Apple's App Store Guidelines updated to reflect court order over external purchases
After a judge ordered Apple to remove all barriers to links and external purchases, the company has updated its guidelines to reflect the ruling while it appeals.
Developers are ready to take advantage of external purchases
It's been a rough 24 hours for Apple, as earnings results were second-guessed by analysts and Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple's external purchase rules were a willful violation of an injunction. Epic Games has also been doing rounds celebrating the ruling, coaching others on how to bypass Apple's commission.
The new guidelines were first discovered by 9to5Mac, highlighting the updated language around external payments and links. Apple promised it would comply with the order while it appeals.
Apple sent an email to developers alerting them to the changes. It seems, at least for now, Apple won't be accepting the Epic Games CEO's peace proposal.
The App Review Guidelines have been updated for compliance with a United States court decision regarding buttons, external links, and other calls to action in apps. These changes affect apps distributed on the United States storefront of the App Store.
Apps are already submitting updates to bypass Apple's in-app purchase system. Companies like Spotify and Patreon jumped at the opportunity to lay out pricing and place external links in their app.
Apple originally avoided allowing external links to purchases that avoid commissions due to fear of lost revenue. This is what led to the judge declaring "Cook chose wrong" in her 80-page ruling.
The following rules have updated sections mentioning the United States specifically.
- 3.1.1 In-App Purchase: Apps may allow users to browse NFT collections owned by others, provided that, except for apps on the United States storefront, the apps may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase.
- 3.1.1(a) LInk to Other Purchase Methods: These entitlements are not required for developers to include buttons, external links, or others calls to action in their United States storefront apps.
- 3.1.3 Other Purchase Methods: Apps in this section cannot, within the app, encourage users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase, except for apps on the United States storefront.
- 3.1.3(a) "Reader" Apps: This entitlement is not required for developers to include buttons, external links, or other calls to action in their United States storefront apps.
It isn't clear how Apple's appeal will go. A lot of global App Store rules are based on how the company operates in the United States, so if the requirements set by the ruling stick, there is some chance Apple will set them as standard globally.
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Comments
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Note that Spotify's latest iOS app (updated this morning) now offers an in-app hyperlink to Spotify's website where one can purchase Spotify Premium. That hyperlink did not exist yesterday, just some passive-aggressive language.
Undoubtedly this will not be the last developer who makes this change to their app. You will have to examine each and every one and compare before and after pricing to see if there has been any price reduction.
I do know that some Mac app developers have differentiated pricing between Mac App Store downloads and direct downloads from the company website. It seems likely that some iPhone app developers will take advantage of these new payment policies and pricing options.