecosystem. The supply the tools needed to develop, resources to aid the developers, and then host the apps, so the developers don’t have to. That takes time and resources, and they would be compensated for it. 

    Apple isn’t tracking anything you do on your phone, it blatantly says they would have to figure out how to identify when a transaction starts in app, and is completed externally. Regardless of how that happens, it’s been Apple and the Developer. Essentially it’s like a pre-paid and post-paid system. 
    They can pay through Apple’s in app purchase system, pre-paid, or extenallly (post-paid) and then back bill the developer. 

    As for the reduction in production, it’s because like everyone else, their suppliers are having a hard time supplying the chips for production. This shouldn’t be news to anyone, considering the current state of the world. 
    edited December 2021 jahbladewilliamlondonBeatslolliverscstrrfbeowulfschmidtStrangeDaysnarwhalwatto_cobraDetnator
  • Reply 4 of 13
    NaiyasNaiyas Posts: 107member
    @OutdoorAppDeveloper ;
    I recall reading that there was a drop in orders with suppliers for every iPhone in history around 3 months after initial release… it’s called the sales cycle and it happens every year.

    I actually suspect, and am partially concerned, that certain APIs could become subject to usage commissions in future. There is already plenty of telemetry data that is sent to Apple from our devices and some of it is clearly around what APIs are used and how often so they know which ones to drop over time. It wouldn’t take much to modify this telemetry and add app ID information with it and merge this data into a billing system.

    This would be largely transparent to the end user, just as the telemetry data is already today.
    williamlondonlolliverscstrrfStrangeDaysnarwhalwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 13
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?
    Lack of demand? What do you read bait news?
    Did you apply to Apple for a job?
    edited December 2021 williamlondonBeatslolliverscstrrfStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 13
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?

    Develop for the Microsoft store. You don’t have to give Apple a penny. 

    Problem solved. 
    williamlondonthtlolliverscstrrfleavingthebiggStrangeDaysnarwhalwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 13
    Beats said:
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?

    Develop for the Microsoft store. You don’t have to give Apple a penny. 

    Problem solved. 
    And lose an opportunity to make wild, unsubstantiated claims about Apple? NOT.GOING.TO.HAPPEN.
    lolliverscstrrfleavingthebiggbeowulfschmidtStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 13
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?
    Apple should drop commissions entirely?

    maybe also developers can drop charging for apps and in-app purchases. How about developers invest their own money and offer apps for free to iPhone users?

    Do you think developers will agree?


    williamlondonscstrrfleavingthebiggStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 13
    i’m always amazed by the fact that there are people out there who think that anybody was going to get around apple’a 30%. 

    Nobody complains when Best Buy adds a 50% markup from the wholesale price on software they carry in their stores so it’s weird when people acts like the an app store is out of line. 

    the App Store is a retail store just like Best Buy and as such Apple buys each copy sold at a wholesale price (70% of MSRP or more accurately Developer Determined Retail Price).  Once Apple has bought that copy at the agreed upon price they can do what they want with it so long as it doesn’t exceed the DDRP.  That’s how apple can put items on sale or give them away as a promotional item. 

    App stores also have many key advantages over traditional retail because an app isn’t purchased until it’s sold… so there’s no such thing as unsold inventory and prices can be adjusted up or down at any point (in close to real-time) by the developer if they want. 

    there used to be so many risks associated with making physical copies of games and other software (over production. shipping, storage, theft, etc) and because almost all the physical costs of software are gone we, as consumers, now get our apps at fantastic prices and instantly. and the developer makes more money per copy sold since the eta get 70% of retail now rather than the 50% they used to get. 

    seems weird that people complain about the 30% that everybody charges. it’s a great deal no matter how you look at it ESPECIALLY if you take history into consideration. 
    williamlondonscstrrfcoolfactorStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 13
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,036member
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?
    Gee, as a "developer", you don't seem to know an awful lot about how things work in the field you should know a lot about. 

    Apple is not tracking everything you do on your iPhone. Apple is only keeping tabs of the payment for an IAP, made using a link provided in the app. 

    If one were to open a browser on a computer or any mobile device, to pay for a subscription or IAP on a developer website or own payment system, Apple will not stop that or demand a commission on that payment. But if one were to click on a link in the developer app and get to the same website or payment system, then Apple will attempt to collect their commission by tracking that transaction. Thus negating the benefit for developers that want to avoid Apple commission, to include a link in their app, to pay for the app or IAP outside of iTunes. 

    And when Apple get this done, I can't be more happy thinking about how Sweeney is going to take this. His one lone "victory" in his lawsuit against Apple will be for naught. Well, at least it won't be a complete victory in his case. Not only did he want the right to inform players about being able to make payment on Epic website within the app, in order to avoid Apple commission, he mainly wanted to make that payment as seamless as paying for it with iTunes. Thus being able to provide a ink that directed the player to Epic website or own payment system. Well, it seems that that Apple will make that link trackable and Apple will still be able to collect their commission on payments made using that link.
     
    edited December 2021 williamlondonStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 13
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?
    Will you quit making stuff up?  Jeez... people like you just have an agenda.

    iPhone13 is not being "cut" due to "lack of demand".  Just stop.
    williamlondonStrangeDaysnarwhalwatto_cobraDetnator
  • Reply 12 of 13
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,239member

    The future experience of purchasing apps and in-app "goods" is going to get very, very messy and risky. No way do I want to be taken to some 3rd-party system to make a purchase.

    EPIC and crew may think they are doing consumers a favour, but really, they're only looking out for themselves. And, as this article states, the original issue (30% cut for Apple) is not going away. It's just going to be transferred to a much more difficult-to-manage process. Overall, it's going to get more expensive and cumbersome for everyone involved. Apple's current store and payment process can't be matched, unless it's exactly replicated by 3rd-party systems in some fancy way.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 13
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    Oh good. Now Apple is going to track everything you do on your iPhone and use it to bill developers. Meanwhile they are cutting back on iPhone 13 production due to lack of demand. Apple makes a lot more money from the sales of iPhones than they do from their app commissions. Developers and users can and do routinely work around Apple's existing restrictions using their web browsers. Perhaps Apple should drop the commissions entirely and focus on selling hardware?
    Ah, the ignorant and eternally butthurt perspective. Now with the added narrative that the iPhone is failing. Cool story bro.

    How much did you pay for Xcode? Oh yeah, $0.
    edited December 2021 williamlondonnarwhalwatto_cobraDetnator
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