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WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
151–160 of 355 posts
Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#152Tweet thread - it looks like Apple is requiring in-app purchases to sign-up for wordpress.com accounts, despite it being an open-source app for any WordPress site: > Heads up on why @WordPressiOS updates have been absent... we were locked by App Store. To be able to ship updates and bug fixes again we had to commit to support in-app purchases for .com plans. I know why this is problematic, open to suggestions. Allow…
This is really sad. On the one hand, sure Apple should be able to make a cut on their app store, on the other hand, they shouldn't be allowed to force apps to do this sort of thing. This will only drive domain prices higher on iOS in order to compensate (in the case of Automattic). If I were in a position where Apple is forcing me to pay a 30% tax, I would literally add "30% Apple Tax" to the check out screen on top…
"here Apple is forcing me to pay a 30% tax"
Well! Let's be clear, you mean "Apple Ireland" gets that cash?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_illegal_state_aid_case_agai...
Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
Android is also kinda a walled garden. At least in this context play store terms is not more developer friendly than app store in ios. While installing APKs is more easier than codesigning custom apps for iphone, I think it could be used in rare cases.
> Android is also kinda a walled garden You can send an .apk to any android user and they will be able to install it. That's the opposite of a walled garden. > At least in this context play store terms is not more developer friendly than app store in ios. You don't have to pay Google $100 every year. Your app is published within 30 mins. You can deploy pretty much any app that runs on Android (other browsers, other s…
Thank you. I don't understand the enlightened centrists on this issue. I can see the merits of the Apple approach and the criticisms of the Android one. But to say that Android is just as bad... Nah
Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#154Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
How much are credit card fees? Chargebacks? Fraud? Server costs to host your app and updates? The shopping cart/private infrastructure? You actually get some value from those percentages, but few people actually run the numbers.
~3% or less.
~3% plus some fixed transaction fee.
So for low dollar amount charges, like a $1.00 app purchase, the transaction fee can be > 30% (e.g. 2.9% + $0.30 on Stripe).
Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, Apple doesn't actually allow you to sell an app for $5. You can only choose $4.99 or $5.99.
I'm sure they're really hurting for that cent, you think?
Not at all. Just explaining why there’d be a price difference. Apple has a good reason for not allowing weird prices like $3.61 but also excludes prices like $5. They also used to require that subscriptions outside the App Store match In-App Purchase prices, but dropped that requirement.
Pricing $5.99 in-app and $5 outside is a good strategy. It’s a nudge to get users to buy outside the app and save 15%, but if not they’re effectively splitting the Apple tax.
Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you have more information about this?
https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines 3.1.3b >your general communications about other purchasing methods must not discourage use of in-app purchase It's vague (probably intentionally) but having a higher price in the app is certainly discouraging compared to the "normal" way.
I wonder if Apple did start requiring the IAP price to be the same as the price everyone else pays - would that definitely be illegal?
I have a B2B app in the app-store which only has a login-screen on the app - so hopefully that won't attract Apple's attention, but if they do I was thinking about making our service-fee an Apple Pay ("real-life") purchase with lower fees where we'd mail the customer a brick with an activation code printed on... tempting...
Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#158It's quite amazing how hard Apple is pushing this now with all of the extra regulatory eyes on the subject. I guess they're fairly confident that they're untouchable.
It might be more because Epic is forcing their hand. Up to this point, Apple either just nudged smaller players or secretly negotiated deals with larger ones. With Epic shining a light on this, Apple has to more blatantly enforce this across the board. Now, in a legal setting, Epic can't point out how inconsistent Apple is with this policy.
> Now, in a legal setting, Epic can't point out how inconsistent Apple is with this policy.
Well, except they can point at Amazon, who only pays a 15% cut: https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/20/21378156/apple-news-publi...
Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is really sad. On the one hand, sure Apple should be able to make a cut on their app store, on the other hand, they shouldn't be allowed to force apps to do this sort of thing. This will only drive domain prices higher on iOS in order to compensate (in the case of Automattic). If I were in a position where Apple is forcing me to pay a 30% tax, I would literally add "30% Apple Tax" to the check out screen on top…
pretty sure you have to offer the same price as on your website if you offer IAP. it’s one more of the developer unfriendly move of the developer program, alongside that you cannot even hint that you can purchase or subscribe somewhere else.
This hasn't been true for a long time. It was true, but changed years ago.
You can offer purchases elsewhere at a cheaper price, you just can't push people toward that within the app, or even link directly to a website for it.
Re: WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
God. I just stopped opening the play store. Everything is ads and autoplaying videos. I added the update shortcut to homescreen to go straight to updates
I have never seen an add or a video on Google Play except a line of "Suggested for you" apps which I guess are paid for? The only videos are after clicking an app and then they have never ever started playing automatically. Must be either a regional thing, a custom per phone brand or something like it. Neither my OnePlus or Google phones have it.
> I have never seen an add or a video on Google Play except a line of "Suggested for you" apps which I guess are paid for?
Yes, those are absolutely ads, they're explicitly labelled as such. And they're not very subtle, there's another double-tall row of them every other page when scrolling through the Play Store. There are also ads for other apps on every app page, and ads for search results. The search result ads are egregious - e.g. if I search for a major bank app, the first several results are for competing banks, they're barely differentiated from the legitimate results, and they're explicitly not what I'm looking for. I feel like I'm at an awful bazaar where I know what I want but slimy merchants keep yelling at me and getting in my way to shove their junk in my face.
I'd pay $10/m just to get rid of ads on the Play Store and Google Maps.
> The only videos are after clicking an app and then they have never ever started playing automatically.
There's a Play Store setting for controlling autoplay of videos.
> Neither my OnePlus or Google phones have it.
Play Store is a Google App, phone manufacturer has no impact.