Coalition for App Fairness unites developers to fight Apple's App Store fees and policies
The Coalition for App Fairness is comprised of many developers currently involved in high-profile disputes with Apple, as well as many who have been critical of the tech giant in the past.
Several big-name app developers have gathered together to form the Coalition for App Fairness, a non-profit organization seeking to highlight issues developers face when developing for Apple's App Store.
The coalition formed at a time when Apple is undergoing multiple antitrust investigation, both in the United States and abroad.
Their website highlights that Apple makes more than $15 billion a year from its 30% app commission fee. They also point out that other "payment providers," though it should be noted that Apple also provides hosting services and monitors apps for malicious code.
"We believe that every app developer is entitled to fair treatment and that every consumer should have complete control over their own device. Our App Store Principles will ensure a level playing field for platforms like Apple and a consistent standard of conduct across the app ecosystem," the website reads. "The 10 principles outlined include that every developer should always have the right to communicate directly with its users through its app for legitimate business purposes and that no app store should charge unreasonable or excessive fees."
The ten principles mentioned include many suggestions heard before -- decentralization of app hosting, prevention of self-preferential practices, and lowering Apple's commission cuts. The full list of principles can be viewed on the Coalition for App Fairness' website.
Included in the founding member roster are developers like Epic Games, Spotify, and Tile. All three are development teams that have been leading the rallying cry against Apple's behavior toward developers.
Other members include Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain, Deezer, European Publishers Council, Match, News Media Europe, Prepare, ProtonMail, and SkyDemon. The coalition is currently asking more developers to join its ranks.
Several big-name app developers have gathered together to form the Coalition for App Fairness, a non-profit organization seeking to highlight issues developers face when developing for Apple's App Store.
The coalition formed at a time when Apple is undergoing multiple antitrust investigation, both in the United States and abroad.
Their website highlights that Apple makes more than $15 billion a year from its 30% app commission fee. They also point out that other "payment providers," though it should be noted that Apple also provides hosting services and monitors apps for malicious code.
"We believe that every app developer is entitled to fair treatment and that every consumer should have complete control over their own device. Our App Store Principles will ensure a level playing field for platforms like Apple and a consistent standard of conduct across the app ecosystem," the website reads. "The 10 principles outlined include that every developer should always have the right to communicate directly with its users through its app for legitimate business purposes and that no app store should charge unreasonable or excessive fees."
The ten principles mentioned include many suggestions heard before -- decentralization of app hosting, prevention of self-preferential practices, and lowering Apple's commission cuts. The full list of principles can be viewed on the Coalition for App Fairness' website.
Included in the founding member roster are developers like Epic Games, Spotify, and Tile. All three are development teams that have been leading the rallying cry against Apple's behavior toward developers.
Other members include Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain, Deezer, European Publishers Council, Match, News Media Europe, Prepare, ProtonMail, and SkyDemon. The coalition is currently asking more developers to join its ranks.
Comments
I read those 10 points of their vision of the app store future. Stupid, vague, mostly absolutely not relevant to Apple’s App Store. Epic is just trying another angle to get to those millions they all losing in profits, while paying for Apple’s services.
So, what do you want then?
Oh yeah, I know! But sorry, Apple is not a charity organization.
Coalition for App FairnessWhinging Freeloaders unites developers to fight Apple's App Store fees and policies
Fixed that for ya.
Apple, OTOH, dares to make a computer ecosystem so desirous that folks are happy to pay them top dollar. They take care of their customers, and their customers take care of them. No greed basis whatsoever, but rather a virtuous cycle.
Wish I could find that ArsTechnica post. Someone worked out how much Apple pays in download fees for Fortnite, with no guarantee of getting it back. Tired of these whiners.
1: An illegal action that allowed them to become a monopoly in the first place. For example, an oil company selling below cost (dumping) because they can afford it and competitors can’t. Competitors go out of business leaving them with a monopoly position in the oil market.
2: An illegal action that leverages their current monopoly position to further increase their profits and/or harm consumers/competitors. Apple raising fees to 40% after The App Store became so popular is one example. Apple preventing Spotify, Google Maps or Microsoft Office from being on The App Store because they compete with Apple would be another example.
Apple has done neither of these things. The policies have been in place since day one, and Apple has gradually relaxed the rules over the years (allowing subscription sign-ups outside The App Store, lowering subscriptions to 15% after one year, allowing Spotify, Maps and others into CarPlay, allowing default email/browsers) and so on. Apple might be doing this too slowly for some people, but they clearly aren’t using their success to crack down and make things more restrictive.
Here is a principal for the coalition: As a developer, always base your decisions from the point of view of your customers. Is the change or feature you are about to make something they will like and appreciate? If not, don't do it!
So, just how do we take this further? Is it enough with a petition? Should we try to get Apple with us on this?
- At the bottom of your page you explicitly claim that your fight is with Apple only, specifically its "app ecosystem". Picking on Apple exclusively seems to go against the principles of your complaint, which demands that Apple not be "discriminatory". If you object to discrimination, why are you discriminating specifically against Apple only?
- Are you excluding the "Apple TV" hardware from your complaints, since that is clearly a console and not a mobile device? Why didn't you cut Apple any break for its console? Or are you actually holding Apple's console to a different standard than all other consoles?
- What do you mean by "every app developer is entitled to fair treatment"? Do you mean equal treatment? How is Apple not treating you equally? My impression is that Apple treats all developers equally. Please educate me. But please don't expect Apple to treat people who sell physical goods to pay the same fees as people who sell digital goods. If a 30% fee is too much for digital goods, then tell us what is fair, and tell us why you are singling out only Apple for this issue.
- When you say "every consumer should have complete control over their own device" does that mean you would be satisfied if Apple offered Android as a complete replacement for iOS, or is your problem with the features of iOS itself? Would an offering of Android offer you the "complete control" that you require, or is your real objection to any sort of walled garden? Do you realize that many people choose iOS and Apple specifically because of the walled garden approach?
- Are you or are you not concerned with the App Store on macOS when you say "the Apple ecosystem"? Do you object to the steps Apple has been taking recently to secure users of apps on macOS, like the digital signature requirements?
- Do you object to Apple refusing to sign the video drivers for Nvidia which uses only OpenGL API?
- Do you object to Apple choosing which APIs it will support within its various operating systems?
- When you say "no app store should charge unreasonable or excessive fees," what do you consider excessive? Apple charges the same rate as everyone else.
- when you say "developer should always have the right to communicate directly with its users through its app for legitimate business purposes", are you sure you want to make the removal of this privacy MANDATORY? Do you realize that some of us will STOP buying apps because we really abhor email spam?
- When I visited your website, I couldn't read it until I accepted your cookie policy. Do you realize this makes me think you are tracking me and will use my access to your site against me? Do you realize that this proves we cannot trust you on privacy issues?
- Do you realize your 10 requirements contradict themselves, such as "as long as its app meets fair, objective and nondiscriminatory standards for security, privacy, quality, content, and digital safety" and yet your demands to have access to every user's email address implies that you do not like this particular standard of user privacy?
- Why have you not made the effort to go through the list of Apple's current "standards" and tell us exactly which ones you object to? Or you could go a step further and draft a set of standards that you would consider "acceptable". I would find that very enlightening. Why are you hiding behind ambiguity?
- Do you realize that you violate the fundamental rules of free speech when one of your rules states that Apple should be prohibited from "discouraging the use of" any other app store? We don't live in North Korea, so why are you trying to impose North Korea's speech laws upon Apple? Apple isn't permitted to discourage YOUR app store but your entire raison d'être is to discourage the use of Apple's App Store. Sounds hypocritical.
- Can you make a list of all hardware and OS vendors who follow all your requirements? I'm unaware of any.
- Why are you targeting only Apple when Apple isn't even the largest hardware vendor or OS vendor out there?
To be honest, there is a chance I could potentially be supportive of one or two of your principles, but certainly not the main ideas of forcing Apple to modify its own apps, OS, and app store to your liking. I consider some of your proposed changes to be the antithesis of my own privacy and security values. For example, just one example, I would never buy software from any app store if the app store gives my email address to the software vendor, and yet that is one of your founding principles, and you want to take away my right to that privacy from Apple's own app store. Shame on you.