Korean developers want Apple & Google investigated over in-app purchase cost

AppleInsider

A consortium of Korean companies are petitioning the Korean Communications Commission, saying that Apple and Google's App Store in-app purchase rules are illegal.

Apple's only store in South Korea

Following Korea's approval of Apple's plans to remedy its allegedly anti-competitive trading, developers in the region are lobbying for a new investigation into in-app purchases with both Apple and Google. An unspecified number of firms have asked the Korea Communications Commission to investigate the legality of being forced to use these companies' systems.

According to The Korea Herald, an alliance of local startup developers called the Korea Startup Forum, object both to how much Apple and Google charge, and to the absence of any alternatives.

"While the 30 percent commission rate is too high in itself," Consortium president Choi Sung-jin said, "it is more problematic that they force a specific payment system for the app markets."

The group's president added that this is particularly unfair on small companies because larger firms may allegedly have the ability to negotiate their commission rates. Choi Sung-jin also said that Apple and Google could decide to raise their fees without consultation.

Neither Apple nor Google representatives in Korea have commented.

The current dispute between both of these companies and Fortnite developer Epic also involves in-app purchases. Apple separately defended its App Store polices at an antitrust hearing, and also supported research that favorably compared it to other digital marketplaces.

aderutter

I’m starting to think Apple should just stop all in-app purchases, except for physical goods which have no charge. Make all apps an upfront purchase.

DAalseth

Yup, the bandwagon has gotten going.
Apple, (and Google) are bad. They must be stopped. Ignore the reasons, or rational, just act.The mob has spoken, you must go along or get out of the way, not just in Korea, but everywhere.
This won't end well. 

jimh2

How about turning the tables and creating a 2nd App Store. The transaction to use alternative app stores requires a fee, which forces the user to acknowledge they have left the safety of the walled garden and entered the Wild West. 

Another alternative is to let others set up their own store, but not allow developers to have their app in the Apple App Store if they want it in their own. 

rotateleftbyte

DAalseth said:

Yup, the bandwagon has gotten going.
Apple, (and Google) are bad. They must be stopped. Ignore the reasons, or rational, just act.The mob has spoken, you must go along or get out of the way, not just in Korea, but everywhere.
This won't end well. 

You forgot...

Apple has all the money in the world and we want our slice of it.

MacPro

I guess these guys are used to South Korean tech companies, they're so darned ethical!

mike1

See bandwagon. Jump on.

GeorgeBMac

jimh2 said:

How about turning the tables and creating a 2nd App Store. The transaction to use alternative app stores requires a fee, which forces the user to acknowledge they have left the safety of the walled garden and entered the Wild West. 

Another alternative is to let others set up their own store, but not allow developers to have their app in the Apple App Store if they want it in their own. 

Bad move....

A major part of the appeal of Apple Products is their perceived security and privacy.   Opening up the software and ecosystem to the wild west of anything goes would compromise that security and that perception.   While it could be claimed it was the user's own fault for leaving the walled garden, that logic would be shouted down, Apple condemned and its reputation permanently scarred.  

Nope!  in marketing as in politics, reputation and perception is everything.

skippingrock

They also keep forgetting that Apple is the one that invested the industry for them. They wouldn’t have a business to begin with and the quality that goes with it. 

jungmark

“Too high”. Compared to physical retail? Other virtual stores? 

SpamSandwich

Every incapable competitor and their grandmothers are trying to kneecap Apple now.

9secondkox2

Sorry guys. Just because you can form a mob and try to bully your opinion down someone’s throat doesn’t make you right. 

It’s shameful. 

Build something god. Partner with someone you sell it to the largest audience possible and pay your partner for their labor. 

That’s how it works. 

Go back, re-read the agreement you signed, and take a nap. 

Or... end your contract and make your own platform to sell on. 

Somehow though, this little mob may realize political tactics won’t work in common sense fairness situations in business. 

igorsky

skippingrock said:

They also keep forgetting that Apple is the one that invested the industry for them. They wouldn’t have a business to begin with and the quality that goes with it. 

THIS.  Everyone seems to forget that Apple created a store that now has a billion customers for these developers to peddle their wares to.  

qwerty52

One more vulture, trying to steal a piece of someone’s meal. 

I am wondering, where were all af them in the last 10 years. 

Why they didn’t  start complaining all ready from the first year? 

And if AppStore is so bad, why they didn’t make a store of their own? Ten years is a plenty 
of time to do so!

seanismorris

jimh2 said:

How about turning the tables and creating a 2nd App Store. The transaction to use alternative app stores requires a fee, which forces the user to acknowledge they have left the safety of the walled garden and entered the Wild West. 

Another alternative is to let others set up their own store, but not allow developers to have their app in the Apple App Store if they want it in their own. 

Hell no!

That would make the Apple App Store as unsecure as the Google one.

killroy

jimh2 said:

How about turning the tables and creating a 2nd App Store. The transaction to use alternative app stores requires a fee, which forces the user to acknowledge they have left the safety of the walled garden and entered the Wild West. 

Another alternative is to let others set up their own store, but not allow developers to have their app in the Apple App Store if they want it in their own. 

You can call it the malware are us store.

killroy

qwerty52 said:

One more vulture, trying to steal a piece of someone’s meal. 

I am wondering, where were all af them in the last 10 years. 

Why they didn’t  start complaining all ready from the first year? 

And if AppStore is so bad, why they didn’t make a store of their own? Ten years is a plenty 
of time to do so!

And what phone are you going to load it on?

taugust04_ai

I have a funny feeling that the only thing developers are going to get out of these fights with Apple are a way to side load notarized apps on iOS/iPad OS, and improved support of PWA’s.  You’re not going to see third party App Stores or in app purchases unless a governmental court case forces it.

Rayz2016

jimh2 said:

How about turning the tables and creating a 2nd App Store. The transaction to use alternative app stores requires a fee, which forces the user to acknowledge they have left the safety of the walled garden and entered the Wild West. 

Another alternative is to let others set up their own store, but not allow developers to have their app in the Apple App Store if they want it in their own. 

This wouldn’t work. 

Epic is suing Google, even though Android already has alternative stores. Why? Because these whiners know that setting up their own stores would require expensive marketing and would lack the legitimacy and trust of the App Store and Play. 

What they actually want is to squat like parasitic tics in the main stores, draining them while giving nothing back.