[HN Gopher] In-App Purchase Rules
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In-App Purchase Rules
Author : 0xQSL
Score : 124 points
Date : 2020-09-11 20:16 UTC (2 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (marco.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (marco.org)
| telaelit wrote:
| I really wish Apple would allow third-party payment processing.
| All their rules around in-app purchases are overly complex and
| oppressive. I really believe that Apple is stifling innovation
| with these insane rules and monopolistic practices.
| meritt wrote:
| I'm glad Marco finally stepped up to set the HN groupthink tone
| because you guys have been salivating to defend Apple the past
| month in every goddamn thread about Epic Games.
| dang wrote:
| Obviously some HN users have defending Apple while others have
| been denouncing Apple. People just notice the comments they
| dislike more [1], so each side thinks that "HN" is slavishly
| and perversely defending whatever they hate [2]. It would be
| good to get a little more awareness into this process.
|
| [1]
| https://hn.algolia.com/?query=notice%20dislike%20by:dang&dat...
|
| [2]
| https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...
| maerF0x0 wrote:
| > developer relations are significantly repaired, and Apple can
| go back to spending its time, resources, PR, and political
| capital on making their products better and customers happier.
|
| Your first mistake was assuming that they care about those more
| than maximizing shareholder value
| [deleted]
| Animats wrote:
| At this point, the answer may be to regulate in-app purchase
| services as banks. Regulate them like credit card processors.
| kccqzy wrote:
| What kind of regulations? My understanding is that credit card
| processors have significant power to pick and choose which
| merchants they do business with. Mostly famous American Express
| rejected all adult websites:
| https://www.zdnet.com/article/amex-just-says-no-to-porn-site...
|
| Regulating Apple like credit card processors will continue to
| allow Apple to set detailed rules on what payment processing
| Apple wants to do, which is the subject of this article.
|
| The real issue is that in the real world the merchant can also
| choose not to do business with American Express and just accept
| say Visa and MasterCard. That's not currently a possibility on
| Apple's platforms.
| MBCook wrote:
| At this point I think I'd like to see Apple allow a form of
| third-party payment. It works well enough on the web without tons
| of scams, it could be done on the iPhone.
|
| Let developers choose between any "certified" payment provider.
| Apple would be one, and then you could add Square, PayPal, and
| other big companies that could jump through Apple's hoops. Like
| making sure the refund experience is easy so no one can make
| really convoluted anti-user workflows.
|
| Maybe app purchase still has to go through Apple, it's only IAPs
| that can go through anyone.
|
| Apple, naturally, would be forced to lower their cut because
| otherwise why would anyone choose them?
|
| I'd be happy to choose them as a user over other payment
| providers if given a choice. I like the current payment
| experience on iOS.
|
| Apple can even keep all their crazy rules like Marco is talking
| about. It's just the other payment providers wouldn't have to
| follow them. Let Apple see how well that goes.
|
| Anyone can take payments, using any big provider, for anything on
| iOS. Seems easy enough.
|
| I don't think it'll ever happen without government intervention
| though.
| gok wrote:
| > It works well enough on the web without tons of scams
|
| What web have you been using?
| jasonlotito wrote:
| The one where I can charge back any fraudulent charge with
| ease. I know how to do that without thinking about it. I've
| logged into Apple twice now and neither account areas provide
| a place for me to cancel subscriptions.
| shuckles wrote:
| This is only true in the United States if you are paying
| with a credit card.
| Spivak wrote:
| The problem with this line of thinking is that Apple doesn't
| take a 30% cut to be your payment processor but to sell on the
| iPhone _at all_. Being the sole payment processor just happens
| to be convenient collection mechanism. Would you still migrate
| to a 3rd-party payment processor if you still had to pay the
| 30% fee to apple _and_ pay the 3rd party payment processing
| fees?
| MBCook wrote:
| Notice I never said the 30% processing fee still existed.
| That's APPLES processing fee. The other payment providers
| would charge whatever THEIR processing fee is.
|
| I assume the market would quickly drive Apple's fee down to a
| reasonable number.
|
| But if Apple wants to keep charging 30%, why not? There are
| alternatives in my plan, so it's not hostile.
| Spivak wrote:
| No I mean regardless of which processor you use Apple still
| takes a 30% cut of all digital sales on iOS. So if you use
| PayPal you pay Apple 30% and PayPals fees too. Because
| Apple isn't charging 30% to be your payment processor,
| they're charging 30% for the ability to sell your goods on
| iOS at all.
| MBCook wrote:
| I understand what you said. That was not how my plan was
| designed to work.
| scarface74 wrote:
| It doesn't need to be that complicated. Scrap IAP entirely and
| just consolidate everything with Apple Pay in the countries
| where it is available. Apple Pay has standard credit card
| processing fees that aren't much higher than any other credit
| card processor. Then force every company to offer Apple Pay
| without these crazy rules.
|
| Most companies already have the facilities to accept credit
| cards. For those that don't, Apple could also be the merchant
| account.
| jamil7 wrote:
| I hope Apple takes notice of the path their walking down right
| now. When people like Marco are calling them out on their
| bullshit it's a clear indicator that they've pushed the envelope
| too far. Alienating 3rd party developers is the same mistake that
| nearly cost Microsoft everything.
| summitsummit wrote:
| how do the presumably low paid hourly workers that perform app
| reviews keep track of all the details and complexity of the ever-
| growing rules and regulations regarding app development?
|
| do they have an infinitely long checklist?
| kinkrtyavimoodh wrote:
| They don't have to. For big enough players (think NFLX), these
| things are beyond their pay grade and are duked out by lawyers
| who craft these intricate sequences of laws and bylaws so that
| these apps make their way through. For small players, well what
| are they gonna do? Stay hungry?
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(page generated 2020-09-11 23:00 UTC)