Epic Games: the browser does not solve the problem of banning billing in the App Store

Apple prohibits developers from not only implementing their own payment systems, but also generally telling users about discounts outside of iOS. For example, they cannot be sent emails with an offer to buy a subscription or game currency on the game’s website cheaper than in the App Store. Also, you cannot specify similar information in the application itself.

According to David Evans, an expert witness from Epic Games, the abolition of such a rule would already reduce Apple’s monopoly. But not strong enough. According to him, this will be useful only for subscription applications that have their own website and can ask people to pay through the browser. Whereas mobile games mostly rely on microtransactions, and therefore will not feel the changes.

“That wouldn’t eliminate the market power Apple has here, but it would certainly diminish it,” says Evans. But there are “many other apps, including game apps, for which it would not be much of a solution at all.” Including ones with no alternative platform to visit.

— Adi Robertson (@thedextriarchy@mastodon.social) (@thedextriarchy) May 11, 2021