
Apple rejects Hey.com app update and demands cut of sales - jtbayly
https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21293419/hey-apple-rejection-ios-app-store-dhh-gangsters-antitrust
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notRobot
It's baffling to me. I can buy a USD1k+ device and still not be able to
install on it the apps I want because the manufacturer doesn't want me to, and
this is legal? Such horsecrap.

People get annoyed when folks on the internet repeatedly bring up Libre/Free
software and software freedoms, but just look at this shit.

There's essentially _no_ way for me to install an app on my iPhone if Apple
doesn't want me to, even though I paid over $1000 for it.

~~~
TrumpsHandler
Why buy apple then?

~~~
MarcelOlsz
For me back when I had time as a kid I loved tinkering. Now it's work. The
less time I spend on my screen/dealing with tech the happier I am. I'm big on
convenience, and also don't do such specific stuff where I need a windows
setup. I've had my macbook since 2015 and it hasn't died on me yet or had a
single problem and still runs blender and vim and whatever else just fine. The
$2k I spent on it 5 years ago is already back in my pocket just by not wasting
time on anything.

Something like text syncing between my phone and computer is huge. I type much
faster at my PC and its easier to navigate, so as a result I pretty much never
use my phone. All I want are some photos, text sync, and access to good apps.

If I ever get a new phone I just find the cheapest iphone 7 or 8 via orchard
instead of dropping 1-1.5k on a 'new iphone'. Everything works perfectly on my
7, still buttery smooth.

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manfredo
It's been an established practice for several years now to exclusively allow
in-app purchases through websites to avoid the cut on in-app payments. A while
back apps would display the catalog of available purchases in app and kick
users to a web browser when they went to buy. Apple didn't like that. IIRC
this was another big deal with Fortnite. Originally Epic was going to have
users download the APKs to get around the play store tariff. I think this
prompted Google to offer more favorable terms.

More and more it feels like Apple isn't selling hardware so much as licensing
hardware. Google has similar issues but it's much easier to get around them.
At least they still let users install arbitrary APKs if they enable it in
settings.

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RantyDave
But ... this is a free front-end onto a SAAS, right? Like spotify, netflix
etc. none of whom pay Apple's menaces - unless I'm mistaken.

Besides, if Apple want to undermine their platform and have mobile web
continue to take over - that's up to them.

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type0
Paying for email service has nothing to do with their store. What sort of in-
app purchases would this be, paying to Apple a couple of cents for each email
you send and receive, how ridiculous can it be?

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satysin
Does anyone know how Apple deal with other email providers such as Outlook,
ProtonMail, Gmail, etc. that offer consumer paid services with a custom client
in the App Store?

Does Apple get a cut of Outlook Premium, ProtonMail's monthly charge, GSuite,
etc?

~~~
bsg75
One vector is if you pay in the app, Apple gets its cut.

Platforms that are "mobile first" are at a disadvantage (I'm not sure what
Hey's split is).

But in your list, a desktop web UI is primary, and billing can happen there
without addition costs. If a company wants to offer payment natively and via
an iOS app, Apple gets their 30% on the mobile payments.

~~~
satysin
So what you're saying is as Microsoft (as an example) does not let you
signup/pay for Outlook Premium within the Outlook iOS app Apple do not get a
cut?

If so why is this approach being denied to Hey.com? Reading David's tweet it
seems Apple are saying Hey.com _have_ to add an option to subscribe and pay
for the Hey service within the app and give Apple a 30% cut. Or am I not
reading things right?

Edit: further reading shows Apple are comparing "business services" and
"consumer" products as being the difference.

As in a "business service" can charge externally to the App Store and provide
an app for said service without Apple getting a cut but as a "consumer" that
exception is void.

Not really sure how that makes any difference though as Microsoft (again as an
example) allow anyone to buy their services be it a business or a consumer. I
don't see how this is any different for Hey.com.

~~~
bsg75
I'm not suggesting that Apple applies its policies uniformly, nor that Apple's
economics are good nor bad. A company like Microsoft has leverage that Hey
does not, and that may be a problem.

