As Apple tries to stay ahead of the oncoming regulatory wave, the compnay has refined its App Store rules, now allowing app developers to communicate with customers outside of the App Store (primarily through email) to inform them how they can make purchases outside of Apple’s in-app payment system. The 30% in-app take rate for large developers and 15% take rate for smaller developers remains unchanged.
Gene Munster and David Stokman for Loup Ventures:
The 30% in-app take rate for large developers and 15% take rate for smaller developers remains unchanged. Our bottom line is that from a consumer perspective, the value proposition of the App Store remains compelling, given the App Store makes it easier for users to manage multiple subscriptions, gives them frictionless payments, along with lowering the risk of malware and providing greater payment security. In the end, we believe it will have at most a fractional impact to App Store revenue.
This policy change will likely benefit smaller app developers given they are less likely to have a way to contact their users. Larger developers, like Netflix and Spotify, have already stepped away from Apple, prohibiting new users to sign up inside the App Store. Larger publishers have a strong enough brand to require new users to jump through the extra payment hurdle.
It’s important to note the change does not mean developers can advertise within their apps about alternative payment options. This is a moderation, not an elimination, of the anti-steering clause.
We’ve written previously that a likely outcome of Apple’s App Store regulatory battles is the removal of the anti-steering clause. Today’s announcement is a step toward that end. We see Apple’s adjustment as a win-win-win for all three parties involved: Apple, app makers, and lawmakers. That said, there’s more legal fights ahead.
MacDailyNews Note: So, Munster and Stokman have nicely and laid out how this will work:
• While using an app, the developer asks the user permission for Apple to share the user’s email with the developer. The developer must have an option for users to opt-out at a later date.
• Once a developer has the contact information, they can email the user and likely promote lower fees if they transact directly with the developer.
• The user would set up an account within the app, then login to the same account through a browser and make purchases to the account through the browser.
• When the user returns to the app, they can use their purchases.