Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Interchangeable parts

2026-03-18T21:11:45Z

Emayeah: torx is gradually getting more and more accepted due to the cam out resistance

{{Stub}}'''Interchangeable parts''' are components designed for wider compatibility beyond the original product. Components ranging from Phillip or Torx screws in a laptop to hubcaps for the wheels of a car engage with the principle of interchangeability, allowing individuals to repair or replace parts as needed. Most notably, this principle removes dependence on the original manufacturer of the product, and it is a necessary attribute of [[Right to repair|right to repair.]]
==Examples==
*Replacement ink/toner cartridges for printers and copiers.
*Automotive headlight enclosures used to be circular and fairly standardized.
*Light-bulbs used to be standard. Now automobiles and appliances often use non-standard lights to prevent the customer from being able to replace the bulb. This leaves the owner with needing to get a whole custom module, replace the appliance, or seek specialized electronics repair.

==Why it matters==
Interchangeability was initially devised as a way to reduce cost, simplify the assembly of goods for accessibility and repair, reduce inventory, and scaling. More manufacturers actively reject interchangeable parts as time goes on, however. Proprietary parts or supplies may mean more profit for the manufacturer if they can charge more for their special part, or keep a customer locked in to their products. Today, as right-to-repair has developed into a reactionary principle for what should be a given, interchangeability becomes a part of the conversation.

Interchangeable parts reduce waste. For example:

*[[Apple]] is known for using unique screws in their digital devices where the screws can neither be replaced, nor can a technician use a common screwdriver to repair the devices. This forces consumers to seek Apple-certified technicians, which often means paying a premium or replacing their device altogether.
*Many printer companies, including Epson, [[Canon]], and [[Brother Industries Ltd.|Brother]], are physically able to accept ink cartridges outside of the original printer manufacturer. However, [[HP Dynamic Security|printer firmware often rejects third-party cartridges]] or has compatibility error despite cartridge fit.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

JavaScript

2026-03-18T12:43:47Z

Emayeah: added logo

{{ToneWarning}}
{{ProductCargo
|Company=
|ReleaseYear=1995
|InProduction=Yes
|Category=Software
|Website=https://tc39.es/ecma262/multipage/,https://openjsf.org/
|Description=A high-level programming language that's also the "lingua franca of the web"
|Logo=JavaScript-logo.png}}

'''[[wikipedia:JavaScript|JavaScript]]''' ('''JS''') is a [[wikipedia:Programming_language|programming language]] and core technology of [[wikipedia:World_Wide_Web|the Web]], alongside [[wikipedia:HTML|HTML]] and [[wikipedia:CSS|CSS]]. It was created by [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]] in 1995.<ref>https://exploringjs.com/es5/ch04.html</ref> As of 2025, the overwhelming majority of [[wikipedia:Website|websites]] (98.9%) uses JS for [[wikipedia:Client_(computing)|client]]-side [[wikipedia:Web_page|webpage]] behavior.<ref name="deployedstats">{{cite web |title=Usage Statistics of JavaScript as Client-side Programming Language on Websites |url=https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cp-javascript |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=W3Techs }}</ref> It's even used on the [[wikipedia:Server_(computing)|server]]-side (see [[wikipedia:Node.js|Node.js]]).

==Consumer-impact summary==

*'''Forced requirement''': Many webpages (and even entire websites), force the user to keep JS enabled, otherwise they break or deliberately refuse to work. In 2026, considering the advancements in HTML and CSS technology, there is minimal reason why an average website (excluding real-time simulations and low-latency gaming) would ''ever'' need JS. The only valid justification are [[wikipedia:Legacy_code|legacy code-bases]], as those are impractical to migrate to no-JS solutions.
*'''Degraded accessibility''': Dynamic and/or active content is well-known to have poor accessibility for users with visual and/or cognitive impairments. While standards such as [[wikipedia:WAI-ARIA|WAI-ARIA]] were created to mitigate this, it's no silver bullet, especially when developers aren't aware of ARIA.
*'''Lack of transparency''': To optimize network bandwidth, JS code is typically served in [[wikipedia:Minification_(programming)|minified]] form, which makes it harder to understand for humans. This is particularly problematic if the original source is not publicly [[wikipedia:Source-available_software|available]], which is typically the case of [[wikipedia:Proprietary_software|proprietary software]].
*'''Excessive tracking''': JS is much more capable than HTML and CSS '''combined''' to track user behavior, because of its first-class access to [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API user-agent (UA) APIs].<ref>https://clickclickclick.click/</ref> JS can communicate with almost any server (only limited by [[wikipedia:Cross-origin_resource_sharing|CORS]]) at any time (limited by connection availability), using a plethora of protocols. JS can get hardware information and compute a [[Device fingerprint|fingerprint of the device]], user, or both.<ref>https://privacycheck.sec.lrz.de/</ref><ref>https://abrahamjuliot.github.io/creepjs</ref><ref>https://www.deviceinfo.me/</ref>
*[[Personalized Ads|'''Targeted ads''']]: JS makes it harder for [[Ad block|ad-blockers]] to block ads, since it can be used to make overly-dynamic ads. The data collected by malicious JS makes it trivial to serve personalized ads, even across unrelated sites.
*'''Market control''': JS (alongside [[wikipedia:WebAssembly|Wasm]]) are built into almost every web-browser and UA, including "light-weight" ones (such as [[wikipedia:W3m|w3m]]). Incentivizing companies to use it for everything, since "there's no need to worry about compatibility or portability". Some people say that JS shouldn't even be a Web Standard,<ref>https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/22/navistone-form-data</ref><ref>https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/06/27/web-without-javascript</ref> implying that it should be an [[wikipedia:Browser_extension|extension]] or [[wikipedia:Plug-in_(computing)|plug-in]] (such as Java Applets and [[Adobe]] Flash) the user willingly installs; this would reduce the incentive to use JS, as there's no guarantee the user has it.
*'''Security risks''': JS is well-known for being a poorly-designed tool.<ref>https://github.com/denysdovhan/wtfjs</ref><ref>https://github.com/brianleroux/wtfjs</ref><ref>https://wiki.theory.org/YourLanguageSucks#JavaScript_sucks_because</ref><ref>https://github.com/Rudxain/ideas/blob/aa9a80252a4b7c9c51f32eda5c716e96220ed96e/software/evar/with_bf.js</ref> This leads to programmers and even experienced software-devs to accidentally add vulnerabilities to their code. That, and the fact that JS is [[wikipedia:Turing_completeness|Turing-complete]] (both [https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/#mathematical-vs-practical in practice and in theory]) is a recipe for disaster, as it makes [[wikipedia:Debugging|debugging]] and [[wikipedia:Reverse_engineering|reverse-engineering]] impractical in big code-bases. The most common vulnerabilities found are:
**[[wikipedia:Cross-site_scripting|XSS]], which [[wikipedia:NoScript|NoScript]] tries to mitigate
**[[wikipedia:Arbitrary_code_execution|Arbitrary code execution]] and [[wikipedia:Code_injection|code injection]]. Typically caused by <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/eval eval]</code> (part of the ECMAScript spec), but there are Web APIs (such as <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/setTimeout setTimeout]</code> and <code>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/setInterval setInterval]</code>) that can be misused as well.
**Remote code execution. This is used by hackers and crackers to build [[wikipedia:Botnet|bot-nets]] for [[wikipedia:Ddos#Distributed_DoS|DDoS]] or [[wikipedia:Cryptocurrency|crypto]]-mining, but it's mostly used for [[spyware]] since it can hide more easily.
**[[wikipedia:Sandbox_(computer_security)|Sandbox]] escape. Modern browsers compile JS to native CPU code (see [[wikipedia:Just-in-time_compilation|JIT]]) to improve performance; this introduces a higher risk of sandbox-escape, as the code can more easily find vulnerabilities to manipulate the engine.
About that last point, it's worth noting that tooling, such as [[wikipedia:TypeScript|TypeScript]] and [[wikipedia:ESLint|ESLint]], exist to substantially minimize the likelihood of [[wikipedia:Software_bug|bugs]].

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents related to this technology. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Google Search requires JS (2025)===
In January 2025, [[Google]]'s web-search engine mandates that user-agents must have JS enabled. Google's justification was that it's a defense mechanism against abusive bots (see also [[Deceptive language frequently used against consumers]]).<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/17/google-begins-requiring-javascript-for-google-search/</ref><ref>https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/18/google-search-javascript</ref><ref>https://serpapi.com/blog/google-now-requires-javascript/</ref> However, some people claim that it's an invalid justification.<ref>https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2025/javascript-required/</ref>

==Benefits==
It's worth noting that, while JS is trivial to misuse and abuse, JS can enhance the [[wikipedia:User_experience|user-experience]] (UX). The [[wikipedia:World_Wide_Web_Consortium|World Wide Web Consortium]] (W3C) provides comprehensive guidelines for such purposes.<ref>https://www.w3.org/wiki/The_principles_of_unobtrusive_JavaScript</ref>

==External links==

*[https://libredirect.github.io/faq.html LibRedirect explaining why it exists], and how [[Google Chrome]]'s MV3 limits it
*[[Google]] being anti-competitive towards [[Firefox]]: https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues/discussions/3240
*[[Meta]] refusing to serve content to <code>noscript</code> users, and deliberately nagging them to [[Forced app download|install the app]] or [[Forced account|login]]: https://github.com/Rudxain/uBO-rules/pull/9
*[https://github.com/iam-py-test/my_filters_001/blob/fc5f61eff0b0d821cb426bea76b18937072bc390/no-js-warnings.txt Websites that nag users to enable JS, even when it provides negligible value]
*[[Discord]] being extremely [[Bloatware|bloated]] to the point of crashing when opening Developer-tools: https://github.com/Rudxain/uBO-rules/blob/42220bd4f80052ee15136dff7269df19529c43ec/rx.ubo#L3-L19. This is not the fault of bloated JS, it's likely a bloated [[wikipedia:Document_Object_Model|DOM-tree]], but discord only bloats the DOM when JS is enabled.
*[https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/enough-withthejavascriptalready/23262138 "Enough with the JavaScript already!"]
*[https://eev.ee/blog/2016/03/06/maybe-we-could-tone-down-the-javascript "Maybe we could tone down the JavaScript"]
*[https://www.htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2023/2/ "You don't need JavaScript for that"]
*[https://www.kryogenix.org/code/dont-need-that-js "You really don't need all that JavaScript, I promise"]
*[https://jakearchibald.com/2013/progressive-enhancement-still-important "Progressive Enhancement Still Important"]
*[https://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/everyonehasjs.html "Everyone has JS, right?"]
*[https://youtu.be/xE9W9Ghe4Jk "Shipping a button in 2026…"], by Kai Lentit. This illustrates the burnout and fatigue software developers can experience on a daily basis
*[https://grugbrain.dev/ HTMX developer advocating for less JS]
*[https://idlewords.com/talks/website_obesity.htm "Web Obesity Crisis"]
*[https://danluu.com/web-bloat/ "How web bloat impacts users with slow connections"]
*[https://tonsky.me/blog/js-bloat JS bloat (2024)]
*[https://tonsky.me/blog/disenchantment How JS makes web apps more unstable]
*[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html GNU/FSF explaining why JS takes freedom away]
*[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/wwworst-app-store.html GNU/FSF explaining why "web apps" shouldn't exist]. '''WARNING''': contains overzealous claims! ([https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/re_twwwas.md according to Rudxain]). Related: [[wikipedia:Local-first_software|Local-first]]
*[https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/05/using-the-web-with-javascript-turned-off/ "I Used The Web For A Day With JavaScript Turned Off"]
*[https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/js-abuse.md More sources] (''TO-DO'')

==See also==

*[[Electron]]
*[[Mozilla]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

File:JavaScript-logo.png

2026-03-18T12:43:25Z

Emayeah:

== Licensing ==
{{From Wikimedia}}

CgNAT

2026-03-18T12:26:59Z

Emayeah: added an example

{{StubNotice}}

'''Carrier-Grade Network Address Translation''' ('''CGNAT''', also known as LSN and NAT444) is used by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to mitigate IPv4 address exhaustion by making thousands of customers share a single public IPv4 address.

===Complaints from law enforcement agencies===
Law enforcement agencies find it harder to identify criminals behind an IPv4 address used by thousands of people. As a result the agency may have to tap connections of all users sharing that address to identify the criminal. <ref>{{Cite web |last=European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) |date=17 Oct 2017 |title=Are you sharing the same IP address as a criminal? Law enforcement call for the end of Carrier Grade NAT (CGN) to increase accountability online |url=https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/are-you-sharing-same-ip-address-criminal-law-enforcement-call-for-end-of-carrier-grade-nat-cgn-to-increase-accountability-online |website=europol.europa.eu |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260113094744/https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/are-you-sharing-same-ip-address-criminal-law-enforcement-call-for-end-of-carrier-grade-nat-cgn-to-increase-accountability-online |archive-date=13 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gözükara |first=Furkan |date=8 Nov 2021 |title=Challenges and possible severe legal consequences of application users identification from CNG-Logs |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2666281721002377 |website=sciencedirect.com}}</ref>

A 2016 survey conducted by the European Cybercrime Centre revealed that 90% of EU Member State cyber divisions regularly encountered errors related to CGNAT technologies during investigations, sometimes forcing them to discontinue cases or employ more resource-intensive approaches. <ref>{{Cite web |last=European Police Office (Europol) |first=page 57-58 |title=IOCTA 2016 INTERNET ORGANISED CRIME THREAT ASSESSMENT |url=https://www.europol.europa.eu/iocta/2016/resources/iocta-2016.pdf |website=europol.europa.eu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216020928/https://www.europol.europa.eu/iocta/2016/resources/iocta-2016.pdf |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The process of reverse-tracking from CGNAT logs is fundamentally flawed. In criminal cases where CGNAT logs are used as primary evidence, there exists significant potential for misidentification, as the same public IP address and port combination might be reassigned to different users within a very short time. <ref name=":0" />

===Security concerns===
If a malicious actor using a CGNAT IP address gets blacklisted by a server/website then all users sharing the same CGNAT IP will also get blacklisted.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Asturias |first=Diego |date=21 Jul 2025 |title=CGNAT: The Workaround to IPv4 Depletion [2025] |url=https://www.rapidseedbox.com/blog/cgnat |website=rapidseedbox.com |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251106223938/https://www.rapidseedbox.com/blog/cgnat |archive-date=6 Nov 2025}}</ref>

A DDoS attack targeted at one user behind a CGNAT IP address affects all users behind that address, which can disrupt service for entire neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Sean |date=8 Mar 2022 |title=There Goes the Neighborhood: The DDoS Disadvantages of Carrier Grade NAT |url=https://www.corero.com/ddos-disadvantages-of-carrier-grade-nat/ |website=corero.com |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250818040618/https://www.corero.com/ddos-disadvantages-of-carrier-grade-nat/ |archive-date=18 Aug 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Turner |first=Glen |date=1 Oct 2019 |title=The Effect of DDoS Attacks on Carrier-grade NAT Devices |url=https://www.a10networks.com/resources/videos/the-effect-of-ddos-attacks-on-carrier-grade-nat-devices/ |website=a10networks.com |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250903220230/https://www.a10networks.com/resources/videos/the-effect-of-ddos-attacks-on-carrier-grade-nat-devices/ |archive-date=3 Sep 2025}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

===Service limitations===
Because multiple people share the same public IP address, port forwarding becomes impossible in practice. This prevents them from hosting personal websites or having remote access to home security cameras or personal computers. CGNAT basically breaks all protocols that require direct connection to work.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swer |first=Daryll |date=25 Mar 2021 |title=Shortcomings of CGNAT and Potential Workarounds |url=https://www.daryllswer.com/shortcomings-of-cgnat-and-potential-work-arounds/ |website=daryllswer.com |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203193145/https://www.daryllswer.com/shortcomings-of-cgnat-and-potential-work-arounds/ |archive-date=3 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pros & Cons Deploying Carrier Grade NAT (CGNAT) |url=https://brandergroup.net/2023/01/benefits-and-issues-deploying-carrier-grade-network-address-translation-cgnat/ |website=brandergroup.net |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216021001/https://brandergroup.net/2023/01/benefits-and-issues-deploying-carrier-grade-network-address-translation-cgnat/ |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Games or services that rely on P2P communication (e.g. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) are also affected by CGNAT: if all of the users aren't able of receiving packets then a connection can't be established.

To circumvent these limitations, ISPs typically offer subscriptions for dedicated IPv4 addresses or IPv6 tunnels.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 Mar 2024 |title=About Static IP addresses |url=https://www.att.com/support/article/u-verse-high-speed-internet/KM1002300/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251111020054/https://www.att.com/support/article/u-verse-high-speed-internet/KM1002300/ |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |website=att.com}}</ref>

=== ELI5: Why (and how) does CGNAT break the internet? ===
Let's assume that normal IP addresses are "public" phone numbers and that IPs used by CGNAT are "private" phone numbers, that is numbers that can only initiate calls, not receive them. let's assume that there are 2 users (user A and user B):

1) User A wants to call user B, and both users have "public" phone numbers: no problem here, the only thing that user A needs to do is insert user B's phone number into the dialer!

2) User A wants to call user B, but user A only has a private number (CGNAT). there's nothing stopping user A from calling user B, but user B will only see a generic phone number, a number that is used by thousands of other users.

3) User A wants to call user B, but user B only has a private number (CGNAT). since user B can't receive calls, to establish communication between user A and user B, user B is the one that needs to initiate the call.

4) User A wants to call user B, but both users only have private numbers (CGNAT). Both users can initiate calls, but neither of them can receive them, thus a connection can't be established. there's only one solution to this, having user A and user B call user C (a man in the middle that has a "public" IP address thus being able of receiving calls) with user C rerouting the voice from user A to user B and viceversa. this means that there's an additional cost and privacy risks, since a not well intentioned man in the middle can eavesdrop on the conversation.

==== How does IPv6 resolve the issue? ====
There are only roughly 4 billion IPv4 addresses (or phone numbers), compared to the roughly 340 undecillion IPv6 addresses (that's more than the number of grains on planet earth SQUARED!). 4 billion addresses are not enough for every single user, hence the need of reusing addresses, potentially assigning one to thousands of users (there may be only 8 billion humans on planet earth, but the numbers of devices connected to the internet vastly exceeds that). IPv6 does not have those limitations, and because reusing IPv6 addresses is useless due to the vast number, every single IPv6 address is inherently "pubic" (aka being able of receiving and initiating calls).

==References==
<references />

Visual Studio Code

2026-03-18T11:32:46Z

Emayeah: cleaned up text, added chromium/chrome analogy and fixed grammar

{{Stub}}
{{ProductCargo
|Company=Microsoft
|ReleaseYear=2015
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Software
|Website=https://code.visualstudio.com
|Logo=Visual Studio Code logo.svg}}

'''[[wikipedia:Visual Studio Code|Visual Studio Code]]''' is a cross platform text and code editor developed by [[Microsoft]] for [[Windows]], Linux, macOS and web browsers.

==Consumer impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

===Freedom===
The source code is available on GitHub under the MIT License. However, the binaries published by Microsoft are licensed under the proprietary "Microsoft Software License" and ships with closed-source modifications, similar to how [[Google]] ships [[Chromium]], their open source browser and [[Chrome]], their flagship, proprietary browser built on top of Chromium but with various closed source modifications.

Alternative, fully open source forks exist, such as [https://vscodium.com/ VS Codium].

===Market Control===
Visual Studio Code (Also known as VS Code) is widely used upon, with over 50 million developers using it as of May 15th, 2025.<ref>https://developer.microsoft.com/blog/celebrating-50-million-developers-the-journey-of-visual-studio-and-visual-studio-code ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251221194419/https://developer.microsoft.com/blog/celebrating-50-million-developers-the-journey-of-visual-studio-and-visual-studio-code Archived])</ref> Due to the software being open source, users may switch to other forks such as [https://vscodium.com/ VS Codium] if they are not happy with Visual Studio Code's features.

==Incidents==

===Telemetry enabled by default===
Microsoft's proprietary build sends telemetry data by default<ref>{{Cite web |title=Telemetry |url=https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/configure/telemetry |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219092557/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/configure/telemetry |archive-date=19 Dec 2025 |website=VS Code Documentation}}</ref> which goes under [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement Microsoft's Privacy Statement]. It has to be disabled manually by setting <code>telemetry.telemetryLevel</code> to <code>off</code> in the user settings.

===Blocking extensions for third-party forks===
In April 2025, Microsoft pushed an update to the "C/C++" extension for Visual Studio Code (an extension that adds functionality such as better syntax highlighting) that introduced functionality that would intentionally disable the extension if it detected that it was running inside of a third-party fork of the editor,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Claburn |first=Thomas |date=2025-04-24 |title=Devs sound alarm after Microsoft subtracts C/C++ extension from VS Code forks |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/24/microsoft_vs_code_subtracts_cc_extension/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260218105824/https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/24/microsoft_vs_code_subtracts_cc_extension/ |archive-date=18 Feb 2026|work=The Register}}</ref> displaying an error message that says:

<span lang="en" dir="ltr">"The C/C++ extension may be used only with Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Studio for Mac, Visual Studio Code, Azure DevOps, Team Foundation Server, and successor Microsoft products and services to develop and test your applications."</span><ref>{{Cite web |title=VSCodium issues |url=https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/issues/2300 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405162831/https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/issues/2300 |archive-date=5 Apr 2025 |website="Microsoft C/C++ Extension appears to no longer support unofficial forks of VS Code"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cursor issues |url=https://github.com/cursor/cursor/issues/2976 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250625115317/https://github.com/cursor/cursor/issues/2976 |archive-date=25 Jun 2025 |website="Has the VSCode C/C++ Extension been blocked?"}}</ref>

==See also==

*

==References==
<references />
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Interchangeable parts

2025-10-31T13:25:27Z

Emayeah: it's Phillips, with 2 l's

{{Stub}}
'''Interchangeable parts''' are components designed for wider compatibility beyond the original product. Components ranging from Phillip screws in a laptop to hubcaps for the wheels of a car engage with the principle of interchangeability, allowing individuals to repair or replace parts as needed. Most notably, this principle removes dependence on the original manufacturer of the product, and it is a necessary attribute of [[Right to repair|right to repair.]]

==Background==

==Examples==
*Replacement ink/toner cartridges for printers and copiers.
*Automotive headlight enclosures used to be circular and fairly standardized.
*Light-bulbs used to be standard. Now automobiles and appliances often use non-standard lights to prevent the customer from being able to replace the bulb. This leaves the owner with needing to get a whole custom module, replace the appliance, or seek specialized electronics repair.

==Why it matters==
Interchangeability was initially devised as a way to reduce cost, simplify the assembly of goods for accessibility and repair, reduce inventory, and scaling. More manufacturers actively reject interchangeable parts as time goes on, however. Proprietary parts or supplies may mean more profit for the manufacturer if they can charge more for their special part, or keep a customer locked in to their products. Today, as right-to-repair has developed into a reactionary principle for what should be a given, interchangeability becomes a part of the conversation.

Interchangeable parts reduce waste. For example:

*[[Apple]] is known for using unique screws in their digital devices where the screws can neither be replaced, nor can a technician use a common screwdriver to repair the devices. This forces consumers to seek Apple-certified technicians, which often means paying a premium or replacing their device altogether.
*Many printer companies, including Epson, [[Canon]], and [[Brother Industries Ltd.|Brother]], are physically able to accept ink cartridges outside of the original printer manufacturer. However, [[HP Dynamic Security|printer firmware often rejects third-party cartridges]] or has compatibility error despite cartridge fit.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Apple App Store

2025-10-19T06:50:45Z

Emayeah: added summary for less technical users

{{ToneWarning}}
[[File:App Store (iOS).svg|thumb|150px]]

'''[[Apple]]''' uses a range of technical measures to protect their App Store ecosystem and reduce consumer choice. These measures obscure the company's business intentions, creating roadblocks for app developers and users, while typically citing security reasons for their existence. This actively hurts the ability for lawmakers to advocate for the rights of consumers and businesses in Apple's ecosystem, and prevents apps from being as useful as their customers expect.

A never-ending demand for a cut of every sale of a digital product, ranging from game currency, to supporting content creators,<ref name="patreon">{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Patreon: adding Apple’s 30 percent tax is the price of staying in the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/24218629/patreon-membership-ios-30-percent-apple-tax |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> to booking a Zoom call with a local business,<ref name="facebook">{{Cite web |last=Paul |first=Katie |last2=Nellis |first2=Stephen |date=28 Aug 2020 |title=Exclusive: Facebook says Apple rejected its attempt to tell users about App Store fees |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-apple-exclusive/exclusive-facebook-says-apple-rejected-its-attempt-to-tell-users-about-app-store-fees-idUSKBN25O042/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> hurts the ability for app developers to innovate. These developers, working hard and pulling countless hours to build a quality app, always need to take Apple's (and [[Google]]'s) demands into account - specifically, a fee of between 15% and 30% of all revenue collected via the app. This is revenue that can be reinvested into the app, but instead must be earmarked for the platforms they are '''required''' to use to reach their customers.

Because this is a clear problem, several governments, including South Korea,<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 Mar 2022 |title=South Korea approves rules on app store law targeting Apple, Google |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-approves-rules-app-store-law-targeting-apple-google-2022-03-08/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Japan,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharwood |first=Simon |date=13 Jun 2024 |title=Japan forces Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores and payments |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/13/japan_smartphone_software_law/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Register]]}}</ref> the European Union,<ref>[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]</ref> the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Competition and Markets Authority |date=4 Mar 2021 |title=Investigation into Apple AppStore |url=https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/investigation-into-apple-appstore |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[gov.uk]]}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Apr 2021 |title=Dominance of Apple and Google's app stores impacting competition and consumers |url=https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/dominance-of-apple-and-googles-app-stores-impacting-competition-and-consumers |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[ACCC]]}}</ref> as well as the US and a handful of states,<ref>[[wikipedia:Open App Markets Act|Open App Markets Act]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Nov 2024 |title=S.5364 - App Store Accountability Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5364/text/is |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[congress.gov]]}}</ref><ref name="doj">{{Cite web |last=Balsamo |first=Mike |last2=Liedtke |first2=Mike |last3=Whitehurst |first3=Lindsay |last4=Bajak |first4=Frank |date=21 Mar 2024 |title=Justice Department sues Apple, alleging it illegally monopolized the smartphone market |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-monopoly-app-store-justice-department-822d7e8f5cf53a2636795fcc33ee1fc3 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[APNews]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Feb 2021 |title=It’s time to free ourselves from ‘Big Tech’ monopoly |url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2021/02/19/its-time-to-free-ourselves-from-big-tech-monopoly/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Arizona Capitol Times]]}}</ref> have opened investigations into anti-competitive practices, or considered or already passed legislation to force "gatekeeper platforms" such as Apple to be more reasonable with third-party developers.

This being a major threat to Apple's revenue stream (interestingly, one they claim to be unsure is profitable<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Apr 2024 |title=Schiller doesn’t know whether the App Store is profitable; there are no minutes of meetings |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/17/app-store-is-profitable-apple-notes/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9to5Mac]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Jan 2025 |title=Apple denies App Store profit margin is 75% – claims to have no clue |url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/17/apple-denies-app-store-profit-margin-is-75-claims-to-have-no-clue/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9t05Mac]]}}</ref>), they have responded with practices such as geoblocking certain operating system functionality based on physical location,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eligibility |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Apple Wiki]]}}</ref> misrepresenting/overstating risks, and using careful wording with commonly-understood terms to describe unreasonably difficult-to-use systems.

==Background info==
Important terms you'll run into in this article:

*'''[[wikipedia:Sandbox (computer security)|Sandbox]]''': Reduces exposure of the user's device/data to security risks, by reducing what an app is allowed to do.
*'''[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Entitlements Entitlements]''': Apple's method of "poking holes" in the sandbox, to give the app more permissions. Some are available to developers, while many are only available to Apple.
*'''[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]''': The European Union's fairly sweeping recent regulations against forcing companies they classify as "gatekeepers" to play nice, giving smaller businesses access to software/hardware features they've historically reserved for their own use.

==In-app purchases==
Apple has been collecting users' credit card numbers since launching the iTunes Store in 2004. The launch of the App Store in 2008, followed by the introduction of in-app purchases (IAPs) in 2009, gave iPhone app developers the opportunity to sell app features to users. The IAP system is provided as a developer framework named [https://developer.apple.com/storekit/ StoreKit]. Apps and their in-app purchases are managed through a dashboard named [https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/ App Store Connect]. App sales have eclipsed iTunes Store sales, and are now a primary focus of Apple's Media Services division.

Apple requires any purchase of a digital good or service in an app to use their in-app purchase system. This may seem reasonable because the customer may inevitably call Apple support, demanding a refund for an app they have issues with. Apple would rather give that refund and leave the customer with a positive support experience, than to provide a messy process involving contacting a third-party, whose customer service is likely nowhere near the same experience.

App Store purchase fees are between 15% and 30%. In September 2016, Apple expanded subscriptions to be available to any type of app, also introducing a 15% discount incentive when the user has already subscribed for a year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goode |first=Lauren |date=2 Sep 2016 |title=Apple’s new subscription offerings are now available to App Store developers |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12774758/apple-developers-app-store-new-subscription-rules |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> In November 2020, Apple introduced a reduced 15% fee for app developers with revenue below $1 million per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centers |first=Josh |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Apple Drops App Store Commission to 15% for Small Developers |url=https://tidbits.com/2020/11/18/apple-drops-app-store-commission-to-15-for-small-developers/ |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[TidBITS]]}}</ref> For developers above this threshold, and for cases excluded from this program such as for games, the fee is 30%. In the 2008 announcement of the App Store, Apple considered this a reasonable, industry-standard fee. However, the way we use apps has significantly evolved since 2009 - the world has shifted to heavily depend upon on mobile apps, which have also evolved into more complex and sustainable business models than a simple one-time purchase.

[[wikipedia:Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]], a popular platform used for payments on the web, uses a base fee of 2.9% plus a fixed $0.30 in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pricing |url=https://stripe.com/it/pricing |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Stripe]]}}</ref> With add-on services, before considering volume discounts, a Stripe transaction may rather have a cost of 6.4% + $1.10.<ref>Calculated from base fee (2.9% + $0.30) + international card (1.5%) + adaptive pricing (2%) + international payment methods ($0.80), as of January 2025</ref> Stripe has been used by businesses ranging from small online stores, to [[OpenAI]] for ChatGPT Plus. Competing payments services have similar or identical fees to Stripe. '''The in-app purchase system does not provide sufficient value to justify considerably higher fees than alternative payment platforms.'''

The App Store system poorly handles secondary marketplaces of digital services that exist within the primary App Store marketplace, such as Patreon. Apple, however, still requires companies in the business of selling digital services to use this inadequate system. This requires the app to account for Apple's fee, which is significant enough to often warrant increasing prices, and to follow rules even if they do not make sense for the nature of service they are providing. Apple has frequently been found in disputes with such apps. This injects extra complication at no benefit to the marketplace, the creator, or the customer - only to Apple, who has little to no involvement after delivering the initial app download to the user's phone. The significant fee also often drives app developers to consider building their app around an advertising model instead, creating privacy concerns.

Additionally, the 15% small businesses fee discount is judged based on the app's overall turnover, and is not based on individual creators in the app's marketplace. An app that turns over $1 million per year by providing services to creators that individually make less than $1 million per year does not have the opportunity to use the discount.

Apple, often together with Google, use lobbying efforts in the United States and other countries in an attempt to minimize the issues. "ACT | The App Association", pitched as an association of independent small business app developers, is at least 50% funded by Apple, and does not list its claimed 2,000 members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Oct 2021 |title=Not a class ACT: the so-called App Association is simply an Apple Association and does NOT represent app developers' interests in fair distribution terms |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Sep 2022 |title=Vast majority of ACT {{!}} The App Association's funding comes from Apple, former employees tell Bloomberg: astroturfing against app developers' interests |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref> In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice along with 16 state attorneys-general filed a lawsuit against Apple, including an accusation that the company "extracts more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others".<ref name="doj" /> The future of this lawsuit is unclear as of April 2025.

Despite criticism of Apple forcing their fee into transactions with small businesses and creators on [[#Patreon|Patreon]], [[#Facebook online events|Facebook]], and similar platforms, on 23 January 2025, Apple announced the Advanced Commerce API. It "support[s] developers' evolving business models - such as exceptionally large content catalogs, creator experiences, and subscriptions with optional add-ons".<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Jan 2025 |title=Introducing the Advanced Commerce API |url=https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxy958ya |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref> While positioned as a way for such businesses to save development time and avoid ongoing costs by building on top of Apple's mature payments platform, its use is in fact necessary for these businesses to work within the App Store guidelines, as seen in cases outlined below. The feature requires submitting a description of the app's business model to Apple for approval. This continues a trend of requiring Apple's consent to conduct business in a place users have been trained to expect it.

Given Apple's strong incentives, and a ticking clock as legal pressure builds, it is not hard to find stories from app developers regarding poor experiences with Apple's app review process.

:''This list is extremely incomplete. Please add examples if you know of any.''

===Epic Games===
{{hatnote|See also: [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Apple|Epic Games v. Apple]] and [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Google|Epic Games v. Google]]}}

[[Epic Games, Inc.]] is a video game developer and publisher, known for games such as [[Fortnite]] and [[Unreal Tournament]], the [[Unreal Engine]], and the [[Epic Games Store]].

In 2018, Epic Games launched Fortnite on the iOS and Android platforms. The company made the unusual decision to not release the app on the [[Google Play Store]] - rather, it was made available as a standalone [[wikipedia:apk (file format)|Android app package]] file (.apk), which must be installed by following a series of manual steps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=3 Aug 2018 |title=Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic’s website |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/3/17645982/epic-games-fortnite-android-version-bypass-google-play-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The app was also released on the [[Samsung]] [[Samsung Galaxy Store|Galaxy Store]]. Google offered a $147 million deal for Epic Games to release Fortnite on the Play Store, which the company declined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=9 Nov 2023 |title=Google offered Epic $147 million to launch Fortnite on the Play Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/8/23953262/google-epic-fortnite-play-store-investment-antitrust-trial |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 22 April 2020, Fortnite was finally released on the Play Store.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=22 April 2020 |title=Fortnite available on the Google Play Store for the first time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/21/21229930/fortnite-available-on-google-play-android-mobile-devices |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Polygon]]}}</ref> In a statement, the company explained:

<blockquote>
After 18 months of operating Fortnite on Android outside of the Google Play Store, we've come to a basic realization: Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.
</blockquote>

On 13 August 2020, Epic Games launched a campaign against both Apple and Google's app store business practices. The company released app updates on both platforms, introducing a method for purchasing V-Bucks in-game currency at a 20% discount by directly transacting with Epic Games, against the developer rules of both platforms. The platforms responded by removing the game from their storefronts. Epic Games then filed civil antitrust lawsuits against both companies in the Northern District of California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Epic Games is suing Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/13/21367963/epic-fortnite-legal-complaint-apple-ios-app-store-removal-injunctive-relief |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The campaign, branded "Free Fortnite", was later extended with lawsuits and complaints in Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Epic Games extends its fight against Apple to Australia |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/freefortnite-australia-press-release |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>, the European Union,<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Feb 2021 |title=Epic Game Files EU Antitrust Complaint Against Apple |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-apple |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Mar 2021 |title=Epic Games files complaint to support CMA Apple investigation |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-complaint-to-support-cma-apple-investigation |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>

On 11 September 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided on the case. While the lawsuit against Apple failed on 9 of 10 counts, Rogers ruled against Apple's use of "anti-steering" - their strategies of preventing the user from being "steered" to a third-party storefront for payment processing, placing a permanent injunction on this behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon |first=Russell |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/10/22662320/epic-apple-ruling-injunction-judge-court-app-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Despite the case mostly failing, the discovery process provided significant insight into Apple's decisions around App Store policies, including decisions made in major app review disputes, and in one case, executive Phil Schiller arguing to reduce the fee from 30%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurman |first=Mark |date=4 May 2021 |title=Apple’s Schiller Floated Cutting App Store Fees a Decade Ago |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-03/apple-s-schiller-floated-cutting-app-store-fees-a-decade-ago |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Bloomberg]]}}</ref>

Epic Games and Apple both appealed the decision. 35 state attorneys-general, the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF), [[Microsoft]], among others filed amicus briefs in support of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=29 Jan 2022 |title=Epic largely lost to Apple, but 35 states are now backing its fight in a higher court |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22907106/epic-games-v-apple-amicus-briefs-states-eff-microsoft-appeal |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 11 December 2023, the jury in the case against Google decided on all 11 counts in favor of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bensinger |first=Greg |last2=Scarcella |first2=Mike |date=13 Dec 2023 |title=Epic Games wins antitrust case against Google over Play app store |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/google-epic-games-face-off-app-antitrust-trial-nears-end-2023-12-11/ |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

On 1 May 2025, Rogers found that Apple willfully chose to not comply with the 2021 injunction, commenting "that it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=1 May 2025 |title=A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/659246/apple-epic-app-store-judge-ruling-control |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

===Facebook online events===
In August 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook introduced the ability for small businesses to accept an entrance fee for events. Previously, Facebook would only act as a way to RSVP for the event - the organizer must use a third-party event ticketing system to collect fees. The company pledged to not collect any fee on event sales "until 2023".<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Paid Online Events for Small Business Recovery |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/paid-online-events/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Meta]]}}</ref>

Apple disagreed, requiring the feature to use the in-app purchases system. This introduced Apple's 30% fee. As this increases the price the user pays, with no benefit to the small business the user intended to support, the fee was displayed as a line item in checkout. Apple did not accept this disclosure of the fee, referring to it as "irrelevant".<ref name="facebook" /> Facebook was allowed to compromise on displaying the fee, but ''without'' indicating that it is specifically an App Store fee.

===HEY===
HEY.com is a paid webmail provider launched in June 2020 by long-time software company [[wikipedia:37signals|37signals]], specializing in inbox organization tools.

After successfully launching the initial version of the app on the App Store, the company announced that an update was rejected due to a complaint about the business model. The app did not intend to support in-app purchases - instead, the user is expected to already have an account with the service. Apple did not like this arrangement, and demanded the company build an in-app subscription option. The company argued that they are being held to a different set of rules than apps such as [[Netflix, Inc.|Netflix]], whose app does not provide any way to purchase a subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=17 Jun 2020 |title=Hey.com exec says Apple is acting like ‘gangsters,’ rejecting App Store updates and demanding cut of sales |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21293419/hey-apple-rejection-ios-app-store-dhh-gangsters-antitrust |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> After a suggestion from Apple executive Phil Schiller in the media, HEY introduced a 14 day free trial mode, which was approved.<ref>https://www.hey.com/apple/path/</ref><ref>https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/18/interview-apples-schiller-says-position-on-hey-app-is-unchanged-and-no-rules-changes-are-imminent/</ref>

===Patreon===
In August 2024, [[Patreon]] announced a change in arrangement with Apple for its App Store app. From November 2024, subscriptions started from the iOS app would be required to use the in-app purchase system, bypassing Patreon's own long-standing payments practices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Apple’s requirements are about to hit creators and fans on Patreon. Here’s what you need to know. |url=https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Patreon]]}}</ref><ref name="patreon" /> This change does not affect the Android app.

By forcing Patreon out of the payments pipeline, certain payment models are no longer available to users of Patreon's iOS app. Creators who rely on the "per-creation" payment model, as opposed to the standard "per-month", can no longer be subscribed to from the app. The app is also not able to support the "first-of-the-month" model, where payments from all subscribers are collected on the first day of the month, rather than every 30 days since each member's day of subscription. The price must also be rounded to a price tier supported by Apple.

Patreon provides creators with the choice to increase their prices by 30% in the iOS app, or to keep the same prices but forfeit 30% to Apple. Creators frequently remind potential supporters to not use the Patreon iOS app, adding extra inconvenience to those wanting to support the work of small creators.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - fee on top.png|"Maintain earnings and cover Apple's fee by increasing prices in iOS app" (Recommended)
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - absorb fee.png|"Keep prices in the iOS app the same and cover Apple's fee yourself"
</gallery>

A similar case occurred with the app Fanhouse in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@jasminericegirl |date=9 Jun 2021 |title=#fuckapple, a thread I cofounded @fanhouseapp 8 months ago to empower creators to monetize their content. We pay creators 90% of earnings. Now, Apple is threatening to remove Fanhouse from the app store unless we give them 30% of creator earnings. This is theft and exploitation. |url=https://x.com/jasminericegirl/status/1402691047940100100 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

===Twitter===
In August 2021, [[Twitter]] introduced a feature named Super Follows (now Subscriptions), in which a user can pay a subscription fee to access more of a creator's content. For each user who enables Subscriptions, Twitter must submit a new in-app purchase SKU to the App Store, which will become available with the next update to the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@wongmjane |date=2 Sep 2021 |title=Each Super Follow is an In-App Purchase on the App Store, but because there are too many IAPs for the Twitter app, the App Store only shows 10 instead of the full list |url=https://x.com/wongmjane/status/1433372120080261120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref> This, of course, is subject to the 30% fee. At the time of writing in January 2025, viewing the App Store listing reveals Elon Musk's $4.00 subscription as the fourth most popular IAP item.

==Notarization==
Since 2015, Apple expects all Mac apps to be "notarized". This is a preliminary, automated malware check, which upon passing, provides a notary certificate that gets "stapled" to the app. Apple's explanation:

<blockquote>
Notarization of macOS software is not App Review. The Apple notary service is an automated system that scans your software for malicious content, checks for code-signing issues, and returns the results to you quickly. If there are no issues, the notary service generates a ticket for you to staple to your software; the notary service also publishes that ticket online where Gatekeeper can find it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notarizing macOS software before distribution |url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing-macos-software-before-distribution |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Whether this is actually a better approach than used by Windows antivirus, where they find out about new malware samples only when they end up on a user's computer, is a separate topic.

To comply with the DMA's regulations on app marketplaces, Apple created a new channel of releasing apps outside of the iOS App Store. Apps go through a notarization process. But the process is definitely ''not'' notarization. The name is intentionally being abused, by contrast to notarization on macOS, to make you believe it is something other than the existing App Review system. Despite the pain some developers and users have with it, notarization on macOS has always been considered a net positive. It made sense to take advantage of its reputation for the entirely different "notarization" on iOS.

See for yourself - view the [https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ App Review Guidelines] and tick "Show Notarization Review Guidelines Only". While most rules are knocked out by this, a good number of them are still in place. These apps are still reviewed and tested by the App Review team, must have a full product listing in App Store Connect, and can be outright rejected - all in the same way as an App Store app.

By contrast, all that is required for notarization on macOS is for your app to not be malware. You submit it to an automated system that approves it within minutes. '''You don't need to convince Apple your app is worthy of existing on their platform.'''

The point of macOS notarization is that Apple has a record of all binaries that are intended for wide distribution on macOS, and can review them both in advance and on a regular basis for known malware/common malware patterns. Say a malware app manages to initially get through, when Apple finds out, they can go back in the notary records and find every sample of that malware to analyze and block. This is purely a technical process, managed by skilled security researchers, while iOS app review and "notarization" is a business process, managed by workers who have been given a checklist of violations to look for.

Apple is retaining complete control over what's allowed to run on iOS. On macOS, you can choose to run apps that have not been notarized (even though the process to bypass the warning is intentionally difficult). On iOS, you never get even that option. What Apple created is the App Store but with more steps. It still goes on the App Store, just hidden so it can only be installed by the third-party store it's tied to.

*Mysk: "iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens."<ref>{{Cite web |last=@mysk_co |date=28 Jun 2024 |title=iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens: |url=https://x.com/mysk_co/status/1806638308455256242 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

==JIT==
The following paragraph is highly technical, if it's too technical for you to understand all you need to know is that: JIT allows for extremely fast programs/apps and due to its fast nature it's used almost everywhere, and is a massive improvement over older code interpreters.

[[wikipedia:Just-in-time compilation|JIT]], which stands for Just-In-Time, is a method of code execution where code, instead of being compiled before being distributed (like an EXE), gets compiled into machine code in real time right before being executed. This method of code execution allows for much faster website loading times, faster emulation, faster program execution (with programs written in JavaScript, Python, Lua...) compared to interpreters, which instead translates code into machine code line by line, which is much, much slower; JIT also employs many more optimization techniques meant to improve performance.

Safari is allowed to use JIT to compile code from any site, same with Apple's [https://apps.apple.com/app/swift-playgrounds/id908519492 Playgrounds] app on iPad. Playgrounds bundles Apple's [[wikipedia:Swift (programming language)|Swift]] compiler, and shares backend code with the version of Playgrounds found in [[wikipedia:Xcode|Xcode]].

Third-party apps like Pythonista (a Python IDE), emulators like Delta and UTM and terminal environments like iSH are not allowed to use JIT, instead having to interpret code, which comes with serious performance degradation and is more computationally expensive, potentially draining more battery.

An example of apps being heavily affected by this restriction is UTM. UTM is a port of [[wikipedia:QEMU|QEMU]] for iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, allowing users to create [[wikipedia:Virtual_machine|VMs]] that can run various OSes, for example Microsoft Windows. The iPhone's hardware capable enough to emulate various modern OSes at full speed, but due to Apple's JIT limitation, the team behind UTM had to create UTM SE (slow edition) that doesn't require JIT, but is nowhere near as fast as UTM with JIT, only being capable of running MS-DOS and derivatives at acceptable speeds. While methods that enable JIT for apps other than Safari and Playgrounds exist (some currently working on iOS 18.5, like [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stikdebug/id6744045754 StikDebug]), Apple does not allow the use of JIT in notarized apps, meaning that apps that support JIT will have to be sideloaded, which comes with its own set of restrictions.

In the EU, Apple gave web browsers permission to use rendering and JavaScript engines other than the built-in with Apple WebKit/JavaScriptCore, with the option for JS engines to use JIT. The browser still has to be approved by Apple for an entitlement, and then must work within APIs provided by Apple for it. But, as of January 2025, no browsers that use different engines than the built-in ones have been released, mainly due to arbitrarily imposed restrictions, meant to discourage the usage and development of third-party engines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mozilla says Apple’s new browser rules are ‘as painful as possible’ for Firefox |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052067/mozilla-apple-ios-browser-rules-firefox |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

However, Apple still does not allow different engines outside of the EU, with or without JIT support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=App Review Guidelines |url=https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5.6 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>

==Sandbox==
Sandboxing is a powerful security feature used on all modern platforms, from Windows to iOS, and it's used because most programs need only a few basic permissions. While sandboxing is a great security measure, sometimes users may want to develop or create programs that run outside of the sandbox, with less restrictions. When a program needs extra permissions outside of what the sandbox normally allows, the user is prompted with a permission prompt, useful when some very basic programs (like a flashlight app) need access to sensitive information like contacts.

As established in previous sections, a program can be given more access to features of the system using entitlements. These come in different types:

*'''Completely safe''': Entitlements any developer can opt into, with little to no risk.
*'''Approval required''': Entitlements that might be more of a security risk to allow, e.g. giving considerably wider access to the system, or that Apple simply doesn't want to hand out to just ''anyone'' for competitive reasons. The developer must submit a request to Apple with evidence of why they need the entitlement.
*'''Private''': Entitlements that are never allowed for any app developer to use. Many of these are reasonably fenced off because they handle user data that is very risky, or bypasses permission prompts and so on, but can just as well also be guarding features Apple wants to keep to itself.

There have been [https://gizmodo.com/researchers-uber-s-ios-app-had-secret-permissions-that-1819177235 exceptions] where Apple quietly gave a company access to private entitlements anyway, raising eyebrows.

On iOS, you also can't be ''more'' secure than the default, strictest sandbox. On macOS, there are several entitlements you must declare to decide whether you're allowed to access certain types of user data at all. Android used this design from the very start - you can't even do fundamental things like access the internet without declaring it in your manifest. It makes it very explicit what the app's intentions are.

iOS has one sandbox used by all App Store apps. System apps, and App Store apps developed by Apple, are allowed to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions as needed. Third-party apps do not get the right to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions at all. This is clearly less secure. To take the example of Playgrounds again, while it's allowed to run your code from a separate process executing in an ultra locked down sandbox with very few permissions, competing apps such as Pythonista must run your code in the same sandbox and address space as the main app process. The Python interpreter crashing would therefore crash the entire app, possibly losing work. In the worst case, a vulnerability in third-party code could give access to all data stored by/accessible to the app. For example, it would be a nightmare if you can tap the wrong link in Safari and have a hacker easily steal your cookies from other websites. If that third-party code could run in its own limited sandbox, the risk is significantly reduced.

The only known workaround is to execute the code via JavaScript, as Apple's JavaScriptCore engine runs in a heavily sandboxed process. This requires you to port the code to JS, which may be a lot of work, or just not viable. You wouldn't want to run the Python interpreter inside JavaScript - the performance would be terrible!

==In-app browsers==
Safari's in-app browser, that is the minimal version you get when tapping a link from social media, uses an entirely separate data store for each app. The in-app browser isn't aware of cookies in the "full" Safari app, or any other app, and doesn't support Safari extensions. Apple claimed this was to protect malicious apps from stealing or setting cookies in Safari without your knowledge, which is a fair argument, but it's hard to not notice that it makes web browsing inconvenient, encouraging users to install native apps, where they can make transactions through Apple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@whitehatguy |date=12 Jun 2017 |title=Impact of iOS 11 no longer providing shared cookies between Safari, Safari View Controller instances |url=https://github.com/openid/AppAuth-iOS/issues/120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

This also means your browsing in the in-app browser is just forgotten - there's no history menu, and it doesn't get logged to the history in the full Safari app either. Good luck recalling that article you read a few weeks ago.

==See also==
*[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility Eligibility]
*Posts written by an author of this article:
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/19/app-marketplace-experience.html The iOS 17.4 app marketplace flow is a disaster]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/20/ios-eligibility.html How I tricked iOS into giving me EU DMA features]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/23/ios-eligibility-features.html Features controlled by iOS 17.4's eligibility system]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Apple App Store]]

Apple App Store

2025-10-17T16:33:36Z

Emayeah: i'm back; reworded sentences to make them more objective and less personal while trying to keep the language clear

{{ToneWarning}}
[[File:App Store (iOS).svg|thumb|150px]]

'''[[Apple]]''' uses a range of technical measures to protect their App Store ecosystem and reduce consumer choice. These measures obscure the company's business intentions, creating roadblocks for app developers and users, while typically citing security reasons for their existence. This actively hurts the ability for lawmakers to advocate for the rights of consumers and businesses in Apple's ecosystem, and prevents apps from being as useful as their customers expect.

A never-ending demand for a cut of every sale of a digital product, ranging from game currency, to supporting content creators,<ref name="patreon">{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Patreon: adding Apple’s 30 percent tax is the price of staying in the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/24218629/patreon-membership-ios-30-percent-apple-tax |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> to booking a Zoom call with a local business,<ref name="facebook">{{Cite web |last=Paul |first=Katie |last2=Nellis |first2=Stephen |date=28 Aug 2020 |title=Exclusive: Facebook says Apple rejected its attempt to tell users about App Store fees |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-apple-exclusive/exclusive-facebook-says-apple-rejected-its-attempt-to-tell-users-about-app-store-fees-idUSKBN25O042/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> hurts the ability for app developers to innovate. These developers, working hard and pulling countless hours to build a quality app, always need to take Apple's (and [[Google]]'s) demands into account - specifically, a fee of between 15% and 30% of all revenue collected via the app. This is revenue that can be reinvested into the app, but instead must be earmarked for the platforms they are '''required''' to use to reach their customers.

Because this is a clear problem, several governments, including South Korea,<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 Mar 2022 |title=South Korea approves rules on app store law targeting Apple, Google |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-approves-rules-app-store-law-targeting-apple-google-2022-03-08/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Japan,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharwood |first=Simon |date=13 Jun 2024 |title=Japan forces Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores and payments |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/13/japan_smartphone_software_law/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Register]]}}</ref> the European Union,<ref>[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]</ref> the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Competition and Markets Authority |date=4 Mar 2021 |title=Investigation into Apple AppStore |url=https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/investigation-into-apple-appstore |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[gov.uk]]}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Apr 2021 |title=Dominance of Apple and Google's app stores impacting competition and consumers |url=https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/dominance-of-apple-and-googles-app-stores-impacting-competition-and-consumers |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[ACCC]]}}</ref> as well as the US and a handful of states,<ref>[[wikipedia:Open App Markets Act|Open App Markets Act]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Nov 2024 |title=S.5364 - App Store Accountability Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5364/text/is |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[congress.gov]]}}</ref><ref name="doj">{{Cite web |last=Balsamo |first=Mike |last2=Liedtke |first2=Mike |last3=Whitehurst |first3=Lindsay |last4=Bajak |first4=Frank |date=21 Mar 2024 |title=Justice Department sues Apple, alleging it illegally monopolized the smartphone market |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-monopoly-app-store-justice-department-822d7e8f5cf53a2636795fcc33ee1fc3 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[APNews]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Feb 2021 |title=It’s time to free ourselves from ‘Big Tech’ monopoly |url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2021/02/19/its-time-to-free-ourselves-from-big-tech-monopoly/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Arizona Capitol Times]]}}</ref> have opened investigations into anti-competitive practices, or considered or already passed legislation to force "gatekeeper platforms" such as Apple to be more reasonable with third-party developers.

This being a major threat to Apple's revenue stream (interestingly, one they claim to be unsure is profitable<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Apr 2024 |title=Schiller doesn’t know whether the App Store is profitable; there are no minutes of meetings |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/17/app-store-is-profitable-apple-notes/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9to5Mac]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Jan 2025 |title=Apple denies App Store profit margin is 75% – claims to have no clue |url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/17/apple-denies-app-store-profit-margin-is-75-claims-to-have-no-clue/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9t05Mac]]}}</ref>), they have responded with practices such as geoblocking certain operating system functionality based on physical location,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eligibility |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Apple Wiki]]}}</ref> misrepresenting/overstating risks, and using careful wording with commonly-understood terms to describe unreasonably difficult-to-use systems.

==Background info==
Important terms you'll run into in this article:

*'''[[wikipedia:Sandbox (computer security)|Sandbox]]''': Reduces exposure of the user's device/data to security risks, by reducing what an app is allowed to do.
*'''[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Entitlements Entitlements]''': Apple's method of "poking holes" in the sandbox, to give the app more permissions. Some are available to developers, while many are only available to Apple.
*'''[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]''': The European Union's fairly sweeping recent regulations against forcing companies they classify as "gatekeepers" to play nice, giving smaller businesses access to software/hardware features they've historically reserved for their own use.

==In-app purchases==
Apple has been collecting users' credit card numbers since launching the iTunes Store in 2004. The launch of the App Store in 2008, followed by the introduction of in-app purchases (IAPs) in 2009, gave iPhone app developers the opportunity to sell app features to users. The IAP system is provided as a developer framework named [https://developer.apple.com/storekit/ StoreKit]. Apps and their in-app purchases are managed through a dashboard named [https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/ App Store Connect]. App sales have eclipsed iTunes Store sales, and are now a primary focus of Apple's Media Services division.

Apple requires any purchase of a digital good or service in an app to use their in-app purchase system. This may seem reasonable because the customer may inevitably call Apple support, demanding a refund for an app they have issues with. Apple would rather give that refund and leave the customer with a positive support experience, than to provide a messy process involving contacting a third-party, whose customer service is likely nowhere near the same experience.

App Store purchase fees are between 15% and 30%. In September 2016, Apple expanded subscriptions to be available to any type of app, also introducing a 15% discount incentive when the user has already subscribed for a year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goode |first=Lauren |date=2 Sep 2016 |title=Apple’s new subscription offerings are now available to App Store developers |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12774758/apple-developers-app-store-new-subscription-rules |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> In November 2020, Apple introduced a reduced 15% fee for app developers with revenue below $1 million per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centers |first=Josh |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Apple Drops App Store Commission to 15% for Small Developers |url=https://tidbits.com/2020/11/18/apple-drops-app-store-commission-to-15-for-small-developers/ |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[TidBITS]]}}</ref> For developers above this threshold, and for cases excluded from this program such as for games, the fee is 30%. In the 2008 announcement of the App Store, Apple considered this a reasonable, industry-standard fee. However, the way we use apps has significantly evolved since 2009 - the world has shifted to heavily depend upon on mobile apps, which have also evolved into more complex and sustainable business models than a simple one-time purchase.

[[wikipedia:Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]], a popular platform used for payments on the web, uses a base fee of 2.9% plus a fixed $0.30 in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pricing |url=https://stripe.com/it/pricing |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Stripe]]}}</ref> With add-on services, before considering volume discounts, a Stripe transaction may rather have a cost of 6.4% + $1.10.<ref>Calculated from base fee (2.9% + $0.30) + international card (1.5%) + adaptive pricing (2%) + international payment methods ($0.80), as of January 2025</ref> Stripe has been used by businesses ranging from small online stores, to [[OpenAI]] for ChatGPT Plus. Competing payments services have similar or identical fees to Stripe. '''The in-app purchase system does not provide sufficient value to justify considerably higher fees than alternative payment platforms.'''

The App Store system poorly handles secondary marketplaces of digital services that exist within the primary App Store marketplace, such as Patreon. Apple, however, still requires companies in the business of selling digital services to use this inadequate system. This requires the app to account for Apple's fee, which is significant enough to often warrant increasing prices, and to follow rules even if they do not make sense for the nature of service they are providing. Apple has frequently been found in disputes with such apps. This injects extra complication at no benefit to the marketplace, the creator, or the customer - only to Apple, who has little to no involvement after delivering the initial app download to the user's phone. The significant fee also often drives app developers to consider building their app around an advertising model instead, creating privacy concerns.

Additionally, the 15% small businesses fee discount is judged based on the app's overall turnover, and is not based on individual creators in the app's marketplace. An app that turns over $1 million per year by providing services to creators that individually make less than $1 million per year does not have the opportunity to use the discount.

Apple, often together with Google, use lobbying efforts in the United States and other countries in an attempt to minimize the issues. "ACT | The App Association", pitched as an association of independent small business app developers, is at least 50% funded by Apple, and does not list its claimed 2,000 members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Oct 2021 |title=Not a class ACT: the so-called App Association is simply an Apple Association and does NOT represent app developers' interests in fair distribution terms |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Sep 2022 |title=Vast majority of ACT {{!}} The App Association's funding comes from Apple, former employees tell Bloomberg: astroturfing against app developers' interests |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref> In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice along with 16 state attorneys-general filed a lawsuit against Apple, including an accusation that the company "extracts more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others".<ref name="doj" /> The future of this lawsuit is unclear as of April 2025.

Despite criticism of Apple forcing their fee into transactions with small businesses and creators on [[#Patreon|Patreon]], [[#Facebook online events|Facebook]], and similar platforms, on 23 January 2025, Apple announced the Advanced Commerce API. It "support[s] developers' evolving business models - such as exceptionally large content catalogs, creator experiences, and subscriptions with optional add-ons".<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Jan 2025 |title=Introducing the Advanced Commerce API |url=https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxy958ya |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref> While positioned as a way for such businesses to save development time and avoid ongoing costs by building on top of Apple's mature payments platform, its use is in fact necessary for these businesses to work within the App Store guidelines, as seen in cases outlined below. The feature requires submitting a description of the app's business model to Apple for approval. This continues a trend of requiring Apple's consent to conduct business in a place users have been trained to expect it.

Given Apple's strong incentives, and a ticking clock as legal pressure builds, it is not hard to find stories from app developers regarding poor experiences with Apple's app review process.

:''This list is extremely incomplete. Please add examples if you know of any.''

===Epic Games===
{{hatnote|See also: [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Apple|Epic Games v. Apple]] and [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Google|Epic Games v. Google]]}}

[[Epic Games, Inc.]] is a video game developer and publisher, known for games such as [[Fortnite]] and [[Unreal Tournament]], the [[Unreal Engine]], and the [[Epic Games Store]].

In 2018, Epic Games launched Fortnite on the iOS and Android platforms. The company made the unusual decision to not release the app on the [[Google Play Store]] - rather, it was made available as a standalone [[wikipedia:apk (file format)|Android app package]] file (.apk), which must be installed by following a series of manual steps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=3 Aug 2018 |title=Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic’s website |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/3/17645982/epic-games-fortnite-android-version-bypass-google-play-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The app was also released on the [[Samsung]] [[Samsung Galaxy Store|Galaxy Store]]. Google offered a $147 million deal for Epic Games to release Fortnite on the Play Store, which the company declined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=9 Nov 2023 |title=Google offered Epic $147 million to launch Fortnite on the Play Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/8/23953262/google-epic-fortnite-play-store-investment-antitrust-trial |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 22 April 2020, Fortnite was finally released on the Play Store.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=22 April 2020 |title=Fortnite available on the Google Play Store for the first time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/21/21229930/fortnite-available-on-google-play-android-mobile-devices |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Polygon]]}}</ref> In a statement, the company explained:

<blockquote>
After 18 months of operating Fortnite on Android outside of the Google Play Store, we've come to a basic realization: Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.
</blockquote>

On 13 August 2020, Epic Games launched a campaign against both Apple and Google's app store business practices. The company released app updates on both platforms, introducing a method for purchasing V-Bucks in-game currency at a 20% discount by directly transacting with Epic Games, against the developer rules of both platforms. The platforms responded by removing the game from their storefronts. Epic Games then filed civil antitrust lawsuits against both companies in the Northern District of California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Epic Games is suing Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/13/21367963/epic-fortnite-legal-complaint-apple-ios-app-store-removal-injunctive-relief |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The campaign, branded "Free Fortnite", was later extended with lawsuits and complaints in Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Epic Games extends its fight against Apple to Australia |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/freefortnite-australia-press-release |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>, the European Union,<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Feb 2021 |title=Epic Game Files EU Antitrust Complaint Against Apple |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-apple |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Mar 2021 |title=Epic Games files complaint to support CMA Apple investigation |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-complaint-to-support-cma-apple-investigation |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>

On 11 September 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided on the case. While the lawsuit against Apple failed on 9 of 10 counts, Rogers ruled against Apple's use of "anti-steering" - their strategies of preventing the user from being "steered" to a third-party storefront for payment processing, placing a permanent injunction on this behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon |first=Russell |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/10/22662320/epic-apple-ruling-injunction-judge-court-app-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Despite the case mostly failing, the discovery process provided significant insight into Apple's decisions around App Store policies, including decisions made in major app review disputes, and in one case, executive Phil Schiller arguing to reduce the fee from 30%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurman |first=Mark |date=4 May 2021 |title=Apple’s Schiller Floated Cutting App Store Fees a Decade Ago |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-03/apple-s-schiller-floated-cutting-app-store-fees-a-decade-ago |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Bloomberg]]}}</ref>

Epic Games and Apple both appealed the decision. 35 state attorneys-general, the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF), [[Microsoft]], among others filed amicus briefs in support of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=29 Jan 2022 |title=Epic largely lost to Apple, but 35 states are now backing its fight in a higher court |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22907106/epic-games-v-apple-amicus-briefs-states-eff-microsoft-appeal |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 11 December 2023, the jury in the case against Google decided on all 11 counts in favor of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bensinger |first=Greg |last2=Scarcella |first2=Mike |date=13 Dec 2023 |title=Epic Games wins antitrust case against Google over Play app store |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/google-epic-games-face-off-app-antitrust-trial-nears-end-2023-12-11/ |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

On 1 May 2025, Rogers found that Apple willfully chose to not comply with the 2021 injunction, commenting "that it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=1 May 2025 |title=A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/659246/apple-epic-app-store-judge-ruling-control |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

===Facebook online events===
In August 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook introduced the ability for small businesses to accept an entrance fee for events. Previously, Facebook would only act as a way to RSVP for the event - the organizer must use a third-party event ticketing system to collect fees. The company pledged to not collect any fee on event sales "until 2023".<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Paid Online Events for Small Business Recovery |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/paid-online-events/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Meta]]}}</ref>

Apple disagreed, requiring the feature to use the in-app purchases system. This introduced Apple's 30% fee. As this increases the price the user pays, with no benefit to the small business the user intended to support, the fee was displayed as a line item in checkout. Apple did not accept this disclosure of the fee, referring to it as "irrelevant".<ref name="facebook" /> Facebook was allowed to compromise on displaying the fee, but ''without'' indicating that it is specifically an App Store fee.

===HEY===
HEY.com is a paid webmail provider launched in June 2020 by long-time software company [[wikipedia:37signals|37signals]], specializing in inbox organization tools.

After successfully launching the initial version of the app on the App Store, the company announced that an update was rejected due to a complaint about the business model. The app did not intend to support in-app purchases - instead, the user is expected to already have an account with the service. Apple did not like this arrangement, and demanded the company build an in-app subscription option. The company argued that they are being held to a different set of rules than apps such as [[Netflix, Inc.|Netflix]], whose app does not provide any way to purchase a subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=17 Jun 2020 |title=Hey.com exec says Apple is acting like ‘gangsters,’ rejecting App Store updates and demanding cut of sales |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21293419/hey-apple-rejection-ios-app-store-dhh-gangsters-antitrust |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> After a suggestion from Apple executive Phil Schiller in the media, HEY introduced a 14 day free trial mode, which was approved.<ref>https://www.hey.com/apple/path/</ref><ref>https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/18/interview-apples-schiller-says-position-on-hey-app-is-unchanged-and-no-rules-changes-are-imminent/</ref>

===Patreon===
In August 2024, [[Patreon]] announced a change in arrangement with Apple for its App Store app. From November 2024, subscriptions started from the iOS app would be required to use the in-app purchase system, bypassing Patreon's own long-standing payments practices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Apple’s requirements are about to hit creators and fans on Patreon. Here’s what you need to know. |url=https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Patreon]]}}</ref><ref name="patreon" /> This change does not affect the Android app.

By forcing Patreon out of the payments pipeline, certain payment models are no longer available to users of Patreon's iOS app. Creators who rely on the "per-creation" payment model, as opposed to the standard "per-month", can no longer be subscribed to from the app. The app is also not able to support the "first-of-the-month" model, where payments from all subscribers are collected on the first day of the month, rather than every 30 days since each member's day of subscription. The price must also be rounded to a price tier supported by Apple.

Patreon provides creators with the choice to increase their prices by 30% in the iOS app, or to keep the same prices but forfeit 30% to Apple. Creators frequently remind potential supporters to not use the Patreon iOS app, adding extra inconvenience to those wanting to support the work of small creators.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - fee on top.png|"Maintain earnings and cover Apple's fee by increasing prices in iOS app" (Recommended)
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - absorb fee.png|"Keep prices in the iOS app the same and cover Apple's fee yourself"
</gallery>

A similar case occurred with the app Fanhouse in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@jasminericegirl |date=9 Jun 2021 |title=#fuckapple, a thread I cofounded @fanhouseapp 8 months ago to empower creators to monetize their content. We pay creators 90% of earnings. Now, Apple is threatening to remove Fanhouse from the app store unless we give them 30% of creator earnings. This is theft and exploitation. |url=https://x.com/jasminericegirl/status/1402691047940100100 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

===Twitter===
In August 2021, [[Twitter]] introduced a feature named Super Follows (now Subscriptions), in which a user can pay a subscription fee to access more of a creator's content. For each user who enables Subscriptions, Twitter must submit a new in-app purchase SKU to the App Store, which will become available with the next update to the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@wongmjane |date=2 Sep 2021 |title=Each Super Follow is an In-App Purchase on the App Store, but because there are too many IAPs for the Twitter app, the App Store only shows 10 instead of the full list |url=https://x.com/wongmjane/status/1433372120080261120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref> This, of course, is subject to the 30% fee. At the time of writing in January 2025, viewing the App Store listing reveals Elon Musk's $4.00 subscription as the fourth most popular IAP item.

==Notarization==
Since 2015, Apple expects all Mac apps to be "notarized". This is a preliminary, automated malware check, which upon passing, provides a notary certificate that gets "stapled" to the app. Apple's explanation:

<blockquote>
Notarization of macOS software is not App Review. The Apple notary service is an automated system that scans your software for malicious content, checks for code-signing issues, and returns the results to you quickly. If there are no issues, the notary service generates a ticket for you to staple to your software; the notary service also publishes that ticket online where Gatekeeper can find it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notarizing macOS software before distribution |url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing-macos-software-before-distribution |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Whether this is actually a better approach than used by Windows antivirus, where they find out about new malware samples only when they end up on a user's computer, is a separate topic.

To comply with the DMA's regulations on app marketplaces, Apple created a new channel of releasing apps outside of the iOS App Store. Apps go through a notarization process. But the process is definitely ''not'' notarization. The name is intentionally being abused, by contrast to notarization on macOS, to make you believe it is something other than the existing App Review system. Despite the pain some developers and users have with it, notarization on macOS has always been considered a net positive. It made sense to take advantage of its reputation for the entirely different "notarization" on iOS.

See for yourself - view the [https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ App Review Guidelines] and tick "Show Notarization Review Guidelines Only". While most rules are knocked out by this, a good number of them are still in place. These apps are still reviewed and tested by the App Review team, must have a full product listing in App Store Connect, and can be outright rejected - all in the same way as an App Store app.

By contrast, all that is required for notarization on macOS is for your app to not be malware. You submit it to an automated system that approves it within minutes. '''You don't need to convince Apple your app is worthy of existing on their platform.'''

The point of macOS notarization is that Apple has a record of all binaries that are intended for wide distribution on macOS, and can review them both in advance and on a regular basis for known malware/common malware patterns. Say a malware app manages to initially get through, when Apple finds out, they can go back in the notary records and find every sample of that malware to analyze and block. This is purely a technical process, managed by skilled security researchers, while iOS app review and "notarization" is a business process, managed by workers who have been given a checklist of violations to look for.

Apple is retaining complete control over what's allowed to run on iOS. On macOS, you can choose to run apps that have not been notarized (even though the process to bypass the warning is intentionally difficult). On iOS, you never get even that option. What Apple created is the App Store but with more steps. It still goes on the App Store, just hidden so it can only be installed by the third-party store it's tied to.

*Mysk: "iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens."<ref>{{Cite web |last=@mysk_co |date=28 Jun 2024 |title=iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens: |url=https://x.com/mysk_co/status/1806638308455256242 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

==JIT==
[[wikipedia:Just-in-time compilation|JIT]], which stands for Just-In-Time, is a method of code execution where code, instead of being compiled before being distributed (like an EXE), gets compiled into machine code in real time right before being executed. This method of code execution allows for much faster website loading times, faster emulation, faster program execution (with programs written in JavaScript, Python, Lua...) compared to interpreters, which instead translates code into machine code line by line, which is much, much slower. JIT also employs many more optimization techniques meant to improve performance, but all you need to know is that JIT is much faster than an interpreter.

Safari is allowed to use JIT to compile code from any site, same with Apple's [https://apps.apple.com/app/swift-playgrounds/id908519492 Playgrounds] app on iPad. Playgrounds bundles Apple's [[wikipedia:Swift (programming language)|Swift]] compiler, and shares backend code with the version of Playgrounds found in [[wikipedia:Xcode|Xcode]].

Third-party apps like Pythonista (a Python IDE), emulators like Delta and UTM and terminal environments like iSH are not allowed to use JIT, instead having to interpret code, which comes with serious performance degradation and is more computationally expensive, potentially draining more battery.

An example of apps being heavily affected by this restriction is UTM. UTM is a port of [[wikipedia:QEMU|QEMU]] for iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, allowing users to create [[wikipedia:Virtual_machine|VMs]] that can run various OSes, for example Microsoft Windows. The iPhone's hardware capable enough to emulate various modern OSes at full speed, but due to Apple's JIT limitation, the team behind UTM had to create UTM SE (slow edition) that doesn't require JIT, but is nowhere near as fast as UTM with JIT, only being capable of running MS-DOS and derivatives at acceptable speeds. While methods that enable JIT for apps other than Safari and Playgrounds exist (some currently working on iOS 18.5, like [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stikdebug/id6744045754 StikDebug]), Apple does not allow the use of JIT in notarized apps, meaning that apps that support JIT will have to be sideloaded, which comes with its own set of restrictions.

In the EU, Apple gave web browsers permission to use rendering and JavaScript engines other than the built-in with Apple WebKit/JavaScriptCore, with the option for JS engines to use JIT. The browser still has to be approved by Apple for an entitlement, and then must work within APIs provided by Apple for it. But, as of January 2025, no browsers that use different engines than the built-in ones have been released, mainly due to arbitrarily imposed restrictions, meant to discourage the usage and development of third-party engines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mozilla says Apple’s new browser rules are ‘as painful as possible’ for Firefox |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052067/mozilla-apple-ios-browser-rules-firefox |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

However, Apple still does not allow different engines outside of the EU, with or without JIT support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=App Review Guidelines |url=https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5.6 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>

==Sandbox==
Sandboxing is a powerful security feature used on all modern platforms, from Windows to iOS, and it's used because most programs need only a few basic permissions. While sandboxing is a great security measure, sometimes users may want to develop or create programs that run outside of the sandbox, with less restrictions. When a program needs extra permissions outside of what the sandbox normally allows, the user is prompted with a permission prompt, useful when some very basic programs (like a flashlight app) need access to sensitive information like contacts.

As established in previous sections, a program can be given more access to features of the system using entitlements. These come in different types:

*'''Completely safe''': Entitlements any developer can opt into, with little to no risk.
*'''Approval required''': Entitlements that might be more of a security risk to allow, e.g. giving considerably wider access to the system, or that Apple simply doesn't want to hand out to just ''anyone'' for competitive reasons. The developer must submit a request to Apple with evidence of why they need the entitlement.
*'''Private''': Entitlements that are never allowed for any app developer to use. Many of these are reasonably fenced off because they handle user data that is very risky, or bypasses permission prompts and so on, but can just as well also be guarding features Apple wants to keep to itself.

There have been [https://gizmodo.com/researchers-uber-s-ios-app-had-secret-permissions-that-1819177235 exceptions] where Apple quietly gave a company access to private entitlements anyway, raising eyebrows.

On iOS, you also can't be ''more'' secure than the default, strictest sandbox. On macOS, there are several entitlements you must declare to decide whether you're allowed to access certain types of user data at all. Android used this design from the very start - you can't even do fundamental things like access the internet without declaring it in your manifest. It makes it very explicit what the app's intentions are.

iOS has one sandbox used by all App Store apps. System apps, and App Store apps developed by Apple, are allowed to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions as needed. Third-party apps do not get the right to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions at all. This is clearly less secure. To take the example of Playgrounds again, while it's allowed to run your code from a separate process executing in an ultra locked down sandbox with very few permissions, competing apps such as Pythonista must run your code in the same sandbox and address space as the main app process. The Python interpreter crashing would therefore crash the entire app, possibly losing work. In the worst case, a vulnerability in third-party code could give access to all data stored by/accessible to the app. For example, it would be a nightmare if you can tap the wrong link in Safari and have a hacker easily steal your cookies from other websites. If that third-party code could run in its own limited sandbox, the risk is significantly reduced.

The only known workaround is to execute the code via JavaScript, as Apple's JavaScriptCore engine runs in a heavily sandboxed process. This requires you to port the code to JS, which may be a lot of work, or just not viable. You wouldn't want to run the Python interpreter inside JavaScript - the performance would be terrible!

==In-app browsers==
Safari's in-app browser, that is the minimal version you get when tapping a link from social media, uses an entirely separate data store for each app. The in-app browser isn't aware of cookies in the "full" Safari app, or any other app, and doesn't support Safari extensions. Apple claimed this was to protect malicious apps from stealing or setting cookies in Safari without your knowledge, which is a fair argument, but it's hard to not notice that it makes web browsing inconvenient, encouraging users to install native apps, where they can make transactions through Apple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@whitehatguy |date=12 Jun 2017 |title=Impact of iOS 11 no longer providing shared cookies between Safari, Safari View Controller instances |url=https://github.com/openid/AppAuth-iOS/issues/120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

This also means your browsing in the in-app browser is just forgotten - there's no history menu, and it doesn't get logged to the history in the full Safari app either. Good luck recalling that article you read a few weeks ago.

==See also==
*[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility Eligibility]
*Posts written by an author of this article:
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/19/app-marketplace-experience.html The iOS 17.4 app marketplace flow is a disaster]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/20/ios-eligibility.html How I tricked iOS into giving me EU DMA features]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/23/ios-eligibility-features.html Features controlled by iOS 17.4's eligibility system]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Apple App Store]]

Apple App Store

2025-07-21T13:04:07Z

Emayeah: Flatpak just makes code distribution easier by bundling dependencies. Docker is a better example of sandboxing.

[[File:App Store (iOS).svg|thumb|150px]]

'''[[Apple]]''' uses a range of technical measures to protect their App Store ecosystem and reduce consumer choice. These measures obscure the company's business intentions, creating roadblocks for app developers and users, while typically citing security reasons for their existence. This actively hurts the ability for lawmakers to advocate for the rights of consumers and businesses in Apple's ecosystem, and prevents apps from being as useful as their customers expect.

A never-ending demand for a cut of every sale of a digital product, ranging from game currency, to supporting content creators,<ref name="patreon">{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Patreon: adding Apple’s 30 percent tax is the price of staying in the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/24218629/patreon-membership-ios-30-percent-apple-tax |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> to booking a Zoom call with a local business,<ref name="facebook">{{Cite web |last=Paul |first=Katie |last2=Nellis |first2=Stephen |date=28 Aug 2020 |title=Exclusive: Facebook says Apple rejected its attempt to tell users about App Store fees |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-apple-exclusive/exclusive-facebook-says-apple-rejected-its-attempt-to-tell-users-about-app-store-fees-idUSKBN25O042/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> hurts the ability for app developers to innovate. These developers, working hard and pulling countless hours to build a quality app, always need to take Apple's (and [[Google]]'s) demands into account - specifically, a fee of between 15% and 30% of all revenue collected via the app. This is revenue that can be reinvested into the app, but instead must be earmarked for the platforms they are '''required''' to use to reach their customers.

Because this is a clear problem, several governments, including South Korea,<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 Mar 2022 |title=South Korea approves rules on app store law targeting Apple, Google |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-approves-rules-app-store-law-targeting-apple-google-2022-03-08/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Japan,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharwood |first=Simon |date=13 Jun 2024 |title=Japan forces Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores and payments |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/13/japan_smartphone_software_law/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Register]]}}</ref> the European Union,<ref>[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]</ref> the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Competition and Markets Authority |date=4 Mar 2021 |title=Investigation into Apple AppStore |url=https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/investigation-into-apple-appstore |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[gov.uk]]}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Apr 2021 |title=Dominance of Apple and Google's app stores impacting competition and consumers |url=https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/dominance-of-apple-and-googles-app-stores-impacting-competition-and-consumers |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[ACCC]]}}</ref> as well as the US and a handful of states,<ref>[[wikipedia:Open App Markets Act|Open App Markets Act]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Nov 2024 |title=S.5364 - App Store Accountability Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5364/text/is |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[congress.gov]]}}</ref><ref name="doj">{{Cite web |last=Balsamo |first=Mike |last2=Liedtke |first2=Mike |last3=Whitehurst |first3=Lindsay |last4=Bajak |first4=Frank |date=21 Mar 2024 |title=Justice Department sues Apple, alleging it illegally monopolized the smartphone market |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-monopoly-app-store-justice-department-822d7e8f5cf53a2636795fcc33ee1fc3 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[APNews]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Feb 2021 |title=It’s time to free ourselves from ‘Big Tech’ monopoly |url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2021/02/19/its-time-to-free-ourselves-from-big-tech-monopoly/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Arizona Capitol Times]]}}</ref> have opened investigations into anti-competitive practices, or considered or already passed legislation to force "gatekeeper platforms" such as Apple to be more reasonable with third-party developers.

This being a major threat to Apple's revenue stream (interestingly, one they claim to be unsure is profitable<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Apr 2024 |title=Schiller doesn’t know whether the App Store is profitable; there are no minutes of meetings |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/17/app-store-is-profitable-apple-notes/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9to5Mac]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Jan 2025 |title=Apple denies App Store profit margin is 75% – claims to have no clue |url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/17/apple-denies-app-store-profit-margin-is-75-claims-to-have-no-clue/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9t05Mac]]}}</ref>), they have responded with practices such as geoblocking certain operating system functionality based on physical location,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eligibility |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Apple Wiki]]}}</ref> misrepresenting/overstating risks, and using careful wording with commonly-understood terms to describe unreasonably difficult-to-use systems.

==Background info==
Important terms you'll run into in this article:

*'''[[wikipedia:Sandbox (computer security)|Sandbox]]''': Reduces exposure of the user's device/data to security risks, by reducing what an app is allowed to do.
*'''[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Entitlements Entitlements]''': Apple's method of "poking holes" in the sandbox, to give the app more permissions. Some are available to developers, while many are only available to Apple.
*'''[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]''': The European Union's fairly sweeping recent regulations against forcing companies they classify as "gatekeepers" to play nice, giving smaller businesses access to software/hardware features they've historically reserved for their own use.

==In-app purchases==
Apple has been collecting users' credit card numbers since launching the iTunes Store in 2004. The launch of the App Store in 2008, followed by the introduction of in-app purchases (IAPs) in 2009, gave iPhone app developers the opportunity to sell app features to users. The IAP system is provided as a developer framework named [https://developer.apple.com/storekit/ StoreKit]. Apps and their in-app purchases are managed through a dashboard named [https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/ App Store Connect]. App sales have eclipsed iTunes Store sales, and are now a primary focus of Apple's Media Services division.

Apple requires any purchase of a digital good or service in an app to use their in-app purchase system. This may seem reasonable because the customer may inevitably call Apple support, demanding a refund for an app they have issues with. Apple would rather give that refund and leave the customer with a positive support experience, than to provide a messy process involving contacting a third-party, whose customer service is likely nowhere near the same experience.

App Store purchase fees are between 15% and 30%. In September 2016, Apple expanded subscriptions to be available to any type of app, also introducing a 15% discount incentive when the user has already subscribed for a year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goode |first=Lauren |date=2 Sep 2016 |title=Apple’s new subscription offerings are now available to App Store developers |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12774758/apple-developers-app-store-new-subscription-rules |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> In November 2020, Apple introduced a reduced 15% fee for app developers with revenue below $1 million per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centers |first=Josh |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Apple Drops App Store Commission to 15% for Small Developers |url=https://tidbits.com/2020/11/18/apple-drops-app-store-commission-to-15-for-small-developers/ |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[TidBITS]]}}</ref> For developers above this threshold, and for cases excluded from this program such as for games, the fee is 30%. In the 2008 announcement of the App Store, Apple considered this a reasonable, industry-standard fee. However, the way we use apps has significantly evolved since 2009 - the world has shifted to heavily depend upon on mobile apps, which have also evolved into more complex and sustainable business models than a simple one-time purchase.

[[wikipedia:Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]], a popular platform used for payments on the web, uses a base fee of 2.9% plus a fixed $0.30 in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pricing |url=https://stripe.com/it/pricing |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Stripe]]}}</ref> With add-on services, before considering volume discounts, a Stripe transaction may rather have a cost of 6.4% + $1.10.<ref>Calculated from base fee (2.9% + $0.30) + international card (1.5%) + adaptive pricing (2%) + international payment methods ($0.80), as of January 2025</ref> Stripe has been used by businesses ranging from small online stores, to [[OpenAI]] for ChatGPT Plus. Competing payments services have similar or identical fees to Stripe. '''The in-app purchase system does not provide sufficient value to justify considerably higher fees than alternative payment platforms.'''

The App Store system poorly handles secondary marketplaces of digital services that exist within the primary App Store marketplace, such as Patreon. Apple, however, still requires companies in the business of selling digital services to use this inadequate system. This requires the app to account for Apple's fee, which is significant enough to often warrant increasing prices, and to follow rules even if they do not make sense for the nature of service they are providing. Apple has frequently been found in disputes with such apps. This injects extra complication at no benefit to the marketplace, the creator, or the customer - only to Apple, who has little to no involvement after delivering the initial app download to the user's phone. The significant fee also often drives app developers to consider building their app around an advertising model instead, creating privacy concerns.

Additionally, the 15% small businesses fee discount is judged based on the app's overall turnover, and is not based on individual creators in the app's marketplace. An app that turns over $1 million per year by providing services to creators that individually make less than $1 million per year does not have the opportunity to use the discount.

Apple, often together with Google, use lobbying efforts in the United States and other countries in an attempt to minimize the issues. "ACT | The App Association", pitched as an association of independent small business app developers, is at least 50% funded by Apple, and does not list its claimed 2,000 members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Oct 2021 |title=Not a class ACT: the so-called App Association is simply an Apple Association and does NOT represent app developers' interests in fair distribution terms |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Sep 2022 |title=Vast majority of ACT {{!}} The App Association's funding comes from Apple, former employees tell Bloomberg: astroturfing against app developers' interests |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref> In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice along with 16 state attorneys-general filed a lawsuit against Apple, including an accusation that the company "extracts more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others".<ref name="doj" /> The future of this lawsuit is unclear as of April 2025.

Despite criticism of Apple forcing their fee into transactions with small businesses and creators on [[#Patreon|Patreon]], [[#Facebook online events|Facebook]], and similar platforms, on 23 January 2025, Apple announced the Advanced Commerce API. It "support[s] developers' evolving business models - such as exceptionally large content catalogs, creator experiences, and subscriptions with optional add-ons".<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Jan 2025 |title=Introducing the Advanced Commerce API |url=https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxy958ya |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref> While positioned as a way for such businesses to save development time and avoid ongoing costs by building on top of Apple's mature payments platform, its use is in fact necessary for these businesses to work within the App Store guidelines, as seen in cases outlined below. The feature requires submitting a description of the app's business model to Apple for approval. This continues a trend of requiring Apple's consent to conduct business in a place users have been trained to expect it.

Given Apple's strong incentives, and a ticking clock as legal pressure builds, it is not hard to find stories from app developers regarding poor experiences with Apple's app review process.

:''This list is extremely incomplete. Please add examples if you know of any.''

===Epic Games===
{{hatnote|See also: [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Apple|Epic Games v. Apple]] and [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Google|Epic Games v. Google]]}}

[[Epic Games, Inc.]] is a video game developer and publisher, known for games such as [[Fortnite]] and [[Unreal Tournament]], the [[Unreal Engine]], and the [[Epic Games Store]].

In 2018, Epic Games launched Fortnite on the iOS and Android platforms. The company made the unusual decision to not release the app on the [[Google Play Store]] - rather, it was made available as a standalone [[wikipedia:apk (file format)|Android app package]] file (.apk), which must be installed by following a series of manual steps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=3 Aug 2018 |title=Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic’s website |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/3/17645982/epic-games-fortnite-android-version-bypass-google-play-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The app was also released on the [[Samsung]] [[Samsung Galaxy Store|Galaxy Store]]. Google offered a $147 million deal for Epic Games to release Fortnite on the Play Store, which the company declined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=9 Nov 2023 |title=Google offered Epic $147 million to launch Fortnite on the Play Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/8/23953262/google-epic-fortnite-play-store-investment-antitrust-trial |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 22 April 2020, Fortnite was finally released on the Play Store.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=22 April 2020 |title=Fortnite available on the Google Play Store for the first time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/21/21229930/fortnite-available-on-google-play-android-mobile-devices |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Polygon]]}}</ref> In a statement, the company explained:

<blockquote>
After 18 months of operating Fortnite on Android outside of the Google Play Store, we've come to a basic realization: Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.
</blockquote>

On 13 August 2020, Epic Games launched a campaign against both Apple and Google's app store business practices. The company released app updates on both platforms, introducing a method for purchasing V-Bucks in-game currency at a 20% discount by directly transacting with Epic Games, against the developer rules of both platforms. The platforms responded by removing the game from their storefronts. Epic Games then filed civil antitrust lawsuits against both companies in the Northern District of California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Epic Games is suing Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/13/21367963/epic-fortnite-legal-complaint-apple-ios-app-store-removal-injunctive-relief |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The campaign, branded "Free Fortnite", was later extended with lawsuits and complaints in Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Epic Games extends its fight against Apple to Australia |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/freefortnite-australia-press-release |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>, the European Union,<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Feb 2021 |title=Epic Game Files EU Antitrust Complaint Against Apple |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-apple |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Mar 2021 |title=Epic Games files complaint to support CMA Apple investigation |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-complaint-to-support-cma-apple-investigation |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>

On 11 September 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided on the case. While the lawsuit against Apple failed on 9 of 10 counts, Rogers ruled against Apple's use of "anti-steering" - their strategies of preventing the user from being "steered" to a third-party storefront for payment processing, placing a permanent injunction on this behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon |first=Russell |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/10/22662320/epic-apple-ruling-injunction-judge-court-app-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Despite the case mostly failing, the discovery process provided significant insight into Apple's decisions around App Store policies, including decisions made in major app review disputes, and in one case, executive Phil Schiller arguing to reduce the fee from 30%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurman |first=Mark |date=4 May 2021 |title=Apple’s Schiller Floated Cutting App Store Fees a Decade Ago |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-03/apple-s-schiller-floated-cutting-app-store-fees-a-decade-ago |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Bloomberg]]}}</ref>

Epic Games and Apple both appealed the decision. 35 state attorneys-general, the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF), [[Microsoft]], among others filed amicus briefs in support of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=29 Jan 2022 |title=Epic largely lost to Apple, but 35 states are now backing its fight in a higher court |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22907106/epic-games-v-apple-amicus-briefs-states-eff-microsoft-appeal |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 11 December 2023, the jury in the case against Google decided on all 11 counts in favor of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bensinger |first=Greg |last2=Scarcella |first2=Mike |date=13 Dec 2023 |title=Epic Games wins antitrust case against Google over Play app store |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/google-epic-games-face-off-app-antitrust-trial-nears-end-2023-12-11/ |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

On 1 May 2025, Rogers found that Apple willfully chose to not comply with the 2021 injunction, commenting "that it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=1 May 2025 |title=A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/659246/apple-epic-app-store-judge-ruling-control |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

===Facebook online events===
In August 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook introduced the ability for small businesses to accept an entrance fee for events. Previously, Facebook would only act as a way to RSVP for the event - the organizer must use a third-party event ticketing system to collect fees. The company pledged to not collect any fee on event sales "until 2023".<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Paid Online Events for Small Business Recovery |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/paid-online-events/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Meta]]}}</ref>

Apple disagreed, requiring the feature to use the in-app purchases system. This introduced Apple's 30% fee. As this increases the price the user pays, with no benefit to the small business the user intended to support, the fee was displayed as a line item in checkout. Apple did not accept this disclosure of the fee, referring to it as "irrelevant".<ref name="facebook" /> Facebook was allowed to compromise on displaying the fee, but ''without'' indicating that it is specifically an App Store fee.

===HEY===
HEY.com is a paid webmail provider launched in June 2020 by long-time software company [[wikipedia:37signals|37signals]], specializing in inbox organization tools.

After successfully launching the initial version of the app on the App Store, the company announced that an update was rejected due to a complaint about the business model. The app did not intend to support in-app purchases - instead, the user is expected to already have an account with the service. Apple did not like this arrangement, and demanded the company build an in-app subscription option. The company argued that they are being held to a different set of rules than apps such as [[Netflix, Inc.|Netflix]], whose app does not provide any way to purchase a subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=17 Jun 2020 |title=Hey.com exec says Apple is acting like ‘gangsters,’ rejecting App Store updates and demanding cut of sales |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21293419/hey-apple-rejection-ios-app-store-dhh-gangsters-antitrust |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> After a suggestion from Apple executive Phil Schiller in the media, HEY introduced a 14 day free trial mode, which was approved.<ref>https://www.hey.com/apple/path/</ref><ref>https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/18/interview-apples-schiller-says-position-on-hey-app-is-unchanged-and-no-rules-changes-are-imminent/</ref>

===Patreon===
In August 2024, [[Patreon]] announced a change in arrangement with Apple for its App Store app. From November 2024, subscriptions started from the iOS app would be required to use the in-app purchase system, bypassing Patreon's own long-standing payments practices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Apple’s requirements are about to hit creators and fans on Patreon. Here’s what you need to know. |url=https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Patreon]]}}</ref><ref name="patreon" /> This change does not affect the Android app.

By forcing Patreon out of the payments pipeline, certain payment models are no longer available to users of Patreon's iOS app. Creators who rely on the "per-creation" payment model, as opposed to the standard "per-month", can no longer be subscribed to from the app. The app is also not able to support the "first-of-the-month" model, where payments from all subscribers are collected on the first day of the month, rather than every 30 days since each member's day of subscription. The price must also be rounded to a price tier supported by Apple.

Patreon provides creators with the choice to increase their prices by 30% in the iOS app, or to keep the same prices but forfeit 30% to Apple. Creators frequently remind potential supporters to not use the Patreon iOS app, adding extra inconvenience to those wanting to support the work of small creators.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - fee on top.png|"Maintain earnings and cover Apple's fee by increasing prices in iOS app" (Recommended)
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - absorb fee.png|"Keep prices in the iOS app the same and cover Apple's fee yourself"
</gallery>

A similar case occurred with the app Fanhouse in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@jasminericegirl |date=9 Jun 2021 |title=#fuckapple, a thread I cofounded @fanhouseapp 8 months ago to empower creators to monetize their content. We pay creators 90% of earnings. Now, Apple is threatening to remove Fanhouse from the app store unless we give them 30% of creator earnings. This is theft and exploitation. |url=https://x.com/jasminericegirl/status/1402691047940100100 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

===Twitter===
In August 2021, [[Twitter]] introduced a feature named Super Follows (now Subscriptions), in which a user can pay a subscription fee to access more of a creator's content. For each user who enables Subscriptions, Twitter must submit a new in-app purchase SKU to the App Store, which will become available with the next update to the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@wongmjane |date=2 Sep 2021 |title=Each Super Follow is an In-App Purchase on the App Store, but because there are too many IAPs for the Twitter app, the App Store only shows 10 instead of the full list |url=https://x.com/wongmjane/status/1433372120080261120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref> This, of course, is subject to the 30% fee. At the time of writing in January 2025, viewing the App Store listing reveals Elon Musk's $4.00 subscription as the fourth most popular IAP item.

==Notarization==
Since 2015, Apple expects all Mac apps to be "notarized". This is a preliminary, automated malware check, which upon passing, provides a notary certificate that gets "stapled" to the app. Apple's explanation:

<blockquote>
Notarization of macOS software is not App Review. The Apple notary service is an automated system that scans your software for malicious content, checks for code-signing issues, and returns the results to you quickly. If there are no issues, the notary service generates a ticket for you to staple to your software; the notary service also publishes that ticket online where Gatekeeper can find it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notarizing macOS software before distribution |url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing-macos-software-before-distribution |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Whether this is actually a better approach than used by Windows antivirus, where they find out about new malware samples only when they end up on a user's computer, is a separate topic.

To comply with the DMA's regulations on app marketplaces, Apple created a new channel of releasing apps outside of the iOS App Store. Apps go through a notarization process. But the process is definitely ''not'' notarization. The name is intentionally being abused, by contrast to notarization on macOS, to make you believe it is something other than the existing App Review system. Despite the pain some developers and users have with it, notarization on macOS has always been considered a net positive. It made sense to take advantage of its reputation for the entirely different "notarization" on iOS.

See for yourself - view the [https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ App Review Guidelines] and tick "Show Notarization Review Guidelines Only". While most rules are knocked out by this, a good number of them are still in place. These apps are still reviewed and tested by the App Review team, must have a full product listing in App Store Connect, and can be outright rejected - all in the same way as an App Store app.

By contrast, all that is required for notarization on macOS is for your app to not be malware. You submit it to an automated system that approves it within minutes. '''You don't need to convince Apple your app is worthy of existing on their platform.'''

The point of macOS notarization is that Apple has a record of all binaries that are intended for wide distribution on macOS, and can review them both in advance and on a regular basis for known malware/common malware patterns. Say a malware app manages to initially get through, when Apple finds out, they can go back in the notary records and find every sample of that malware to analyze and block. This is purely a technical process, managed by skilled security researchers, while iOS app review and "notarization" is a business process, managed by workers who have been given a checklist of violations to look for.

Apple is retaining complete control over what's allowed to run on iOS. On macOS, you can choose to run apps that have not been notarized (even though the process to bypass the warning is intentionally difficult). On iOS, you never get even that option. What Apple created is the App Store but with more steps. It still goes on the App Store, just hidden so it can only be installed by the third-party store it's tied to.

*Mysk: "iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens."<ref>{{Cite web |last=@mysk_co |date=28 Jun 2024 |title=iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens: |url=https://x.com/mysk_co/status/1806638308455256242 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

==JIT==
[[wikipedia:Just-in-time compilation|JIT]], which stands for Just-In-Time, is a method of code execution where code, instead of being compiled before being distributed (like an EXE), gets compiled into machine code in real time right before being executed. This method of code execution allows for much faster website loading times, faster emulation, faster program execution (with programs written in JavaScript, Python, Lua...) compared to interpreters, which instead translates code into machine code line by line, which is much, much slower. JIT also employs many more optimization techniques meant to improve performance, but all you need to know is that JIT is much faster than an interpreter.

Safari is allowed to use JIT to compile code from any site, same with Apple's [https://apps.apple.com/app/swift-playgrounds/id908519492 Playgrounds] app on iPad. Playgrounds bundles Apple's [[wikipedia:Swift (programming language)|Swift]] compiler, and shares backend code with the version of Playgrounds found in [[wikipedia:Xcode|Xcode]].

Third-party apps like Pythonista (a Python IDE), emulators like Delta and UTM and terminal environments like iSH are not allowed to use JIT, instead having to interpret code, which comes with serious performance degradation and is more computationally expensive, potentially draining more battery.

An example of apps being heavily affected by this restriction is UTM. UTM is a port of [[wikipedia:QEMU|QEMU]] for iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, allowing users to create [[wikipedia:Virtual_machine|VMs]] that can run various OSes, for example Microsoft Windows. The iPhone's hardware capable enough to emulate various modern OSes at full speed, but due to Apple's JIT limitation, the team behind UTM had to create UTM SE (slow edition) that doesn't require JIT, but is nowhere near as fast as UTM with JIT, only being capable of running MS-DOS and derivatives at acceptable speeds. While methods that enable JIT for apps other than Safari and Playgrounds exist (some currently working on iOS 18.5, like [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stikdebug/id6744045754 StikDebug]), Apple does not allow the use of JIT in notarized apps, meaning that apps that support JIT will have to be sideloaded, which comes with its own set of restrictions.

In the EU, Apple gave web browsers permission to use rendering and JavaScript engines other than the built-in with Apple WebKit/JavaScriptCore, with the option for JS engines to use JIT. The browser still has to be approved by Apple for an entitlement, and then must work within APIs provided by Apple for it. But, as of January 2025, no browsers that use different engines than the built-in ones have been released, mainly due to arbitrarily imposed restrictions, meant to discourage the usage and development of third-party engines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mozilla says Apple’s new browser rules are ‘as painful as possible’ for Firefox |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052067/mozilla-apple-ios-browser-rules-firefox |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

However, Apple still does not allow different engines outside of the EU, with or without JIT support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=App Review Guidelines |url=https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5.6 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>

==Sandbox==
You might not like app sandboxing, but it's a powerful security feature used on all modern platforms. The reality is very few apps need more than a few basic permissions. [[wikipedia:Docker_(software)|Docker]] also sandboxes apps, and it seems to work great! Still, it's completely fair that there should be processes for doing things beyond what the sandbox allows. You see some of this with permission prompts - does a flashlight app ''really'' need access to your contacts? (Apple has been burned by apps abusing user data before the current permission system was built out.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bohn |first=Dleter |date=15 Feb 2012 |title=iOS apps and the address book: who has your data, and how they’re getting it |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/14/2798008/ios-apps-and-the-address-book-what-you-need-to-know |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>)

It can go further than this. As we established in previous sections, an app can be given more access to features of the system using entitlements. These come in a few flavors:

*'''Completely safe''': Entitlements any developer can opt into, with little to no risk.
*'''Approval required''': Entitlements that might be more of a security risk to allow, e.g. giving considerably wider access to the system, or that Apple simply doesn't want to hand out to just ''anyone'' for competitive reasons. The developer must submit a request to Apple with evidence of why they need the entitlement.
*'''Private''': Entitlements that are never allowed for any app developer to use. Many of these are reasonably fenced off because they handle user data that is very risky, or bypasses permission prompts, etc, but can just as well also be guarding features Apple wants to keep to itself.

There have been [https://gizmodo.com/researchers-uber-s-ios-app-had-secret-permissions-that-1819177235 exceptions] where Apple quietly gave a company access to private entitlements anyway, raising eyebrows.

On iOS, you also can't be ''more'' secure than the default sandbox. That might seem crazy if you're not a developer, but it's pretty important for security in a variety of situations. On macOS, there are several entitlements you must declare to decide whether you're allowed to access certain types of user data at all. Android used this design from the very start - you can't even do fundamental things like access the internet without declaring it in your manifest. It makes it very explicit what the app's intentions are.

iOS has one sandbox used by all App Store apps. System apps, and App Store apps developed by Apple, are allowed to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions as needed. Third-party apps do not get the right to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions at all. This is clearly less secure. To take the example of Playgrounds again, while it's allowed to run your code from a separate process executing in an ultra locked down sandbox with very few permissions, competing apps such as Pythonista must run your code in the same sandbox and address space as the main app process. The Python interpreter crashing would therefore crash the entire app, possibly losing work. In the worst case, a vulnerability in third-party code could give access to all data stored by/accessible to the app. For example, it would be a nightmare if you can tap the wrong link in Safari and have a hacker easily steal your cookies from other websites. If that third-party code could run in its own limited sandbox, the risk is significantly reduced.

The only known workaround is to execute the code via JavaScript, as Apple's JavaScriptCore engine runs in a heavily sandboxed process. This requires you to port the code to JS, which may be a lot of work, or just not viable. You wouldn't want to run the Python interpreter inside JavaScript - the performance would be terrible!

==In-app browsers==
Safari's in-app browser, that is the minimal version you get when tapping a link from social media, uses an entirely separate data store for each app. The in-app browser isn't aware of cookies in the "full" Safari app, or any other app, and doesn't support Safari extensions. Apple claimed this was to protect malicious apps from stealing or setting cookies in Safari without your knowledge, which is a fair argument, but it's hard to not notice that it makes web browsing inconvenient, encouraging users to install native apps, where they can make transactions through Apple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@whitehatguy |date=12 Jun 2017 |title=Impact of iOS 11 no longer providing shared cookies between Safari, Safari View Controller instances |url=https://github.com/openid/AppAuth-iOS/issues/120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

This also means your browsing in the in-app browser is just forgotten - there's no history menu, and it doesn't get logged to the history in the full Safari app either. Good luck recalling that article you read a few weeks ago.

==See also==
*[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility Eligibility]
*Posts written by an author of this article:
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/19/app-marketplace-experience.html The iOS 17.4 app marketplace flow is a disaster]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/20/ios-eligibility.html How I tricked iOS into giving me EU DMA features]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/23/ios-eligibility-features.html Features controlled by iOS 17.4's eligibility system]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Apple App Store]]

Article suggestions

2025-07-21T12:30:15Z

Emayeah: fixed minor spelling mistakes

This page is dedicated towards providing a communal list for users to submit potential articles to feature on the wiki, and to give editors inspiration on what pages they might want to add to the wiki. If you create an article based on an entry from this list, or see that someone else has done so, please make sure to delete the row from this page in order to prevent confusion.

Sources should be inserted within the 'refs' section of the table. If using the visual editor, take advantage of '<nowiki/>'''insert reference'''<nowiki/>' via ''''ctrl + shift + k'''<nowiki/>' so that the sources are quick to add to future articles. If you are using the source editor, feel free to copy and paste the formatting from other correctly formatted references on the page. The more sources you include with an article idea, the more likely it is that others will pick the article idea up and run with it, so please attempt to include a good variety of descriptive sources!

Please take note of the wiki's [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Inclusion guidelines|Inclusion criteria]] when submitting article suggestions. If you see article suggestions here which do not fit the Wiki, feel free to remove them, leaving your reasoning in an edit note.

If you are an editor looking for further inspiration to write an article, you can also check out the [[Louis Rossmann - Video Directory|Louis Rossmann video directory]] for a good collection of potential articles.

==Example==
Below is an example of what an entry should appear as:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Company
!Summary of Incident
!Refs
|-
|[[Nintendo]]
|In 2025, the company Nintendo stripped Switch 2 consoles that used the MIG switch cartridge of all online functionality
|<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Scattered Brain |date=Jun 16, 2025 |title=Soo... Nintendo banned my Switch 2 (Don't try the MIG Switch!) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExgYTA18_vo&t=656s |access-date=Jun 18, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=Jun 17, 2025 |title=Switch 2 users report online console bans after running personal game “backups” |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/playing-personal-game-backups-could-get-your-switch-2-banned-by-nintendo/ |access-date=Jun 19, 2025 |work=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|}

==List of incidents not yet covered==
{| class="wikitable"
!Company
!Summary of Incident
!Refs
|-
|[[Netflix]]
|Removal of games from mobile platform; games preinstalled to user devices will no-longer work; many are exclusively distributed by Netflix for mobile.
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=Jun 24, 2025 |title=Netflix is letting go of some of its best indie games |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=The Verge}}</ref>
|-
|[[Xlear]]
|The company Xlear was falsely marketing its nasal spray as a covid preventative, potentially harming consumers; the company wants to combat the FTC.
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feiner |first=Lauren |date=Jun 24, 2025 |title=A nasal spray company wants to make it harder for the FTC to police health claims |url=https://www.theverge.com/policy/692327/xlear-ftc-lawsuit-covid-health-claims-consumer-protection |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=The Verge}}</ref>
|-
|[[Microsoft]]
|Anticompetitive behavior contributing to the damaging of the security of customer devices.
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Triplette |first=Ryan |date=Nov 15, 2024 |title=Microsoft’s anticompetitive behavior weakens its customers’ cybersecurity |url=https://federalnewsnetwork.com/commentary/2024/11/microsofts-anticompetitive-behavior-weakens-its-customers-cybersecurity/?readmore=1 |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=Federal News Network}}</ref>
|-
|[[Intuit]]
|Responsible for bribing the government for the purposes of making doing taxes more difficult, thus making the company more money via [[TurboTax]] payments, TT turned into tiered subscriptions to force users into paying extra for vital tools. Hid the free version from consumers.
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=CinemaGuess |date=Jun 10, 2025 |title=How The Scammy Model of TurboTax Finally Died |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K951JU8WbEY&t=315s |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Samsung]], [[Glance]]
|Using the faces of its devices' users for the purposes of generating ads with AI to display on the lock screen
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whitwam |first=Ryan |date=Jun 4, 2025 |title=Samsung teams up with Glance to use your face in AI-generated lock screen ads |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/samsung-teams-up-with-glance-to-use-your-face-in-ai-generated-lock-screen-ads/ |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|-
|[[Facebook]], [[Yandex]]
|De-anonymizing web browsing identifiers
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wildeboer |first=Jan |date=Jun 03, 2025 |title=Wildeboer post from Jan Wildeboer |url=https://social.wildeboer.net/@jwildeboer/114620123151656825 |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=social.wildeboer.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Goodin |first=Dan |date=Jun 3, 2025 |title=Meta and Yandex are de-anonymizing Android users’ web browsing identifiers |url=https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/meta-and-yandex-are-de-anonymizing-android-users-web-browsing-identifiers/ |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|-
|[[TikTok]]
|Integrated AI tools to track user behaviors even more for the purposes of selling to advertisers
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sato |first=Mia |date=Jun 3, 2025 |title=TikTok will give advertisers even more data on trends and users |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/678255/tiktok-advertiser-summit-ai-targeting-data-seo |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=The Verge}}</ref>
|-
|[[k.chicntech]]
|Selling fraudulent products on its platform
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=Jun 3, 2025 |title=Shopper denied $51 refund for 20TB HDD that’s mostly a weighted plastic box |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/man-buys-20tb-portable-hdd-for-51-son-breaks-the-news-that-its-a-fake/ |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|-
|[[T-Mobile]]
|Secretly recording the screens of users via T-Life app
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=u/Appropriate_Rain_770 |date=May 27, 2025 |title=T-Life App Under Fire as Users Spot Hidden Screen Recording |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/1kwmglg/tlife_app_under_fire_as_users_spot_hidden_screen/ |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Tyler |date=May 27, 2025 |title=T-Life App Under Fire as Users Spot Hidden Screen Recording |url=https://www.androidheadlines.com/2025/05/t-life-app-under-fire-as-users-spot-hidden-screen-recording.html |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=Android Headlines}}</ref>
|-
|[[Ubisoft]]
|Forced online in single-player games for the purposes of data collection; violation of GDPR.
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Phillips |first=Tom |date=Apr 29, 2025 |title=Privacy firm files Ubisoft legal complaint over data collection, forced online in single-player games |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/privacy-firm-files-ubisoft-legal-complaint-over-data-collection-forced-online-in-single-player-games |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=Eurogamer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 24, 2025 |title=Like to play alone? Ubisoft is still watching you! |url=https://noyb.eu/en/play-alone-ubisoft-still-watching-you |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=noyb}}</ref>
|-
|[[Facebook]], [[Yandex]]
|Automatic opt-in of user-generated content being used for the purposes of training AI.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borgesius |first=Frederik |date=Apr 24, 2025 |title=Post on akademienl.social |url=https://akademienl.social/@Frederik_Borgesius/114392662340468118 |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |website=akademienl.social}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=Apr 24, 2025 |title=AP: kom nu in actie als je niet wil dat Meta AI traint met jouw data |url=https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/actueel/ap-kom-nu-in-actie-als-je-niet-wil-dat-meta-ai-traint-met-jouw-data |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl}}</ref>
|-
|[[Star Force]]
|DRM; History of damaging the devices of honest consumers
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Modern Vintage Gamer |date=Mar 30, 2020 |title=StarForce - The PC CD-ROM DRM that broke your Computer {{!}} MVG |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-wyIalhdPU |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Google]]
|Terms enacted in April reserve it the right to analyze sensitive call data
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Saam |first=Conrad |date=Apr 24, 2025 |title=Google asserts ownership of all advertiser assets in Local Services Ads |url=https://searchengineland.com/google-asset-ownership-local-services-ads-454561 |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=Search Engine Land}}</ref>
|-
|[[VidIQ]]
|Scraping user generated content so poorly that it puts users at risk of violating copyright law
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=CutCafe |date=Jan 24, 2025 |title=This AI tool is EXPLOITING small content creators (So I exposed it) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg8JZozCa0c |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Waymo]]
|Using interior camera to train GenAI models; automatic opt-in
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bellan |first=Rebecca |date=Apr 8, 2025 |title=Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models, but riders will be able to opt out |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/08/waymo-may-use-interior-camera-data-to-train-generative-ai-models-sell-ads/ |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=TechCrunch}}</ref>
|-
|[[Dymo]]
|550 and newer models have DRM in the printer paper; older model printers bricked via a driver update.
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Malawey |first=David |date=Apr 3, 2025 |title=discard junkware and the extract pure value of Dymo |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hlhPRlxA9s |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |work=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Google]]
|Numerous incidents listed under Wikipedia's [[wikipedia:Google_litigation|Google Litigation]] page
|N/A
|-
|[[UPS]]
|Charges excessively high brokerage fees disguised as "customs fees" that exceed shipping costs when mailing a product from the US to Canada; sent person in source a $42.60 bill AFTER delivering the package, without the person being informed of the shipper being UPS.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Runkle Of The Bailey |date=Nov 14, 2024 |title=I Fought UPS' Bogus Brokerage Fees, And Won |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKju9a4lA5I |access-date=Jun 26, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Liberty Safe]]
|At the point of sale (POS) of the safe, the consumer was not informed that the manufacturer has a backdoor for the safe. In this specific incident, this backdoor was used to bypass the security for the purposes of the FBI
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Runkle Of The Bailey |date=Sep 6, 2023 |title=Liberty Safe Has Secret Backdoors -- And They Gave It To the FBI |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeCwrX2gcXM |access-date=Jun 26, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Yubo]]
|Only in-scope elements of the provided source should focus on "age estimation" and "facial recognition", despite the ethical dubiousness of the platform for minors.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=CinemaGuess |date=Jun 25, 2025 |title=Yubo; The Most Dangerous Snapchat Clone Ever Made |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKm5gkG9yMw |access-date=Jun 26, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[itch.io]], [[Night School Studios]], [[Netflix]]
|In September 2024, users who purchased Oxenfree on itch.io were warned that the game was going to be pulled from the platform on October 1st. Consumers would not be able to download the installers after this date, so they would lose access unless they had them backed up. Users speculated that Netflix, the parent company of the development studio, had ordered the move; however, no response from Netflix or the developers was ever published. This is particularly notable because it is against itch.io's terms of service: "Users shall retain a license to this content even after the content is removed from the Service."
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=itch corp |date=15 Apr 2023 |title=itch.io Terms of Service |url=https://itch.io/docs/legal/terms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907004719/https://itch.io/docs/legal/terms |archive-date=7 Sep 2024 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=itch.io}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=ShawnS |date=31 Jan 2025 |title=OXENFREE |url=https://delistedgames.com/oxenfree/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321070400/https://delistedgames.com/oxenfree/ |archive-date=21 Mar 2025 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=Delisted Games}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Colp |first=Tyler |date=9 Sep 2024 |title=Another reminder that your digital library isn't forever: Oxenfree will be completely removed from Itch.io next month |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/another-reminder-that-your-digital-library-isn-t-forever-oxenfree-will-be-completely-removed-from-itch-io-next-month/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250523111125/https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/another-reminder-that-your-digital-library-isn-t-forever-oxenfree-will-be-completely-removed-from-itch-io-next-month/ |archive-date=23 May 2025 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=PC Gamer}}</ref>
|-
|[https://consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=SourceForge.net_forces_users_to_inconditionally_accept_terms_of_use_with_no_alternative_before_logging_in&veaction=edit&section=2 Sourceforge.net]
|Sourceforge forces users to accept terms and conditions before they can even log in, denying their right to refuse or disagree.
|
|-
|[[Electronic Arts]]
|The video game [[Anthem]] was announced to have its servers shut down, leading to all licenses for the title becoming bricked.
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hore |first=Jamie |date=Jul 3, 2025 |title=Anthem will soon die for good, as Bioware confirms a full server shut down |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/anthem/servers-shutting-down-bioware |access-date=Jul 4, 2025 |work=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|-
|[https://drivesaversdatarecovery.com/partner-programs/ DriveSavers]
|Through DriveSavers' partner program, independent or otherwise affiliated shops receive an approximately 10% commission for referring customers to the service (typical service being approximately $3,000.00, resulting in $300.00 of commission for partners). On top of this, partnered shops also receive DriveSavers branded merchandise (pens, antistatic mats and similar shop equipment, etc). Has relevance as this may result in partners having heavy incentives to refer customers to a service they may not need.
|
|-
|[https://www.skystone.games/ Skystone Games]
|Boundary, a multiplayer online-only first-person shooter, got shut down just a year after its release by Skystone games, and its publishing rights relinquished, citing "ongoing delays and a lack of updates from the developer". Studio Surgical Scalpels (the developer) stated that the publisher decissions were "extremely sudden and unreasonable", and attempted to "regain the rights to boundary". The game has been offline for more than a year at the time of writing, and no refunds or communications to the userbase has been made by Skystone Games.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-19 |title=Boundary - End of service notice |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1364020/view/4209257868262605607?l=english |url-status=live |access-date=2025-07-07 |website=Steam}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-30 |title=Boundary Shut Down: Who's to Blame? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr8IhV1fovE |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Automatic Content Recognition (ACR)]]
|Smart TVs of multiple brands have a feature called Automatic Content Recognition, which sends several screenshots per minute of whatever plays on the device to the manufacturer for analysis. This includes content from external inputs and thus could include private photos and videos of the user, as well as third parties who never agreed to anything of that nature. This is required to be opt-in in the US, but most people inadvertently agree to it with the EULA of the device.
|<ref>{{Cite web |first=Rachel Cericola, Jon Chase and Lee Neikirk |date=2025-06-25 |title=Yes, Your TV Is Probably Spying on You. Your Fridge, Too. Here’s What They Know. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/advice-smart-devices-data-tracking/ |access-date=2025-07-09 |website=The New York Times - Wirecutter}}</ref>
|-
|[[Nintendo]]
|USB-C port restrictions in order to halt 3rd-party competition with docks and other accessories. These restrictions are caused by encrypted communications between the official dock and the console, as 3rd-party devices use a universal standard that Nintendo refuses to use.
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Khullar |first=Kunal |date=Jul 3, 2025 |title=Nintendo is restricting the Switch 2's USB-C port — most third-party docks and accessories won't work thanks to proprietary protocols |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/nintendo/nintendo-is-restricting-the-switch-2s-usb-c-port-most-third-party-docks-and-accessories-wont-work-thanks-to-proprietary-protocols |access-date=Jul 9, 2025 |work=Tom's Hardware}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Corsetti |first=Adam |date=Jul 3, 2025 |title=USB-C port testing explains why a third-party Nintendo Switch 2 dock won't work with console |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/USB-C-port-testing-explains-why-a-third-party-Nintendo-Switch-2-dock-won-t-work-with-console.1049869.0.html |access-date=Jul 9, 2025 |work=Notebook Check}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=Jul 3, 2025 |title=How Nintendo locked down the Switch 2’s USB-C port and broke third-party docking |url=https://www.theverge.com/report/695915/switch-2-usb-c-third-party-docks-dont-work-authentication-encryption |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250708174112/https://www.theverge.com/report/695915/switch-2-usb-c-third-party-docks-dont-work-authentication-encryption |archive-date=Jul 8, 2025 |access-date=Jul 9, 2025 |work=The Verge}}</ref>
|-
|Not applicable/[[Device bricking]]
|There have been repeated incidents of various companies [[Device bricking|bricking devices]] owned by consumers. This requires a theme article to be finally made. May be ideal to have a sibling article titled [[Software bricking]].
|
|-
|Not applicable
|Factory reset and deconfiguration guides for removing personal/sensitive data from devices before change of ownership to avoid that data being used for identity theft, spear phishing and scams.
|<ref>{{cite web|title=ACCC Report Revelations Of Scams And Cyber Crime Not Surprising |website=Tech Business News |url=https://www.techbusinessnews.com.au/news/accc-report-revelations-of-scams-and-cyber-crime-not-surprising/ |publication-date=29 April 2024 |access-date=20 July 2025 |quote="Whilst there exists the Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) and the Information Security Manual (ISM) which direct government and critical industry to use NAID AAA certified recyclers to destroy and sanitise data at end of life, there remains confusion over ownership of accountability."}}</ref>
|-
|Not applicable
|Users are being forced by law to violate their privacy to access adult websites, when numerous sites that won't follow the law exist and are unsafe.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ortutay |first=Barbara |date=27 Jun 2025 |title=What to know about online age verification laws {{!}} AP News |url=https://apnews.com/article/internet-age-verification-supreme-court-def346d7bf299566a3687d8c4f224fec |url-status=live |access-date=19 Jul 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Jun 2025 |title=The Scam of Age Verification {{!}} PORNBIZ.COM |url=https://pornbiz.com/post/17/the_scam_of_age_verification/en#5 |url-status=live |access-date=19 Jul 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[Microsoft]]
|Microsoft uses software engineers based in China to work on US Defense Department systems with laughably ineffective precautions. I think this is relevant in the context of Microsoft's attitude towards cloud security. In the past, master keys have been stolen by Chinese hackers and from my understanding, it's not even clear to what extent those groups still have access to Microsoft's internal systems, and by extension, Microsoft customers'. This needs more research though.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dudley |first=Renee |date=2025-07-15 |title=A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Chinese Hackers |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-digital-escorts-pentagon-defense-department-china-hackers |website=ProRepublica}}</ref>
|-
|Not applicable
|[[Malicious Compliance]]
Companies like Apple comply with regulations such as those imposed by the EU by trying to follow the wording, but not the spirit of the legislation. For instance, there were early reports that Apple would support USB-C, but only with Apple certified devices and cables, allowing them to continue the lucrative "Made for iPhone" certification programme. They only backtracked when the EU indicated this would not be considered compliant with the USB-C mandate.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malicious Compliance |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malicious_compliance |website=Wikipedia}}</ref>
|}

==See Also==

*[[Louis Rossmann - Video Directory]]

==Reference List==
<references />
[[Category:Sources]]

User:Emayeah

2025-07-21T11:07:33Z

Emayeah: user page hehe

FOSS advocate

I wish companies were run like the EU government, everyone can decide what can and can't be done, and what is best for the consumer

Amazon

2025-07-21T11:01:48Z

Emayeah: minor spelling mistake correction

{{CompanyCargo
| Founded = 1994
| Industry = Technology
| Logo = Amazon.png
| ParentCompany =
| Type = Public
| Website = https://amazon.com/
| Description =
}}
[[wikipedia:Amazon_(company)|'''Amazon.com, Inc.''']] is a global leader in e-commerce, cloud computing, and digital streaming, founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. Originally launched as an online bookstore, Amazon quickly expanded into a marketplace offering a wide range of products, including electronics, clothing, household goods, and groceries. Today, it is one of the largest companies in the world, with a dominant presence in retail, technology, and logistics.

In addition to its e-commerce platform, Amazon is a major player in cloud computing through Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides cloud infrastructure and services to businesses globally. The company also offers a variety of digital services, such as Amazon Prime, which provides streaming video and music, and Alexa, its voice-activated virtual assistant. Amazon has also developed consumer products like the Kindle e-reader, Fire tablets, and Echo smart speakers.

Amazon has faced significant scrutiny and criticism, particularly concerning its treatment of workers, marketplace practices, data privacy issues, and its impact on small businesses. It has been involved in various regulatory and legal challenges related to anti-competitive behavior, safety, and consumer protection, with calls for increased oversight on its business operations.

==Consumer impact summary==
{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):
* User Freedom
* User Privacy
* Business Model
* Market Control}}

====Business Model====
Amazon gets a majority of its revenue from seller fees and Amazon prime memberships. In addition, Amazon has a "subscribe and save" option for some products. With this, the page to manage these subscriptions is obfuscated for the user, intentional or not.

<gallery>
File:Amazon Subscribe and Save Example.jpg|No "subscribe and save" option avaliable
File:Amazon Subscribe and Save Example (1).jpg|The option appears in the "buy again" section.
</gallery>

==Controversies==
Amazon has been involved in numerous controversies, from dangerous products to anti-competitive practices. Below is a comprehensive listing of every relevant controversy documented here on this wiki: 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Controversy
!Year
!Background info
!Aftermath
!Related article
!Related video(s)
|-
|Amazon removing kindle books from old devices.
|2025
|As of May 26, 2025 Kindle for Android app versions released prior to March 2022 (v8.51 or earlier) no longer support Kindle content downloads.
|Old android devices (such as Galaxy Tab 4) that are not compatible with Android OS v.9.0+ are no longer able to download Kindle ebooks. Furthermore, Amazon 'forcibly' removed any ebooks downloaded to the kindle app on those devices the next time they connected to the internet, without warning that this would occur.
|https://www.androidauthority.com/kindle-app-drm-loophole-3554844/
|
|-
|Amazon removing ability to download Kindle books
|2025
|Starting on February 26, 2025, Amazon removed a feature from its website allowing users to download purchased books to a computer and then copy them manually to a Kindle over USB.
|Starting February 26, 2025, the ‘Download & Transfer via USB’ option will no longer be available.
|[[Amazon Kindle removes download feature of purchased books]]
|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMoCzeGnIss '''Amazon are changing the way you own your Kindle books - you have 10 days to react''']
<ref group="Video References">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfcoUdWCB9M</ref>
|-
|Amazon sells lethal litterboxes
|2024
|Amazon sold litterboxes that were designed in a unsafe way that led to the deaths of multiple cats, and posed a danger to young children.
|Original product was delisted, yet many other variants of the same product exist on the site.
|
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=p6Y19nSPvC4</ref>
|-
|Amazon adds ads to premium subscription
|2023 – Present
|Amazon added advertisements to previously ad free subscriptions for Prime Video and Echo Show frames.
|Continues to occur.
|
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=RSi6g5-xUaY</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=ua_QL9YysHQ</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=VLFpU9aqtXc</ref>
|-
|Amazon allows fraudulent listings
|2014 – Present
|
|Fraudulent listings continue to be added, some removed.
|[[Amazon allows fraudulent product page after manual review! Deep dive on Amazons support of scams]]
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=qZCMislL6_I</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=7trdHLtsFKM</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=B90_SNNbcoU</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=DiKflg8Uko4</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=y83BS_mK9GE</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=Rhb0ID9z4aE</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=XZNn2mO3dNQ</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=C0YNLWdj9sQ</ref>
|-
|Amazon allows sellers to bribe customers for better ratings
|2016 – Present
|Amazon sellers give customers gift cards in exchange for positive product reviews; Amazon does nothing to stop this.
|Continues to occur.
|[[Amazon's history of seller bribery]]
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=eS698R-bxuc</ref>
|-
|Amazon has bad marketplace algorithms
|2023 – Present
|
|Algorithms still seem to be nonbeneficial.
|
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=tAaSXz8CBMc</ref>
|-
|Amazon trashes refurbished market
|2022–2023
|
|Unknown
|
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=h3qgbvq2SWs</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=qzUXmeaZsIQ</ref>
|-
|Amazon cancels associate account after recent negative media coverage, with a different reason
|2023
|
|Unknown
|
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=Kcohq313q00</ref>
|-
|Amazon wrongfully suspends account of home owner
|2023
|A home owner was locked out of their Amazon account for nearly a week, after a delivery driver from Amazon misheard an automated message from their Eufy doorbell.
|Account reinstated.
|[[Amazon locks home owner out of Amazon account over allegation by Amazon delivery driver|Amazon locks home owner out of amazon account over allegation by amazon delivery driver]]
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=SyEgD-5GK9c</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=NfiIXooD77s</ref>
|-
|Amazon engages in anticompetitive behavior
|2021–2022
|
|Unknown
|
|<ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=YBJoSGWdP0Y</ref> <ref group="Video References">https://youtube.com/watch?v=XCLx4mVJ4gk</ref>
|-
|Amazon sells fake electrical fuses
|2024
|Fuses are being sold that do not blow when supplied more power than it is intended to handle, which is a major safety risk.
|These fuses are still being sold to this day.
|[[Amazon allows fraudulent product page after manual review! Deep dive on Amazons support of scams]]
|<ref group="Video References">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B90_SNNbcoU</ref>
|-
|Amazon PhotosPlus discontinuation
|2024
|
|Since September 2024, it is no longer possible to use the Amazon Echo Show 8 as a digital frame without advertisements.
|[[Amazon PhotosPlus Discontinuation]]
|
|-
|Amazon uses [[dark patterns]] for its premium subscription
|2023 – Present
|Systematically designing the cancelling steps to be complicated and long; using tricks to kidnap users into the subscription.<ref>{{cite web |date=2023-06-21 |title=FTC Takes Action Against Amazon for Enrolling Consumers in Amazon Prime Without Consent and Sabotaging Their Attempts to Cancel |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/ftc-takes-action-against-amazon-enrolling-consumers-amazon-prime-without-consent-sabotaging-their |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129015417/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/ftc-takes-action-against-amazon-enrolling-consumers-amazon-prime-without-consent-sabotaging-their |archive-date=2025-01-29 |website=Federal Trade Commission |url-status=live}}</ref> See "Project Illiad".
|Continues to occur.
|
|
|-
|Amazon removes option to lend Kindle e-books
|2022
|E-books marked with "lending enabled" could be lent to other Kindle users for a period of time during which the title is unavailable to the sender.
|Since August 2022, it is not possible to borrow Kindle books.
|
|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAvFmnuZZMI '''Amazon Discontinues Lending Kindle e-Books''']
|-
|Amazon removes option not to send voice recordings from Echo devices
|2025
|In March 2025, Echo customers with the option "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" enabled received an e-mail that local processing will no longer be supported on their device.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-18 |title=TechLinked – Microsoft’s Big Oopsie – Echo voice recordings, Gemini watermarks |url=https://youtu.be/DhXH83O6pXc?t=268 |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=YouTube – TechLinked}}</ref>
|
|[[Amazon Echo changes terms of voice usage]]
|
|-
|Amazon discontinues Appstore for Android devices
|2025
|On August 20, 2025, Amazon will remove Android devices' access to the Amazon Appstore.
|Android apps downloaded through the Amazon Appstore will cease to function.
|[https://www.androidauthority.com/amazon-shuts-down-android-app-store-3528170/ Amazon pulls the plug on its Android app store that you never used anyway]
|
|-
|Amazon fights against unionization
|1994 - Present
|Ever since its creation, Amazon has demonstrated anti-union efforts. This has even gone to the point of being in the training videos for employees, invoking fear in any who resist this corporate hold.
|
|
|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRpwVwFxyk4 Amazon trains against unionizing]
[https://newlaborforum.cuny.edu/2021/11/15/crushing-unions-by-any-means-necessary-how-amazons-blistering-anti-union-campaign-won-in-bessemer-alabama/ Article on Anti-unionism of Amazon]
|}

==Products==

===Amazon Kindle (2007–Present)===
Amazon has progressively removed options for products purchased through the Kindle, effectively changing the meaning of purchases and ownership. It first removed the ability of users to lend e-books to one another, and later removed the ability to download purchased e-books to a computer.

===Amazon PhotosPlus (2023–2024)===
Amazon sold physical devices that could displaying photos stored in its Amazon Photos cloud storage through its PhotosPlus service. Less than one year later, it cancelled the service, which [[Retroactively amended purchase|changed the functionality]] of the devices, including showing advertisements every few hours.

===Amazon Prime (2005–Present)===
Amazon uses [[dark patterns]] for its subscription services, including tricking users into subscribing and making it very complicated to cancel.

===Amazon Appstore (2011–Present)===
Amazon Appstore is the primary app store for Amazon's Fire devices, and is also available on other Android devices. On August 20, 2025, Amazon will remove access to the app store for all non-Fire devices. All apps installed from the Amazon Appstore will cease to function. Fire devices will continue to be able to access the Amazon Appstore. As of July 2025, there has been no mention of restitution for users who may have purchased paid apps through the Amazon Appstore.

===Amazon Echo (2014–Present)===

===Amazon Alexa (2013–Present)===

===All Louis Rossmann videos covering Amazon===

<references group="Video References" />

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Amazon]]
[[Category:Articles in need of additional work]]

Humane Inc.

2025-07-21T11:00:11Z

Emayeah: minor fixes

{{StubNotice}}
{{clear}}
{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = {{PAGENAME}}
| Type = Subsidiary
| Founded = 2018
| Industry = Technology
| Official Website = https://humane.com/media/humane-hp
| Logo = Humane Logo, Horizontal.png
}}

'''[[wikipedia:Humane_Inc.|Humane Inc.]]''' was an American consumer electronics company founded in 2018 by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno. The company designed and developed the '''AI Pin''', a wearable voice-operated [[wikipedia:Virtual_assistant|virtual assistant]] device. It began shipping in April 2024 but received largely negative reviews. In February 2025, it was announced that '''[[HP]]''' would acquire most of Humane.<ref>https://humane.com/media/humane-hp</ref> The AI Pin was rendered unusable on February 28, 2025.

==Consumer impact summary==

*'''Dependence on Servers for Core Functionality''': The AI Pin made extensive use of cloud servers for core functionalities, depriving users of fundamental features the moment the servers went out of service.
*'''[[Discontinuation bricking]]''': When support was dropped, the AI Pin was no longer usable, leaving customers with no option of getting the pin repaired or upgraded.

==Incidents==

===AI Pin discontinuation===
In February 2025, Humane Inc., following HP's acquisition of Humane, announced that it had stopped selling the AI Pin and that available devices in the market would not be able to access company servers starting from February 28.<ref>https://www.engadget.com/ai/all-of-humanes-ai-pins-will-stop-working-in-10-days-225643798.html</ref> This made the AI Pin nearly unusable, since the device was highly dependent on cloud servers for almost all of its applications.<ref name=":0" />

After the servers were shut down, users were no longer able to use core functions of the AI Pin, and all consumer data on the company's servers was erased permanently.<ref name=":0">https://www.404media.co/the-humane-ai-pin-a-700-brick-of-e-waste/</ref><ref name=":1" />

Due to the discontinuation of the AI Pin, Humane provided refunds for units shipped on or after November 15, 2024. The company encouraged users to recycle their AI Pins through an e-waste recycling program.<ref name=":1">https://support.humane.com/hc/en-us/articles/34243204841997-Ai-Pin-Consumers-FAQ</ref>

==See also==

*[[Discontinuation bricking|'''Discontinuation bricking''']]
*[[Retroactively amended purchase|'''Retroactively amended purchase''']]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Enshittification

2025-07-21T10:52:28Z

Emayeah: added the Google Search section, mainly the ads on top and the AI Overview

{{stub}}

'''Enshittification''', also known as '''crapification''' and '''platform decay''' is a pattern in which two-sided online products, usually subscription services, decline in quality over time. Initially, companies create high-quality offerings to attract users and undercut competition, then they degrade those offerings to better serve business customers, and finally degrade their services to users and business customers to maximize profits for shareholders.

The term was first coined by tech blogger Cory Doctorow in November 2022 and has since gained widespread recognition.

==How it works==
<blockquote>''"It is a seemingly inevitable consequence arising from the combination of the ease of changing how a platform allocates value, combined with the nature of a "two-sided market," where a platform sits between buyers and sellers, hold each hostage to the other, raking off an ever-larger share of the value that passes between them."'' - Cory Doctorow, ''Wired,'' 2023</blockquote>Enshittification at its core is a three-stage process.

===Stage 1 - Incentivizing Mass Adoption===
Companies offer their product or service to users with great incentive to try and build an established userbase. It is usually during the early stage of the company is the most focused on providing a positive user experience and listening to feedback.

For example, [[Uber]] was initially well-received for offering competitive prices for transportation, leading to a large userbase adopting the platform.

===Stage 2 - Catering to Business Clients===
Once a stable userbase is locked in, companies begin offering access to the userbase to business customers with great incentive. This stage is usually when the user experience begins to decline as the company is now more focused on catering to partners such as suppliers and advertisers.

For example, in 2023, Reddit removed free access to their API nearing the time of its IPO.<ref name="TheVergeAnnouncement">{{Cite web |last=Shakir |first=Umar |date=April 18, 2023 |title=Reddit's upcoming API changes will make AI companies pony up |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/18/23688463/reddit-developer-api-terms-change-monetization-ai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614020642/https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/18/23688463/reddit-developer-api-terms-change-monetization-ai |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |work=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Then, in 2024, Reddit struck a $60M deal with Google to give access to its user-generated content for AI training data.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tong |first=Anna |last2=Wang |first2=Echo |last3=Coulter |first3=Martin |last4=Tong |first4=Anna |last5=Wang |first5=Echo |date=2024-02-22 |title=Exclusive: Reddit in AI content licensing deal with Google |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/reddit-ai-content-licensing-deal-with-google-sources-say-2024-02-22/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref>

===Stage 3 - Quality Degradation for Shareholders===
When both users and business partners are locked in, the company shifts its surpluses to the shareholders. It no longer has any incentive to grow or maintain quality for either of its customer bases and relentlessly seeks profit at any rate for the shareholders. Companies at this stage also tend to have such a large market presence that switching barriers naturally (or intentionally) fall into place for those trying to leave for alternatives.

An ongoing example is [[YouTube]]'s [[YouTube#Crackdown against ad-blockers|crackdown on users using ad-blockers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube intensifies crackdown on ad blockers {{!}} AdGuard |url=https://adguard.com/en/blog/youtube-new-banner-adblockers-violate-tos.html |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=AdGuard Blog |language=en}}</ref> While such a crackdown might reduce ad-blocker usage and increase short-term shareholder returns, it degrades the experience for users and reduces the quality of impressions for advertisers. Over 30% of the world's population uses YouTube, with a ~98% market share in online video media.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube - Market Share, Competitor Insights in Media Players And Streaming Platforms |url=https://www.6sense.com/tech/media-players-and-streaming-platforms/youtube-market-share |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=6sense}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=23 Essential YouTube Statistics You Need to Know in 2025 |url=https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/youtube-statistics |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=The Social Shepherd |language=en}}</ref>

==Why it is a problem==

===Erosion of user experiences===
It can cause frustration among customers, for example Netflix has started locking down movies behind expensive plans, so customers are frustrated into subscribing to a more expensive plan.

Enshittification can also lead to [[wikipedia:Feature creep|feature creep]] - especially when new features of a product are intended to further lock in users and increase revenue. This creep can lead to an overall reduction in performance due to bloat and increase complexity, reducing a product's usability. A prime example of feature creep caused in large part by late-stage enshittification is Microsoft Windows.

===Switching barriers===
Enshittified platforms that act as intermediaries can act as both a monopoly on services and a monopsony on customers, as high switching barriers prevent either from leaving even when better alternatives technically exist. These barriers can be intentionally put in place - such as restricting the user's ability to transfer data or communicate between platforms - or unintentional, such as a platform's userbase being so large that it naturally makes it near impossible for users or partners to find equivalent engagement on an alternative platform.

An example of this would be a long-time eBay seller hoping to leave the site for an alternative with lower fees (possibly Mercari or Etsy). They might first encounter issues migrating all of their listings over to the new platform; a process which could be tedious. Their feedback history will certainly not carry over to the new platform so buyers are initially less likely to view them as trustworthy, potentially impacting sales. Lastly, the alternative platform likely has a vastly smaller userbase than eBay so despite all the possible benefits - the seller is less likely to be successful on the new platform than they are on eBay.

Such switching barriers can create an adversarial relationship between platform users or business partners and the company they're dependent on. The users or partners cannot be successful without access to the wide reach of the platform - but it leaves them wholly dependent on a company that no longer has their best interests in mind.

===Platform death===
A potential end-scenario for enshittified platforms is death, usually caused by a large enough exodus of users and business partners, and a general loss of trust. A platform may not truly "die" per se, but it can completely lose the identity that made it successful in the first place - and might not ever regain it. An ongoing example is [[X Corp|Twitter]] post Elon Musk's takeover. Under its new ownership and branding, the platform drove away swathes of its userbase and advertisers to alternative platforms (such as Bluesky) after its policy shifts proved widely unpopular.

However, the death of an enshittified platform is not an entirely positive end result. It uproots a long established userbase and can greatly disrupt their activities. There is also the chance that alternative platforms lack feature parity with the old platform or that it might not even be able to support the massive influx of new users - at least for some amount of time. At worst, data loss could be involved meaning years worth of information - if not archived beforehand - could potentially be lost if a platform shuts down in some capacity.

==Possible solutions==

===End-to-end principal===
...

===Right of exit===
...

===Public backlash===
...

===Alternative platforms===
...

==Examples==
===E-commerce===
In Doctorow's original post, he discussed the practices of Amazon. The online retailer initially drew in users with products sold below cost and free shipping. Once its userbase was well established, more sellers began to sell their products through Amazon. Finally, Amazon began to add fees to increase profits. In 2023, over 45% of the sale price of items went to Amazon in the form of various fees. Amazon also allows sellers the ability to push their listing higher in search results via its paid Sponsored Products program. Doctorow described advertisement within Amazon as a payola scheme in which sellers bid against one another for search-ranking preference, and said that the first five pages of a search for "cat beds" were half advertisements

eBay is another e-commerce site that followed a similar trajectory, initially offering low fees and a robust buying/selling protection system. Once its userbase of largely secondhand buyers and sellers was solidified, eBay raised seller fees and began incentivizing large volume sellers - often actual businesses - with lower selling fees should they subscribe to eBay Store. eBay sellers are also no longer able to leave negative feedback for buyers, greatly reducing the ability of sellers to avoid bad actors. Since then, eBay has introduced promoted listings that are effectively analogous to Amazon's paid sponsored listing system. eBay has also encouraged sellers to use AI generated descriptions that often misrepresent the condition of items being sold, along with opting all of its users into in-house AI training [[Ebay AI opt in by default|by default]] as of its April 21, 2025 privacy policy revision.

===Media streaming platforms===
The enshittification of Netflix is similarly reflected in other streaming platforms such as YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video, where prices have increased despite a decline (or at least no perceivable improvement) in overall service quality.

===Search engines===
Google started as an ad-free search engine, but over time more paid insertions have been included on the top of the search without a clear and visible distinction between ads and actual legitimate results. In 2024, Google started rolling out AI Overview, but the roll-out was rushed. The AI Overview showed inaccurate, potentially dangerous overviews, such as encouraging eating rocks, suggesting putting glue on top of pizza as a solution to cheese sliding off, encouraging smoking during pregnancy, encouraging suicide and suggesting users to jump off the golden gate bridge.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goodwin |first=Danny |date=24 May 2024 |title=Google AI Overviews under fire for giving dangerous and wrong answers |url=https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overview-fails-442575 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250623180113/https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overview-fails-442575 |archive-date=23 Jun 2025 |access-date=21 Jul 2025 |work=Search Engine Land}}</ref> Google has responded to those issues and temporarily disabled the AI overview. While those incidents have been fixed and the AI Overview has been made available again, the AI overview still shows inaccurate results, often citing satire comments as factual sources, or making stuff up. The AI overview has also been criticized for reducing traffic towards genuine sites, where instead of visiting sites to get the information, the information is displayed on top, where people don't have to visit sites to get the information they were looking for, and is also a cause of privacy concerns.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=15 Jul 2025 |title=Google Discover adds AI summaries, threatening publishers with further traffic declines |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/15/google-discover-adds-ai-summaries-threatening-publishers-with-further-traffic-declines/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250718124612/https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/15/google-discover-adds-ai-summaries-threatening-publishers-with-further-traffic-declines/ |archive-date=18 Jul 2025 |access-date=21 Jul 2025 |work=TechCrunch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bellan |first=Rebecca |date=10 Jun 2025 |title=Google’s AI search features are killing traffic to publishers |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/10/googles-ai-overviews-are-killing-traffic-for-publishers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250714040741/https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/10/googles-ai-overviews-are-killing-traffic-for-publishers/ |archive-date=14 Jul 2025 |access-date=21 Jul 2025 |work=TechCrunch}}</ref>

===Social media===
Facebook...

Instagram...

Twitter/X...

TikTok...

YouTube...

===Software===
Adobe...

Windows...

===Video Games===
Unity...

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Greenwashing

2025-07-21T10:24:55Z

Emayeah: added Shell as an example

{{StubNotice}}

'''{{Wplink|Greenwashing}}''' is a form of advertising or marketing that deceptively uses social and environmental public relations (PR) in order to persuade the public that a company's products, goals, or policies are environmentally-friendly. Companies that intentionally adopt greenwashing strategies often do so to distance themselves from their environmental lapses or those of their suppliers. While the term itself was coined in a 1986 essay about the hotel industry's "save the towel" movement,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Jim |last=Motavalli |title=A History of Greenwashing: How Dirty Towels Impacted the Green Movement |url=https://www.aol.com/2011-02-12-the-history-of-greenwashing-how-dirty-towels-impacted-the-green.html |website=AOL |date=12 Feb 2011 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822081337/https://www.aol.com/2011-02-12-the-history-of-greenwashing-how-dirty-towels-impacted-the-green.html |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref> the practice has been traced back to the 1950s with the "keep America beautiful" campaign that places the burden of reducing and recycling litter onto the consumer and shifts the focus away from corporate responsibility.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Business-Managed Environment — Front Groups — Keep America Beautiful |url=https://www.herinst.org/BusinessManagedDemocracy/environment/fronts/KAB.html |website=herinst.org |date=2009 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225224843/https://www.herinst.org/BusinessManagedDemocracy/environment/fronts/KAB.html |archive-date=25 Feb 2012}}</ref><blockquote>“Their glitzy advertisements can no longer conceal their climate criminal behaviour – polluting the planet, raking in record profits, and sanitising their own image to continue the climate-wrecking cycle.” — former Green Party MP Caroline Lucas<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>

==Notable examples==
*BP-post-Gulf oil spill advertisements<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |first=Ria |last=Kakkad |title=Is BP’s latest campaign nothing more than 'sophisticated greenwashing'? |url=https://www.sustainability-beat.co.uk/2023/09/15/bp-greenwashing/ |website=Sustainability / Beat |date=15 Sep 2023 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208053401/https://www.sustainability-beat.co.uk/2023/09/15/bp-greenwashing/ |archive-date=8 Dec 2023}}</ref>
*Beverage companies - continuation of the "keep America beautiful" movement<ref name=":0" />
*Volkswagen - emissions scandal<ref>{{Cite web |first=Jeff |last=Plungis |title=Volkswagen emissions scandal: Forty years of greenwashing - the well-travelled road taken by VW |url=https://www.the-independent.com/news/business/analysis-and-features/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-forty-years-of-greenwashing-the-welltravelled-road-taken-by-vw-10516209.html |website=The Independent
|date=25 Sep 2015 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405063138/https://www.the-independent.com/news/business/analysis-and-features/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-forty-years-of-greenwashing-the-welltravelled-road-taken-by-vw-10516209.html |archive-date=5 Apr 2025}}</ref>
*Shell - misleading advertisements implying that Shell is more green than what it actually is<ref>{{Cite news |last=Meredith |first=Sam |date=7 Jun 2023 |title=Oil giant Shell’s UK ad campaign banned for being ‘likely to mislead’ consumers |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/07/oil-shells-uk-ad-campaign-banned-for-misleading-consumers.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618174208/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/07/oil-shells-uk-ad-campaign-banned-for-misleading-consumers.html |archive-date=18 Jun 2023 |access-date=21 Jul 2025}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Personal Information Protection Act

2025-07-21T10:11:41Z

Emayeah: minor rewording and spelling mistake corrections

{{StubNotice}}

The South Korean '''Personal Information Protection Act''' (PIPA) is one of the world's strictest data privacy laws, requiring companies to obtain explicit consent before collecting personal information,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Collection and processing in South Korea |url=https://www.dlapiperdataprotection.com/?t=collection-and-processing&c=KR#insight |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=DLA Piper}}</ref> accept information deletion requests,<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Korea's Personal Information Protection Act |url=https://developer.slashid.dev/docs/access/concepts/data-protection-compliance/south-korea-privacy |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=/id}}</ref> and requires personal information to be destroyed after its collection purpose has been achieved.<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act Incident Response Guidelines |url=https://www.breachrx.com/global-regulations-data-privacy-laws/south-korea-personal-information-act-2/ |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Breach RX}}</ref> In addition, service providers are required to deactivate accounts that haven't been used in over 2 years to protect personal data.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Policy on account deactivation |url=https://help.naver.com/service/5640/contents/21466?lang=en |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Naver}}</ref>

South Korea legally mandates at least a 7-day return policy for most goods bought online.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 Dec 2024 |title=Return and Refund Policies in Korea - How to get your Money Back |url=https://www.gowonderfully.com/post/a-foreigner-s-guide-to-online-shopping-refunds-and-returns-in-south-korea |url-status=live |access-date=4 Apr 2025 |website=Go Wonderfully}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Legislation]]

Apple App Store

2025-07-21T09:59:27Z

Emayeah: swapped "program" with "app"

[[File:App Store (iOS).svg|thumb|150px]]

'''[[Apple]]''' uses a range of technical measures to protect their App Store ecosystem and reduce consumer choice. These measures obscure the company's business intentions, creating roadblocks for app developers and users, while typically citing security reasons for their existence. This actively hurts the ability for lawmakers to advocate for the rights of consumers and businesses in Apple's ecosystem, and prevents apps from being as useful as their customers expect.

A never-ending demand for a cut of every sale of a digital product, ranging from game currency, to supporting content creators,<ref name="patreon">{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Patreon: adding Apple’s 30 percent tax is the price of staying in the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/24218629/patreon-membership-ios-30-percent-apple-tax |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> to booking a Zoom call with a local business,<ref name="facebook">{{Cite web |last=Paul |first=Katie |last2=Nellis |first2=Stephen |date=28 Aug 2020 |title=Exclusive: Facebook says Apple rejected its attempt to tell users about App Store fees |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-apple-exclusive/exclusive-facebook-says-apple-rejected-its-attempt-to-tell-users-about-app-store-fees-idUSKBN25O042/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> hurts the ability for app developers to innovate. These developers, working hard and pulling countless hours to build a quality app, always need to take Apple's (and [[Google]]'s) demands into account - specifically, a fee of between 15% and 30% of all revenue collected via the app. This is revenue that can be reinvested into the app, but instead must be earmarked for the platforms they are '''required''' to use to reach their customers.

Because this is a clear problem, several governments, including South Korea,<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 Mar 2022 |title=South Korea approves rules on app store law targeting Apple, Google |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-approves-rules-app-store-law-targeting-apple-google-2022-03-08/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Japan,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharwood |first=Simon |date=13 Jun 2024 |title=Japan forces Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores and payments |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/13/japan_smartphone_software_law/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Register]]}}</ref> the European Union,<ref>[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]</ref> the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Competition and Markets Authority |date=4 Mar 2021 |title=Investigation into Apple AppStore |url=https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/investigation-into-apple-appstore |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[gov.uk]]}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Apr 2021 |title=Dominance of Apple and Google's app stores impacting competition and consumers |url=https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/dominance-of-apple-and-googles-app-stores-impacting-competition-and-consumers |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[ACCC]]}}</ref> as well as the US and a handful of states,<ref>[[wikipedia:Open App Markets Act|Open App Markets Act]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Nov 2024 |title=S.5364 - App Store Accountability Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5364/text/is |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[congress.gov]]}}</ref><ref name="doj">{{Cite web |last=Balsamo |first=Mike |last2=Liedtke |first2=Mike |last3=Whitehurst |first3=Lindsay |last4=Bajak |first4=Frank |date=21 Mar 2024 |title=Justice Department sues Apple, alleging it illegally monopolized the smartphone market |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-monopoly-app-store-justice-department-822d7e8f5cf53a2636795fcc33ee1fc3 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[APNews]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Feb 2021 |title=It’s time to free ourselves from ‘Big Tech’ monopoly |url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2021/02/19/its-time-to-free-ourselves-from-big-tech-monopoly/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Arizona Capitol Times]]}}</ref> have opened investigations into anti-competitive practices, or considered or already passed legislation to force "gatekeeper platforms" such as Apple to be more reasonable with third-party developers.

This being a major threat to Apple's revenue stream (interestingly, one they claim to be unsure is profitable<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Apr 2024 |title=Schiller doesn’t know whether the App Store is profitable; there are no minutes of meetings |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/17/app-store-is-profitable-apple-notes/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9to5Mac]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Jan 2025 |title=Apple denies App Store profit margin is 75% – claims to have no clue |url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/17/apple-denies-app-store-profit-margin-is-75-claims-to-have-no-clue/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9t05Mac]]}}</ref>), they have responded with practices such as geoblocking certain operating system functionality based on physical location,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eligibility |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Apple Wiki]]}}</ref> misrepresenting/overstating risks, and using careful wording with commonly-understood terms to describe unreasonably difficult-to-use systems.

==Background info==
Important terms you'll run into in this article:

*'''[[wikipedia:Sandbox (computer security)|Sandbox]]''': Reduces exposure of the user's device/data to security risks, by reducing what an app is allowed to do.
*'''[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Entitlements Entitlements]''': Apple's method of "poking holes" in the sandbox, to give the app more permissions. Some are available to developers, while many are only available to Apple.
*'''[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]''': The European Union's fairly sweeping recent regulations against forcing companies they classify as "gatekeepers" to play nice, giving smaller businesses access to software/hardware features they've historically reserved for their own use.

==In-app purchases==
Apple has been collecting users' credit card numbers since launching the iTunes Store in 2004. The launch of the App Store in 2008, followed by the introduction of in-app purchases (IAPs) in 2009, gave iPhone app developers the opportunity to sell app features to users. The IAP system is provided as a developer framework named [https://developer.apple.com/storekit/ StoreKit]. Apps and their in-app purchases are managed through a dashboard named [https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/ App Store Connect]. App sales have eclipsed iTunes Store sales, and are now a primary focus of Apple's Media Services division.

Apple requires any purchase of a digital good or service in an app to use their in-app purchase system. This may seem reasonable because the customer may inevitably call Apple support, demanding a refund for an app they have issues with. Apple would rather give that refund and leave the customer with a positive support experience, than to provide a messy process involving contacting a third-party, whose customer service is likely nowhere near the same experience.

App Store purchase fees are between 15% and 30%. In September 2016, Apple expanded subscriptions to be available to any type of app, also introducing a 15% discount incentive when the user has already subscribed for a year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goode |first=Lauren |date=2 Sep 2016 |title=Apple’s new subscription offerings are now available to App Store developers |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12774758/apple-developers-app-store-new-subscription-rules |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> In November 2020, Apple introduced a reduced 15% fee for app developers with revenue below $1 million per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centers |first=Josh |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Apple Drops App Store Commission to 15% for Small Developers |url=https://tidbits.com/2020/11/18/apple-drops-app-store-commission-to-15-for-small-developers/ |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[TidBITS]]}}</ref> For developers above this threshold, and for cases excluded from this program such as for games, the fee is 30%. In the 2008 announcement of the App Store, Apple considered this a reasonable, industry-standard fee. However, the way we use apps has significantly evolved since 2009 - the world has shifted to heavily depend upon on mobile apps, which have also evolved into more complex and sustainable business models than a simple one-time purchase.

[[wikipedia:Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]], a popular platform used for payments on the web, uses a base fee of 2.9% plus a fixed $0.30 in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pricing |url=https://stripe.com/it/pricing |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Stripe]]}}</ref> With add-on services, before considering volume discounts, a Stripe transaction may rather have a cost of 6.4% + $1.10.<ref>Calculated from base fee (2.9% + $0.30) + international card (1.5%) + adaptive pricing (2%) + international payment methods ($0.80), as of January 2025</ref> Stripe has been used by businesses ranging from small online stores, to [[OpenAI]] for ChatGPT Plus. Competing payments services have similar or identical fees to Stripe. '''The in-app purchase system does not provide sufficient value to justify considerably higher fees than alternative payment platforms.'''

The App Store system poorly handles secondary marketplaces of digital services that exist within the primary App Store marketplace, such as Patreon. Apple, however, still requires companies in the business of selling digital services to use this inadequate system. This requires the app to account for Apple's fee, which is significant enough to often warrant increasing prices, and to follow rules even if they do not make sense for the nature of service they are providing. Apple has frequently been found in disputes with such apps. This injects extra complication at no benefit to the marketplace, the creator, or the customer - only to Apple, who has little to no involvement after delivering the initial app download to the user's phone. The significant fee also often drives app developers to consider building their app around an advertising model instead, creating privacy concerns.

Additionally, the 15% small businesses fee discount is judged based on the app's overall turnover, and is not based on individual creators in the app's marketplace. An app that turns over $1 million per year by providing services to creators that individually make less than $1 million per year does not have the opportunity to use the discount.

Apple, often together with Google, use lobbying efforts in the United States and other countries in an attempt to minimize the issues. "ACT | The App Association", pitched as an association of independent small business app developers, is at least 50% funded by Apple, and does not list its claimed 2,000 members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Oct 2021 |title=Not a class ACT: the so-called App Association is simply an Apple Association and does NOT represent app developers' interests in fair distribution terms |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Sep 2022 |title=Vast majority of ACT {{!}} The App Association's funding comes from Apple, former employees tell Bloomberg: astroturfing against app developers' interests |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref> In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice along with 16 state attorneys-general filed a lawsuit against Apple, including an accusation that the company "extracts more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others".<ref name="doj" /> The future of this lawsuit is unclear as of April 2025.

Despite criticism of Apple forcing their fee into transactions with small businesses and creators on [[#Patreon|Patreon]], [[#Facebook online events|Facebook]], and similar platforms, on 23 January 2025, Apple announced the Advanced Commerce API. It "support[s] developers' evolving business models - such as exceptionally large content catalogs, creator experiences, and subscriptions with optional add-ons".<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Jan 2025 |title=Introducing the Advanced Commerce API |url=https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxy958ya |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref> While positioned as a way for such businesses to save development time and avoid ongoing costs by building on top of Apple's mature payments platform, its use is in fact necessary for these businesses to work within the App Store guidelines, as seen in cases outlined below. The feature requires submitting a description of the app's business model to Apple for approval. This continues a trend of requiring Apple's consent to conduct business in a place users have been trained to expect it.

Given Apple's strong incentives, and a ticking clock as legal pressure builds, it is not hard to find stories from app developers regarding poor experiences with Apple's app review process.

:''This list is extremely incomplete. Please add examples if you know of any.''

===Epic Games===
{{hatnote|See also: [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Apple|Epic Games v. Apple]] and [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Google|Epic Games v. Google]]}}

[[Epic Games, Inc.]] is a video game developer and publisher, known for games such as [[Fortnite]] and [[Unreal Tournament]], the [[Unreal Engine]], and the [[Epic Games Store]].

In 2018, Epic Games launched Fortnite on the iOS and Android platforms. The company made the unusual decision to not release the app on the [[Google Play Store]] - rather, it was made available as a standalone [[wikipedia:apk (file format)|Android app package]] file (.apk), which must be installed by following a series of manual steps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=3 Aug 2018 |title=Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic’s website |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/3/17645982/epic-games-fortnite-android-version-bypass-google-play-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The app was also released on the [[Samsung]] [[Samsung Galaxy Store|Galaxy Store]]. Google offered a $147 million deal for Epic Games to release Fortnite on the Play Store, which the company declined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=9 Nov 2023 |title=Google offered Epic $147 million to launch Fortnite on the Play Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/8/23953262/google-epic-fortnite-play-store-investment-antitrust-trial |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 22 April 2020, Fortnite was finally released on the Play Store.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=22 April 2020 |title=Fortnite available on the Google Play Store for the first time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/21/21229930/fortnite-available-on-google-play-android-mobile-devices |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Polygon]]}}</ref> In a statement, the company explained:

<blockquote>
After 18 months of operating Fortnite on Android outside of the Google Play Store, we've come to a basic realization: Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.
</blockquote>

On 13 August 2020, Epic Games launched a campaign against both Apple and Google's app store business practices. The company released app updates on both platforms, introducing a method for purchasing V-Bucks in-game currency at a 20% discount by directly transacting with Epic Games, against the developer rules of both platforms. The platforms responded by removing the game from their storefronts. Epic Games then filed civil antitrust lawsuits against both companies in the Northern District of California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Epic Games is suing Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/13/21367963/epic-fortnite-legal-complaint-apple-ios-app-store-removal-injunctive-relief |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The campaign, branded "Free Fortnite", was later extended with lawsuits and complaints in Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Epic Games extends its fight against Apple to Australia |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/freefortnite-australia-press-release |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>, the European Union,<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Feb 2021 |title=Epic Game Files EU Antitrust Complaint Against Apple |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-apple |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Mar 2021 |title=Epic Games files complaint to support CMA Apple investigation |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-complaint-to-support-cma-apple-investigation |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>

On 11 September 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided on the case. While the lawsuit against Apple failed on 9 of 10 counts, Rogers ruled against Apple's use of "anti-steering" - their strategies of preventing the user from being "steered" to a third-party storefront for payment processing, placing a permanent injunction on this behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon |first=Russell |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/10/22662320/epic-apple-ruling-injunction-judge-court-app-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Despite the case mostly failing, the discovery process provided significant insight into Apple's decisions around App Store policies, including decisions made in major app review disputes, and in one case, executive Phil Schiller arguing to reduce the fee from 30%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurman |first=Mark |date=4 May 2021 |title=Apple’s Schiller Floated Cutting App Store Fees a Decade Ago |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-03/apple-s-schiller-floated-cutting-app-store-fees-a-decade-ago |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Bloomberg]]}}</ref>

Epic Games and Apple both appealed the decision. 35 state attorneys-general, the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF), [[Microsoft]], among others filed amicus briefs in support of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=29 Jan 2022 |title=Epic largely lost to Apple, but 35 states are now backing its fight in a higher court |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22907106/epic-games-v-apple-amicus-briefs-states-eff-microsoft-appeal |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 11 December 2023, the jury in the case against Google decided on all 11 counts in favor of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bensinger |first=Greg |last2=Scarcella |first2=Mike |date=13 Dec 2023 |title=Epic Games wins antitrust case against Google over Play app store |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/google-epic-games-face-off-app-antitrust-trial-nears-end-2023-12-11/ |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

On 1 May 2025, Rogers found that Apple willfully chose to not comply with the 2021 injunction, commenting "that it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=1 May 2025 |title=A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/659246/apple-epic-app-store-judge-ruling-control |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

===Facebook online events===
In August 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook introduced the ability for small businesses to accept an entrance fee for events. Previously, Facebook would only act as a way to RSVP for the event - the organizer must use a third-party event ticketing system to collect fees. The company pledged to not collect any fee on event sales "until 2023".<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Paid Online Events for Small Business Recovery |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/paid-online-events/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Meta]]}}</ref>

Apple disagreed, requiring the feature to use the in-app purchases system. This introduced Apple's 30% fee. As this increases the price the user pays, with no benefit to the small business the user intended to support, the fee was displayed as a line item in checkout. Apple did not accept this disclosure of the fee, referring to it as "irrelevant".<ref name="facebook" /> Facebook was allowed to compromise on displaying the fee, but ''without'' indicating that it is specifically an App Store fee.

===HEY===
HEY.com is a paid webmail provider launched in June 2020 by long-time software company [[wikipedia:37signals|37signals]], specializing in inbox organization tools.

After successfully launching the initial version of the app on the App Store, the company announced that an update was rejected due to a complaint about the business model. The app did not intend to support in-app purchases - instead, the user is expected to already have an account with the service. Apple did not like this arrangement, and demanded the company build an in-app subscription option. The company argued that they are being held to a different set of rules than apps such as [[Netflix, Inc.|Netflix]], whose app does not provide any way to purchase a subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=17 Jun 2020 |title=Hey.com exec says Apple is acting like ‘gangsters,’ rejecting App Store updates and demanding cut of sales |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21293419/hey-apple-rejection-ios-app-store-dhh-gangsters-antitrust |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> After a suggestion from Apple executive Phil Schiller in the media, HEY introduced a 14 day free trial mode, which was approved.<ref>https://www.hey.com/apple/path/</ref><ref>https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/18/interview-apples-schiller-says-position-on-hey-app-is-unchanged-and-no-rules-changes-are-imminent/</ref>

===Patreon===
In August 2024, [[Patreon]] announced a change in arrangement with Apple for its App Store app. From November 2024, subscriptions started from the iOS app would be required to use the in-app purchase system, bypassing Patreon's own long-standing payments practices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Apple’s requirements are about to hit creators and fans on Patreon. Here’s what you need to know. |url=https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Patreon]]}}</ref><ref name="patreon" /> This change does not affect the Android app.

By forcing Patreon out of the payments pipeline, certain payment models are no longer available to users of Patreon's iOS app. Creators who rely on the "per-creation" payment model, as opposed to the standard "per-month", can no longer be subscribed to from the app. The app is also not able to support the "first-of-the-month" model, where payments from all subscribers are collected on the first day of the month, rather than every 30 days since each member's day of subscription. The price must also be rounded to a price tier supported by Apple.

Patreon provides creators with the choice to increase their prices by 30% in the iOS app, or to keep the same prices but forfeit 30% to Apple. Creators frequently remind potential supporters to not use the Patreon iOS app, adding extra inconvenience to those wanting to support the work of small creators.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - fee on top.png|"Maintain earnings and cover Apple's fee by increasing prices in iOS app" (Recommended)
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - absorb fee.png|"Keep prices in the iOS app the same and cover Apple's fee yourself"
</gallery>

A similar case occurred with the app Fanhouse in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@jasminericegirl |date=9 Jun 2021 |title=#fuckapple, a thread I cofounded @fanhouseapp 8 months ago to empower creators to monetize their content. We pay creators 90% of earnings. Now, Apple is threatening to remove Fanhouse from the app store unless we give them 30% of creator earnings. This is theft and exploitation. |url=https://x.com/jasminericegirl/status/1402691047940100100 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

===Twitter===
In August 2021, [[Twitter]] introduced a feature named Super Follows (now Subscriptions), in which a user can pay a subscription fee to access more of a creator's content. For each user who enables Subscriptions, Twitter must submit a new in-app purchase SKU to the App Store, which will become available with the next update to the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@wongmjane |date=2 Sep 2021 |title=Each Super Follow is an In-App Purchase on the App Store, but because there are too many IAPs for the Twitter app, the App Store only shows 10 instead of the full list |url=https://x.com/wongmjane/status/1433372120080261120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref> This, of course, is subject to the 30% fee. At the time of writing in January 2025, viewing the App Store listing reveals Elon Musk's $4.00 subscription as the fourth most popular IAP item.

==Notarization==
Since 2015, Apple expects all Mac apps to be "notarized". This is a preliminary, automated malware check, which upon passing, provides a notary certificate that gets "stapled" to the app. Apple's explanation:

<blockquote>
Notarization of macOS software is not App Review. The Apple notary service is an automated system that scans your software for malicious content, checks for code-signing issues, and returns the results to you quickly. If there are no issues, the notary service generates a ticket for you to staple to your software; the notary service also publishes that ticket online where Gatekeeper can find it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notarizing macOS software before distribution |url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing-macos-software-before-distribution |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Whether this is actually a better approach than used by Windows antivirus, where they find out about new malware samples only when they end up on a user's computer, is a separate topic.

To comply with the DMA's regulations on app marketplaces, Apple created a new channel of releasing apps outside of the iOS App Store. Apps go through a notarization process. But the process is definitely ''not'' notarization. The name is intentionally being abused, by contrast to notarization on macOS, to make you believe it is something other than the existing App Review system. Despite the pain some developers and users have with it, notarization on macOS has always been considered a net positive. It made sense to take advantage of its reputation for the entirely different "notarization" on iOS.

See for yourself - view the [https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ App Review Guidelines] and tick "Show Notarization Review Guidelines Only". While most rules are knocked out by this, a good number of them are still in place. These apps are still reviewed and tested by the App Review team, must have a full product listing in App Store Connect, and can be outright rejected - all in the same way as an App Store app.

By contrast, all that is required for notarization on macOS is for your app to not be malware. You submit it to an automated system that approves it within minutes. '''You don't need to convince Apple your app is worthy of existing on their platform.'''

The point of macOS notarization is that Apple has a record of all binaries that are intended for wide distribution on macOS, and can review them both in advance and on a regular basis for known malware/common malware patterns. Say a malware app manages to initially get through, when Apple finds out, they can go back in the notary records and find every sample of that malware to analyze and block. This is purely a technical process, managed by skilled security researchers, while iOS app review and "notarization" is a business process, managed by workers who have been given a checklist of violations to look for.

Apple is retaining complete control over what's allowed to run on iOS. On macOS, you can choose to run apps that have not been notarized (even though the process to bypass the warning is intentionally difficult). On iOS, you never get even that option. What Apple created is the App Store but with more steps. It still goes on the App Store, just hidden so it can only be installed by the third-party store it's tied to.

*Mysk: "iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens."<ref>{{Cite web |last=@mysk_co |date=28 Jun 2024 |title=iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens: |url=https://x.com/mysk_co/status/1806638308455256242 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

==JIT==
[[wikipedia:Just-in-time compilation|JIT]], which stands for Just-In-Time, is a method of code execution where code, instead of being compiled before being distributed (like an EXE), gets compiled into machine code in real time right before being executed. This method of code execution allows for much faster website loading times, faster emulation, faster program execution (with programs written in JavaScript, Python, Lua...) compared to interpreters, which instead translates code into machine code line by line, which is much, much slower. JIT also employs many more optimization techniques meant to improve performance, but all you need to know is that JIT is much faster than an interpreter.

Safari is allowed to use JIT to compile code from any site, same with Apple's [https://apps.apple.com/app/swift-playgrounds/id908519492 Playgrounds] app on iPad. Playgrounds bundles Apple's [[wikipedia:Swift (programming language)|Swift]] compiler, and shares backend code with the version of Playgrounds found in [[wikipedia:Xcode|Xcode]].

Third-party apps like Pythonista (a Python IDE), emulators like Delta and UTM and terminal environments like iSH are not allowed to use JIT, instead having to interpret code, which comes with serious performance degradation and is more computationally expensive, potentially draining more battery.

An example of apps being heavily affected by this restriction is UTM. UTM is a port of [[wikipedia:QEMU|QEMU]] for iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, allowing users to create [[wikipedia:Virtual_machine|VMs]] that can run various OSes, for example Microsoft Windows. The iPhone's hardware capable enough to emulate various modern OSes at full speed, but due to Apple's JIT limitation, the team behind UTM had to create UTM SE (slow edition) that doesn't require JIT, but is nowhere near as fast as UTM with JIT, only being capable of running MS-DOS and derivatives at acceptable speeds. While methods that enable JIT for apps other than Safari and Playgrounds exist (some currently working on iOS 18.5, like [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stikdebug/id6744045754 StikDebug]), Apple does not allow the use of JIT in notarized apps, meaning that apps that support JIT will have to be sideloaded, which comes with its own set of restrictions.

In the EU, Apple gave web browsers permission to use rendering and JavaScript engines other than the built-in with Apple WebKit/JavaScriptCore, with the option for JS engines to use JIT. The browser still has to be approved by Apple for an entitlement, and then must work within APIs provided by Apple for it. But, as of January 2025, no browsers that use different engines than the built-in ones have been released, mainly due to arbitrarily imposed restrictions, meant to discourage the usage and development of third-party engines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mozilla says Apple’s new browser rules are ‘as painful as possible’ for Firefox |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052067/mozilla-apple-ios-browser-rules-firefox |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

However, Apple still does not allow different engines outside of the EU, with or without JIT support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=App Review Guidelines |url=https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5.6 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>

==Sandbox==
You might not like app sandboxing, but it's a powerful security feature used on all modern platforms. The reality is very few apps need more than a few basic permissions. [[wikipedia:Flatpak|Flatpak]] on Linux also sandboxes apps, and it seems to work great! Still, it's completely fair that there should be processes for doing things beyond what the sandbox allows. You see some of this with permission prompts - does a flashlight app ''really'' need access to your contacts? (Apple has been burned by apps abusing user data before the current permission system was built out.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bohn |first=Dleter |date=15 Feb 2012 |title=iOS apps and the address book: who has your data, and how they’re getting it |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/14/2798008/ios-apps-and-the-address-book-what-you-need-to-know |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>)

It can go further than this. As we established in previous sections, an app can be given more access to features of the system using entitlements. These come in a few flavors:

*'''Completely safe''': Entitlements any developer can opt into, with little to no risk.
*'''Approval required''': Entitlements that might be more of a security risk to allow, e.g. giving considerably wider access to the system, or that Apple simply doesn't want to hand out to just ''anyone'' for competitive reasons. The developer must submit a request to Apple with evidence of why they need the entitlement.
*'''Private''': Entitlements that are never allowed for any app developer to use. Many of these are reasonably fenced off because they handle user data that is very risky, or bypasses permission prompts, etc, but can just as well also be guarding features Apple wants to keep to itself.

There have been [https://gizmodo.com/researchers-uber-s-ios-app-had-secret-permissions-that-1819177235 exceptions] where Apple quietly gave a company access to private entitlements anyway, raising eyebrows.

On iOS, you also can't be ''more'' secure than the default sandbox. That might seem crazy if you're not a developer, but it's pretty important for security in a variety of situations. On macOS, there are several entitlements you must declare to decide whether you're allowed to access certain types of user data at all. Android used this design from the very start - you can't even do fundamental things like access the internet without declaring it in your manifest. It makes it very explicit what the app's intentions are.

iOS has one sandbox used by all App Store apps. System apps, and App Store apps developed by Apple, are allowed to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions as needed. Third-party apps do not get the right to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions at all. This is clearly less secure. To take the example of Playgrounds again, while it's allowed to run your code from a separate process executing in an ultra locked down sandbox with very few permissions, competing apps such as Pythonista must run your code in the same sandbox and address space as the main app process. The Python interpreter crashing would therefore crash the entire app, possibly losing work. In the worst case, a vulnerability in third-party code could give access to all data stored by/accessible to the app. For example, it would be a nightmare if you can tap the wrong link in Safari and have a hacker easily steal your cookies from other websites. If that third-party code could run in its own limited sandbox, the risk is significantly reduced.

The only known workaround is to execute the code via JavaScript, as Apple's JavaScriptCore engine runs in a heavily sandboxed process. This requires you to port the code to JS, which may be a lot of work, or just not viable. You wouldn't want to run the Python interpreter inside JavaScript - the performance would be terrible!

==In-app browsers==
Safari's in-app browser, that is the minimal version you get when tapping a link from social media, uses an entirely separate data store for each app. The in-app browser isn't aware of cookies in the "full" Safari app, or any other app, and doesn't support Safari extensions. Apple claimed this was to protect malicious apps from stealing or setting cookies in Safari without your knowledge, which is a fair argument, but it's hard to not notice that it makes web browsing inconvenient, encouraging users to install native apps, where they can make transactions through Apple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@whitehatguy |date=12 Jun 2017 |title=Impact of iOS 11 no longer providing shared cookies between Safari, Safari View Controller instances |url=https://github.com/openid/AppAuth-iOS/issues/120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

This also means your browsing in the in-app browser is just forgotten - there's no history menu, and it doesn't get logged to the history in the full Safari app either. Good luck recalling that article you read a few weeks ago.

==See also==
*[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility Eligibility]
*Posts written by an author of this article:
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/19/app-marketplace-experience.html The iOS 17.4 app marketplace flow is a disaster]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/20/ios-eligibility.html How I tricked iOS into giving me EU DMA features]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/23/ios-eligibility-features.html Features controlled by iOS 17.4's eligibility system]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Apple App Store]]

List of devices requiring account for initial setup

2025-07-21T09:55:19Z

Emayeah: Added EZVIZ smart plugs. I own one and can confirm it, add a source if you can find one

You've just bought your shiny new gadget. As you've just unboxed it, you want to set it up. Unfortunately, you can't do anything with it as is. You have to pair it with some shady app on your smartphone and accept a lengthy [[End-user license agreement]] (EULA) just to test it. Then you have to create a new account that links your e-mail and other personal data to the device.

Often this information is hidden deep inside a manual, and there are no mentions on the product page or box. Sometimes it's not even disclosed in the manual. You have to watch some random unboxing videos on YouTube, to get to know that you need to create an account to use the device.

==Why not?==
'''Why would I want to avoid such devices?'''

*Sometimes when you buy such a device, you can receive an open-box unit which is paired to an account of the previous owner. Unlinking it is often impossible without an access to paired account, as even the manufacturer's support refuses to do it, citing "security reasons".<ref>https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/ezviz-c8c-camera-blocked-by-previous-owner.63418/#post-666651</ref>
*You have to accept a lengthy EULA, often hiding [[EULA roofie|undesirable clauses]], such as [[forced arbitration]].

==The list==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Manufacturer
!Model
!Notes
!Source
|-
|EZVIZ
|T31, Probably all smart plugs
|
|
|-
|EZVIZ
|H6c, Probably all cameras
|
|<ref>https://mfs.ezvizlife.com/H6c_QSG_EN(EU)(V1.0.0).pdf?ver=52475 page 4</ref>
|-
|DJI
|[[DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro|Osmo Action 5 Pro]]
|Allows "5 trial uses" without activation.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Beginner's Guide to Osmo Action 5 Pro |url=https://support.dji.com/help/content?customId=en-us03400011286&spaceId=34&re=US&lang=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/98Tlh |archive-date=2025-07-13 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=DJI}}</ref>
|-
|DJI
|Osmo Pocket 3
|Android app needs to be sideloaded, circumventing Google's Play Store security checks.
|<ref>https://support.dji.com/help/content?customId=en-us03400009024&spaceId=34</ref>
|-
|DJI
|RS 3 Mini
|Allows "5 trial uses" without activation.
|<ref>https://support.dji.com/help/content?customId=en-us03400007193&spaceId=34&re=US&lang=en "Activating the Gimbal" section</ref>
|-
|DJI
|RS 3 Pro
|Allows "5 trial uses" without activation.
|<ref>https://support.dji.com/help/content?customId=03400006898&spaceId=34</ref>
|-
|TP-Link
|Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip, 6-Outlet
|
|<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20240629160455/https://static.tp-link.com/upload/manual/2021/202111/20211101/1910013111_HS300(US)_UG_V2.0.1.pdf"Set Up Your Smart Power Strip" section</ref>
|-
|Canon
|[[Requirement for Canon EOS Webcam Utility subscription to enable webcam features on cameras|EOS Webcam Utility software]]
|
|<ref>[[Requirement for Canon EOS Webcam Utility subscription to enable webcam features on cameras#User Frustrations]] Better source needed</ref>
|-
|Sony
|WH-XB910N
|App is needed to be to change the switch for ambient sound / noise cancellation to including turning it off. Account is needed for the app
|
|}

==Notes==
Some device groups have an unified idea about account requirements, even through different manufacturers.

===IP cameras===
A lot of modern IP cameras do not have a traditional RTSP/HTTP video stream access, but need to be paired with an app. The smartphone app is the only means to view the camera stream. There's no sustainable way to record the stream locally. You are forced to use manufacturer's cloud storage subscription solution.

Sometimes volunteers have provided a way to circumvent this restriction, providing an alternative firmware that an advanced user can flash.<ref>https://github.com/roleoroleo/yi-hack-Allwinner-v2</ref> This is not an ideal solution, as the support is sometimes janky, and manufacturer can always block this in newer model revisions.

===DJI===
All DJI devices appear to need account for setup. The Android app needs to be sideloaded, circumventing Google's Play Store security checks.<ref>https://drones.stackexchange.com/questions/2209/how-come-the-dji-fly-app-is-not-in-google-play-store</ref> It was previously available on Play Store, but has been pulled off in 2021. DJI officially says it's due to changing "compatibility strategy".<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20211213081844/https://twitter.com/DJISupport/status/1470305900132913152</ref>

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Overview]]

BMW

2025-07-21T09:44:53Z

Emayeah: added a few citations

{{StubNotice}}

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
| Type = Public
| Founded = 27 October 1913
| Industry = Automobiles
| Official Website = https://www.bmw.com
| Logo = BMW.svg.png
}}

'''[[Wikipedia:BMW|Bayerische Motoren Werke AG]]''' (usually abbreviated '''BMW''', sometimes anglicized as '''Bavarian Motor Works''') is a German car company.

==Consumer impact summary==
BMW has come under fire for requiring subscription charges to access hardware features already built into its vehicles. This requires consumers to pay extra to enable features they possess in a technical capacity.

==Incidents==
===BMW's high beam assistant (2019)===
{{Main|BMW's high beam assistant(HBA)}}
Since 2019, BMW includes the hardware for its auto-dimming headlights in its vehicles, but requires customers to pay a subscription fee, or an exorbitant one-time fee, to activate the function.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=29 Mar 2021 |title=Today I learned BMW charges extra for a ‘don’t blind other people’ software update |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/28/22351901/bmw-high-beam-assist-assistant-dlc-paid-update-ota |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204083814/https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/28/22351901/bmw-high-beam-assist-assistant-dlc-paid-update-ota |archive-date=4 Dec 2024 |access-date=21 Jul 2025 |work=The Verge}}</ref>

===BMW's heated seat subscription (2022)===
{{Main|BMW's heated seat subscription}}
Since 2022, BMW includes the hardware for its heated seats in its vehicles, but requires customer to pay a subscription fee to activate the function. Heated steering wheels, dash cams, and remote start functions are also a subscription. Due to heavy criticism, BMW has decided to drop the heated seats subscription, making them available for everyone. <ref>{{Cite news |last=Charlton |first=Alistair |date=7 Sep 2023 |title=BMW Drops Controversial Heated Seats Subscription, To Refocus On Software Services |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alistaircharlton/2023/09/07/bmw-drops-controversial-heated-seats-subscription-to-refocus-on-software-services/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423192651/https://www.forbes.com/sites/alistaircharlton/2023/09/07/bmw-drops-controversial-heated-seats-subscription-to-refocus-on-software-services/ |archive-date=23 Apr 2025 |access-date=21 Jul 2025 |work=Forbes}}</ref>

===BMW feature lockout scandal (2023)===
{{Main|BMW feature lockout scandal}}
Since 2023, BMW includes the hardware for its M adaptive suspension in many vehicles, while requiring customers to pay extra to activate the software that enables the feature.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:BMW]]

Apple App Store

2025-07-20T19:35:43Z

Emayeah: de-nerdified a little bit and tweaked a bit of wording

[[File:App Store (iOS).svg|thumb|150px]]

'''[[Apple]]''' uses a range of technical measures to protect their App Store ecosystem and reduce consumer choice. These measures obscure the company's business intentions, creating roadblocks for app developers and users, while typically citing security reasons for their existence. This actively hurts the ability for lawmakers to advocate for the rights of consumers and businesses in Apple's ecosystem, and prevents apps from being as useful as their customers expect.

A never-ending demand for a cut of every sale of a digital product, ranging from game currency, to supporting content creators,<ref name="patreon">{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Patreon: adding Apple’s 30 percent tax is the price of staying in the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/24218629/patreon-membership-ios-30-percent-apple-tax |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> to booking a Zoom call with a local business,<ref name="facebook">{{Cite web |last=Paul |first=Katie |last2=Nellis |first2=Stephen |date=28 Aug 2020 |title=Exclusive: Facebook says Apple rejected its attempt to tell users about App Store fees |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-apple-exclusive/exclusive-facebook-says-apple-rejected-its-attempt-to-tell-users-about-app-store-fees-idUSKBN25O042/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> hurts the ability for app developers to innovate. These developers, working hard and pulling countless hours to build a quality app, always need to take Apple's (and [[Google]]'s) demands into account - specifically, a fee of between 15% and 30% of all revenue collected via the app. This is revenue that can be reinvested into the app, but instead must be earmarked for the platforms they are '''required''' to use to reach their customers.

Because this is a clear problem, several governments, including South Korea,<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 Mar 2022 |title=South Korea approves rules on app store law targeting Apple, Google |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-approves-rules-app-store-law-targeting-apple-google-2022-03-08/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Japan,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharwood |first=Simon |date=13 Jun 2024 |title=Japan forces Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores and payments |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/13/japan_smartphone_software_law/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Register]]}}</ref> the European Union,<ref>[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]</ref> the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Competition and Markets Authority |date=4 Mar 2021 |title=Investigation into Apple AppStore |url=https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/investigation-into-apple-appstore |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[gov.uk]]}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Apr 2021 |title=Dominance of Apple and Google's app stores impacting competition and consumers |url=https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/dominance-of-apple-and-googles-app-stores-impacting-competition-and-consumers |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[ACCC]]}}</ref> as well as the US and a handful of states,<ref>[[wikipedia:Open App Markets Act|Open App Markets Act]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Nov 2024 |title=S.5364 - App Store Accountability Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5364/text/is |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[congress.gov]]}}</ref><ref name="doj">{{Cite web |last=Balsamo |first=Mike |last2=Liedtke |first2=Mike |last3=Whitehurst |first3=Lindsay |last4=Bajak |first4=Frank |date=21 Mar 2024 |title=Justice Department sues Apple, alleging it illegally monopolized the smartphone market |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-monopoly-app-store-justice-department-822d7e8f5cf53a2636795fcc33ee1fc3 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[APNews]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Feb 2021 |title=It’s time to free ourselves from ‘Big Tech’ monopoly |url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2021/02/19/its-time-to-free-ourselves-from-big-tech-monopoly/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Arizona Capitol Times]]}}</ref> have opened investigations into anti-competitive practices, or considered or already passed legislation to force "gatekeeper platforms" such as Apple to be more reasonable with third-party developers.

This being a major threat to Apple's revenue stream (interestingly, one they claim to be unsure is profitable<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Apr 2024 |title=Schiller doesn’t know whether the App Store is profitable; there are no minutes of meetings |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/17/app-store-is-profitable-apple-notes/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9to5Mac]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Jan 2025 |title=Apple denies App Store profit margin is 75% – claims to have no clue |url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/17/apple-denies-app-store-profit-margin-is-75-claims-to-have-no-clue/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9t05Mac]]}}</ref>), they have responded with practices such as geoblocking certain operating system functionality based on physical location,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eligibility |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Apple Wiki]]}}</ref> misrepresenting/overstating risks, and using careful wording with commonly-understood terms to describe unreasonably difficult-to-use systems.

==Background info==
Important terms you'll run into in this article:

*'''[[wikipedia:Sandbox (computer security)|Sandbox]]''': Reduces exposure of the user's device/data to security risks, by reducing what an app is allowed to do.
*'''[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Entitlements Entitlements]''': Apple's method of "poking holes" in the sandbox, to give the app more permissions. Some are available to developers, while many are only available to Apple.
*'''[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]''': The European Union's fairly sweeping recent regulations against forcing companies they classify as "gatekeepers" to play nice, giving smaller businesses access to software/hardware features they've historically reserved for their own use.

==In-app purchases==
Apple has been collecting users' credit card numbers since launching the iTunes Store in 2004. The launch of the App Store in 2008, followed by the introduction of in-app purchases (IAPs) in 2009, gave iPhone app developers the opportunity to sell app features to users. The IAP system is provided as a developer framework named [https://developer.apple.com/storekit/ StoreKit]. Apps and their in-app purchases are managed through a dashboard named [https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/ App Store Connect]. App sales have eclipsed iTunes Store sales, and are now a primary focus of Apple's Media Services division.

Apple requires any purchase of a digital good or service in an app to use their in-app purchase system. This may seem reasonable because the customer may inevitably call Apple support, demanding a refund for an app they have issues with. Apple would rather give that refund and leave the customer with a positive support experience, than to provide a messy process involving contacting a third-party, whose customer service is likely nowhere near the same experience.

App Store purchase fees are between 15% and 30%. In September 2016, Apple expanded subscriptions to be available to any type of app, also introducing a 15% discount incentive when the user has already subscribed for a year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goode |first=Lauren |date=2 Sep 2016 |title=Apple’s new subscription offerings are now available to App Store developers |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12774758/apple-developers-app-store-new-subscription-rules |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> In November 2020, Apple introduced a reduced 15% fee for app developers with revenue below $1 million per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centers |first=Josh |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Apple Drops App Store Commission to 15% for Small Developers |url=https://tidbits.com/2020/11/18/apple-drops-app-store-commission-to-15-for-small-developers/ |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[TidBITS]]}}</ref> For developers above this threshold, and for cases excluded from this program such as for games, the fee is 30%. In the 2008 announcement of the App Store, Apple considered this a reasonable, industry-standard fee. However, the way we use apps has significantly evolved since 2009 - the world has shifted to heavily depend upon on mobile apps, which have also evolved into more complex and sustainable business models than a simple one-time purchase.

[[wikipedia:Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]], a popular platform used for payments on the web, uses a base fee of 2.9% plus a fixed $0.30 in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pricing |url=https://stripe.com/it/pricing |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Stripe]]}}</ref> With add-on services, before considering volume discounts, a Stripe transaction may rather have a cost of 6.4% + $1.10.<ref>Calculated from base fee (2.9% + $0.30) + international card (1.5%) + adaptive pricing (2%) + international payment methods ($0.80), as of January 2025</ref> Stripe has been used by businesses ranging from small online stores, to [[OpenAI]] for ChatGPT Plus. Competing payments services have similar or identical fees to Stripe. '''The in-app purchase system does not provide sufficient value to justify considerably higher fees than alternative payment platforms.'''

The App Store system poorly handles secondary marketplaces of digital services that exist within the primary App Store marketplace, such as Patreon. Apple, however, still requires companies in the business of selling digital services to use this inadequate system. This requires the app to account for Apple's fee, which is significant enough to often warrant increasing prices, and to follow rules even if they do not make sense for the nature of service they are providing. Apple has frequently been found in disputes with such apps. This injects extra complication at no benefit to the marketplace, the creator, or the customer - only to Apple, who has little to no involvement after delivering the initial app download to the user's phone. The significant fee also often drives app developers to consider building their app around an advertising model instead, creating privacy concerns.

Additionally, the 15% small businesses fee discount is judged based on the app's overall turnover, and is not based on individual creators in the app's marketplace. An app that turns over $1 million per year by providing services to creators that individually make less than $1 million per year does not have the opportunity to use the discount.

Apple, often together with Google, use lobbying efforts in the United States and other countries in an attempt to minimize the issues. "ACT | The App Association", pitched as an association of independent small business app developers, is at least 50% funded by Apple, and does not list its claimed 2,000 members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Oct 2021 |title=Not a class ACT: the so-called App Association is simply an Apple Association and does NOT represent app developers' interests in fair distribution terms |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Sep 2022 |title=Vast majority of ACT {{!}} The App Association's funding comes from Apple, former employees tell Bloomberg: astroturfing against app developers' interests |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref> In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice along with 16 state attorneys-general filed a lawsuit against Apple, including an accusation that the company "extracts more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others".<ref name="doj" /> The future of this lawsuit is unclear as of April 2025.

Despite criticism of Apple forcing their fee into transactions with small businesses and creators on [[#Patreon|Patreon]], [[#Facebook online events|Facebook]], and similar platforms, on 23 January 2025, Apple announced the Advanced Commerce API. It "support[s] developers' evolving business models - such as exceptionally large content catalogs, creator experiences, and subscriptions with optional add-ons".<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Jan 2025 |title=Introducing the Advanced Commerce API |url=https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxy958ya |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref> While positioned as a way for such businesses to save development time and avoid ongoing costs by building on top of Apple's mature payments platform, its use is in fact necessary for these businesses to work within the App Store guidelines, as seen in cases outlined below. The feature requires submitting a description of the app's business model to Apple for approval. This continues a trend of requiring Apple's consent to conduct business in a place users have been trained to expect it.

Given Apple's strong incentives, and a ticking clock as legal pressure builds, it is not hard to find stories from app developers regarding poor experiences with Apple's app review process.

:''This list is extremely incomplete. Please add examples if you know of any.''

===Epic Games===
{{hatnote|See also: [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Apple|Epic Games v. Apple]] and [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Google|Epic Games v. Google]]}}

[[Epic Games, Inc.]] is a video game developer and publisher, known for games such as [[Fortnite]] and [[Unreal Tournament]], the [[Unreal Engine]], and the [[Epic Games Store]].

In 2018, Epic Games launched Fortnite on the iOS and Android platforms. The company made the unusual decision to not release the app on the [[Google Play Store]] - rather, it was made available as a standalone [[wikipedia:apk (file format)|Android app package]] file (.apk), which must be installed by following a series of manual steps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=3 Aug 2018 |title=Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic’s website |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/3/17645982/epic-games-fortnite-android-version-bypass-google-play-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The app was also released on the [[Samsung]] [[Samsung Galaxy Store|Galaxy Store]]. Google offered a $147 million deal for Epic Games to release Fortnite on the Play Store, which the company declined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=9 Nov 2023 |title=Google offered Epic $147 million to launch Fortnite on the Play Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/8/23953262/google-epic-fortnite-play-store-investment-antitrust-trial |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 22 April 2020, Fortnite was finally released on the Play Store.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=22 April 2020 |title=Fortnite available on the Google Play Store for the first time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/21/21229930/fortnite-available-on-google-play-android-mobile-devices |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Polygon]]}}</ref> In a statement, the company explained:

<blockquote>
After 18 months of operating Fortnite on Android outside of the Google Play Store, we've come to a basic realization: Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.
</blockquote>

On 13 August 2020, Epic Games launched a campaign against both Apple and Google's app store business practices. The company released app updates on both platforms, introducing a method for purchasing V-Bucks in-game currency at a 20% discount by directly transacting with Epic Games, against the developer rules of both platforms. The platforms responded by removing the game from their storefronts. Epic Games then filed civil antitrust lawsuits against both companies in the Northern District of California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Epic Games is suing Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/13/21367963/epic-fortnite-legal-complaint-apple-ios-app-store-removal-injunctive-relief |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The campaign, branded "Free Fortnite", was later extended with lawsuits and complaints in Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Epic Games extends its fight against Apple to Australia |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/freefortnite-australia-press-release |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>, the European Union,<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Feb 2021 |title=Epic Game Files EU Antitrust Complaint Against Apple |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-apple |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Mar 2021 |title=Epic Games files complaint to support CMA Apple investigation |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-complaint-to-support-cma-apple-investigation |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>

On 11 September 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided on the case. While the lawsuit against Apple failed on 9 of 10 counts, Rogers ruled against Apple's use of "anti-steering" - their strategies of preventing the user from being "steered" to a third-party storefront for payment processing, placing a permanent injunction on this behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon |first=Russell |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/10/22662320/epic-apple-ruling-injunction-judge-court-app-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Despite the case mostly failing, the discovery process provided significant insight into Apple's decisions around App Store policies, including decisions made in major app review disputes, and in one case, executive Phil Schiller arguing to reduce the fee from 30%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurman |first=Mark |date=4 May 2021 |title=Apple’s Schiller Floated Cutting App Store Fees a Decade Ago |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-03/apple-s-schiller-floated-cutting-app-store-fees-a-decade-ago |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Bloomberg]]}}</ref>

Epic Games and Apple both appealed the decision. 35 state attorneys-general, the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF), [[Microsoft]], among others filed amicus briefs in support of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=29 Jan 2022 |title=Epic largely lost to Apple, but 35 states are now backing its fight in a higher court |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22907106/epic-games-v-apple-amicus-briefs-states-eff-microsoft-appeal |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 11 December 2023, the jury in the case against Google decided on all 11 counts in favor of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bensinger |first=Greg |last2=Scarcella |first2=Mike |date=13 Dec 2023 |title=Epic Games wins antitrust case against Google over Play app store |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/google-epic-games-face-off-app-antitrust-trial-nears-end-2023-12-11/ |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

On 1 May 2025, Rogers found that Apple willfully chose to not comply with the 2021 injunction, commenting "that it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=1 May 2025 |title=A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/659246/apple-epic-app-store-judge-ruling-control |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

===Facebook online events===
In August 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook introduced the ability for small businesses to accept an entrance fee for events. Previously, Facebook would only act as a way to RSVP for the event - the organizer must use a third-party event ticketing system to collect fees. The company pledged to not collect any fee on event sales "until 2023".<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Paid Online Events for Small Business Recovery |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/paid-online-events/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Meta]]}}</ref>

Apple disagreed, requiring the feature to use the in-app purchases system. This introduced Apple's 30% fee. As this increases the price the user pays, with no benefit to the small business the user intended to support, the fee was displayed as a line item in checkout. Apple did not accept this disclosure of the fee, referring to it as "irrelevant".<ref name="facebook" /> Facebook was allowed to compromise on displaying the fee, but ''without'' indicating that it is specifically an App Store fee.

===HEY===
HEY.com is a paid webmail provider launched in June 2020 by long-time software company [[wikipedia:37signals|37signals]], specializing in inbox organization tools.

After successfully launching the initial version of the app on the App Store, the company announced that an update was rejected due to a complaint about the business model. The app did not intend to support in-app purchases - instead, the user is expected to already have an account with the service. Apple did not like this arrangement, and demanded the company build an in-app subscription option. The company argued that they are being held to a different set of rules than apps such as [[Netflix, Inc.|Netflix]], whose app does not provide any way to purchase a subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=17 Jun 2020 |title=Hey.com exec says Apple is acting like ‘gangsters,’ rejecting App Store updates and demanding cut of sales |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21293419/hey-apple-rejection-ios-app-store-dhh-gangsters-antitrust |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> After a suggestion from Apple executive Phil Schiller in the media, HEY introduced a 14 day free trial mode, which was approved.<ref>https://www.hey.com/apple/path/</ref><ref>https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/18/interview-apples-schiller-says-position-on-hey-app-is-unchanged-and-no-rules-changes-are-imminent/</ref>

===Patreon===
In August 2024, [[Patreon]] announced a change in arrangement with Apple for its App Store app. From November 2024, subscriptions started from the iOS app would be required to use the in-app purchase system, bypassing Patreon's own long-standing payments practices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Apple’s requirements are about to hit creators and fans on Patreon. Here’s what you need to know. |url=https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Patreon]]}}</ref><ref name="patreon" /> This change does not affect the Android app.

By forcing Patreon out of the payments pipeline, certain payment models are no longer available to users of Patreon's iOS app. Creators who rely on the "per-creation" payment model, as opposed to the standard "per-month", can no longer be subscribed to from the app. The app is also not able to support the "first-of-the-month" model, where payments from all subscribers are collected on the first day of the month, rather than every 30 days since each member's day of subscription. The price must also be rounded to a price tier supported by Apple.

Patreon provides creators with the choice to increase their prices by 30% in the iOS app, or to keep the same prices but forfeit 30% to Apple. Creators frequently remind potential supporters to not use the Patreon iOS app, adding extra inconvenience to those wanting to support the work of small creators.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - fee on top.png|"Maintain earnings and cover Apple's fee by increasing prices in iOS app" (Recommended)
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - absorb fee.png|"Keep prices in the iOS app the same and cover Apple's fee yourself"
</gallery>

A similar case occurred with the app Fanhouse in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@jasminericegirl |date=9 Jun 2021 |title=#fuckapple, a thread I cofounded @fanhouseapp 8 months ago to empower creators to monetize their content. We pay creators 90% of earnings. Now, Apple is threatening to remove Fanhouse from the app store unless we give them 30% of creator earnings. This is theft and exploitation. |url=https://x.com/jasminericegirl/status/1402691047940100100 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

===Twitter===
In August 2021, [[Twitter]] introduced a feature named Super Follows (now Subscriptions), in which a user can pay a subscription fee to access more of a creator's content. For each user who enables Subscriptions, Twitter must submit a new in-app purchase SKU to the App Store, which will become available with the next update to the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@wongmjane |date=2 Sep 2021 |title=Each Super Follow is an In-App Purchase on the App Store, but because there are too many IAPs for the Twitter app, the App Store only shows 10 instead of the full list |url=https://x.com/wongmjane/status/1433372120080261120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref> This, of course, is subject to the 30% fee. At the time of writing in January 2025, viewing the App Store listing reveals Elon Musk's $4.00 subscription as the fourth most popular IAP item.

==Notarization==
Since 2015, Apple expects all Mac apps to be "notarized". This is a preliminary, automated malware check, which upon passing, provides a notary certificate that gets "stapled" to the app. Apple's explanation:

<blockquote>
Notarization of macOS software is not App Review. The Apple notary service is an automated system that scans your software for malicious content, checks for code-signing issues, and returns the results to you quickly. If there are no issues, the notary service generates a ticket for you to staple to your software; the notary service also publishes that ticket online where Gatekeeper can find it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notarizing macOS software before distribution |url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing-macos-software-before-distribution |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Whether this is actually a better approach than used by Windows antivirus, where they find out about new malware samples only when they end up on a user's computer, is a separate topic.

To comply with the DMA's regulations on app marketplaces, Apple created a new channel of releasing apps outside of the iOS App Store. Apps go through a notarization process. But the process is definitely ''not'' notarization. The name is intentionally being abused, by contrast to notarization on macOS, to make you believe it is something other than the existing App Review system. Despite the pain some developers and users have with it, notarization on macOS has always been considered a net positive. It made sense to take advantage of its reputation for the entirely different "notarization" on iOS.

See for yourself - view the [https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ App Review Guidelines] and tick "Show Notarization Review Guidelines Only". While most rules are knocked out by this, a good number of them are still in place. These apps are still reviewed and tested by the App Review team, must have a full product listing in App Store Connect, and can be outright rejected - all in the same way as an App Store app.

By contrast, all that is required for notarization on macOS is for your app to not be malware. You submit it to an automated system that approves it within minutes. '''You don't need to convince Apple your app is worthy of existing on their platform.'''

The point of macOS notarization is that Apple has a record of all binaries that are intended for wide distribution on macOS, and can review them both in advance and on a regular basis for known malware/common malware patterns. Say a malware app manages to initially get through, when Apple finds out, they can go back in the notary records and find every sample of that malware to analyze and block. This is purely a technical process, managed by skilled security researchers, while iOS app review and "notarization" is a business process, managed by workers who have been given a checklist of violations to look for.

Apple is retaining complete control over what's allowed to run on iOS. On macOS, you can choose to run apps that have not been notarized (even though the process to bypass the warning is intentionally difficult). On iOS, you never get even that option. What Apple created is the App Store but with more steps. It still goes on the App Store, just hidden so it can only be installed by the third-party store it's tied to.

*Mysk: "iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens."<ref>{{Cite web |last=@mysk_co |date=28 Jun 2024 |title=iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens: |url=https://x.com/mysk_co/status/1806638308455256242 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

==JIT==
[[wikipedia:Just-in-time compilation|JIT]], which stands for Just-In-Time, is a method of code execution where code, instead of being compiled before being distributed (like an EXE), gets compiled into machine code in real time right before being executed. This method of code execution allows for much faster website loading times, faster emulation, faster program execution (with programs written in JavaScript, Python, Lua...) compared to interpreters, which instead translates code into machine code line by line, which is much, much slower. JIT also employs many more optimization techniques meant to improve performance, but all you need to know is that JIT is much faster than an interpreter.

Safari is allowed to use JIT to compile code from any site, same with Apple's [https://apps.apple.com/app/swift-playgrounds/id908519492 Playgrounds] app on iPad. Playgrounds bundles Apple's [[wikipedia:Swift (programming language)|Swift]] compiler, and shares backend code with the version of Playgrounds found in [[wikipedia:Xcode|Xcode]].

Third-party apps like Pythonista (a Python IDE), emulators like Delta and UTM and terminal environments like iSH are not allowed to use JIT, instead having to interpret code, which comes with serious performance degradation and is more computationally expensive, potentially draining more battery.

An example of apps being heavily affected by this restriction is UTM. UTM is a port of [[wikipedia:QEMU|QEMU]] for iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, allowing users to create [[wikipedia:Virtual_machine|VMs]] that can run various OSes, for example Microsoft Windows. The iPhone's hardware capable enough to emulate various modern OSes at full speed, but due to Apple's JIT limitation, the team behind UTM had to create UTM SE (slow edition) that doesn't require JIT, but is nowhere near as fast as UTM with JIT, only being capable of running MS-DOS and derivatives at acceptable speeds. While methods that enable JIT for apps other than Safari and Playgrounds exist (some currently working on iOS 18.5, like [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stikdebug/id6744045754 StikDebug]), Apple does not allow the use of JIT in notarized apps, meaning that programs that support JIT will have to be sideloaded, which comes with its own set of restrictions.

In the EU, Apple gave web browsers permission to use rendering and JavaScript engines other than the built-in with Apple WebKit/JavaScriptCore, with the option for JS engines to use JIT. The browser still has to be approved by Apple for an entitlement, and then must work within APIs provided by Apple for it. But, as of January 2025, no browsers that use different engines than the built-in ones have been released, mainly due to arbitrarily imposed restrictions, meant to discourage the usage and development of third-party engines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mozilla says Apple’s new browser rules are ‘as painful as possible’ for Firefox |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052067/mozilla-apple-ios-browser-rules-firefox |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

However, Apple still does not allow different engines outside of the EU, with or without JIT support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=App Review Guidelines |url=https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5.6 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>

==Sandbox==
You might not like app sandboxing, but it's a powerful security feature used on all modern platforms. The reality is very few apps need more than a few basic permissions. [[wikipedia:Flatpak|Flatpak]] on Linux also sandboxes apps, and it seems to work great! Still, it's completely fair that there should be processes for doing things beyond what the sandbox allows. You see some of this with permission prompts - does a flashlight app ''really'' need access to your contacts? (Apple has been burned by apps abusing user data before the current permission system was built out.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bohn |first=Dleter |date=15 Feb 2012 |title=iOS apps and the address book: who has your data, and how they’re getting it |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/14/2798008/ios-apps-and-the-address-book-what-you-need-to-know |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>)

It can go further than this. As we established in previous sections, an app can be given more access to features of the system using entitlements. These come in a few flavors:

*'''Completely safe''': Entitlements any developer can opt into, with little to no risk.
*'''Approval required''': Entitlements that might be more of a security risk to allow, e.g. giving considerably wider access to the system, or that Apple simply doesn't want to hand out to just ''anyone'' for competitive reasons. The developer must submit a request to Apple with evidence of why they need the entitlement.
*'''Private''': Entitlements that are never allowed for any app developer to use. Many of these are reasonably fenced off because they handle user data that is very risky, or bypasses permission prompts, etc, but can just as well also be guarding features Apple wants to keep to itself.

There have been [https://gizmodo.com/researchers-uber-s-ios-app-had-secret-permissions-that-1819177235 exceptions] where Apple quietly gave a company access to private entitlements anyway, raising eyebrows.

On iOS, you also can't be ''more'' secure than the default sandbox. That might seem crazy if you're not a developer, but it's pretty important for security in a variety of situations. On macOS, there are several entitlements you must declare to decide whether you're allowed to access certain types of user data at all. Android used this design from the very start - you can't even do fundamental things like access the internet without declaring it in your manifest. It makes it very explicit what the app's intentions are.

iOS has one sandbox used by all App Store apps. System apps, and App Store apps developed by Apple, are allowed to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions as needed. Third-party apps do not get the right to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions at all. This is clearly less secure. To take the example of Playgrounds again, while it's allowed to run your code from a separate process executing in an ultra locked down sandbox with very few permissions, competing apps such as Pythonista must run your code in the same sandbox and address space as the main app process. The Python interpreter crashing would therefore crash the entire app, possibly losing work. In the worst case, a vulnerability in third-party code could give access to all data stored by/accessible to the app. For example, it would be a nightmare if you can tap the wrong link in Safari and have a hacker easily steal your cookies from other websites. If that third-party code could run in its own limited sandbox, the risk is significantly reduced.

The only known workaround is to execute the code via JavaScript, as Apple's JavaScriptCore engine runs in a heavily sandboxed process. This requires you to port the code to JS, which may be a lot of work, or just not viable. You wouldn't want to run the Python interpreter inside JavaScript - the performance would be terrible!

==In-app browsers==
Safari's in-app browser, that is the minimal version you get when tapping a link from social media, uses an entirely separate data store for each app. The in-app browser isn't aware of cookies in the "full" Safari app, or any other app, and doesn't support Safari extensions. Apple claimed this was to protect malicious apps from stealing or setting cookies in Safari without your knowledge, which is a fair argument, but it's hard to not notice that it makes web browsing inconvenient, encouraging users to install native apps, where they can make transactions through Apple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@whitehatguy |date=12 Jun 2017 |title=Impact of iOS 11 no longer providing shared cookies between Safari, Safari View Controller instances |url=https://github.com/openid/AppAuth-iOS/issues/120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

This also means your browsing in the in-app browser is just forgotten - there's no history menu, and it doesn't get logged to the history in the full Safari app either. Good luck recalling that article you read a few weeks ago.

==See also==
*[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility Eligibility]
*Posts written by an author of this article:
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/19/app-marketplace-experience.html The iOS 17.4 app marketplace flow is a disaster]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/20/ios-eligibility.html How I tricked iOS into giving me EU DMA features]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/23/ios-eligibility-features.html Features controlled by iOS 17.4's eligibility system]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Apple App Store]]

Apple App Store

2025-07-20T18:37:02Z

Emayeah: heavily reworded the JIT section trying to make it less subjective with more objective, neutral wording. hopefully it's not nerdy enough

[[File:App Store (iOS).svg|thumb|150px]]

'''[[Apple]]''' uses a range of technical measures to protect their App Store ecosystem and reduce consumer choice. These measures obscure the company's business intentions, creating roadblocks for app developers and users, while typically citing security reasons for their existence. This actively hurts the ability for lawmakers to advocate for the rights of consumers and businesses in Apple's ecosystem, and prevents apps from being as useful as their customers expect.

A never-ending demand for a cut of every sale of a digital product, ranging from game currency, to supporting content creators,<ref name="patreon">{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Patreon: adding Apple’s 30 percent tax is the price of staying in the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/24218629/patreon-membership-ios-30-percent-apple-tax |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> to booking a Zoom call with a local business,<ref name="facebook">{{Cite web |last=Paul |first=Katie |last2=Nellis |first2=Stephen |date=28 Aug 2020 |title=Exclusive: Facebook says Apple rejected its attempt to tell users about App Store fees |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-apple-exclusive/exclusive-facebook-says-apple-rejected-its-attempt-to-tell-users-about-app-store-fees-idUSKBN25O042/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> hurts the ability for app developers to innovate. These developers, working hard and pulling countless hours to build a quality app, always need to take Apple's (and [[Google]]'s) demands into account - specifically, a fee of between 15% and 30% of all revenue collected via the app. This is revenue that can be reinvested into the app, but instead must be earmarked for the platforms they are '''required''' to use to reach their customers.

Because this is a clear problem, several governments, including South Korea,<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 Mar 2022 |title=South Korea approves rules on app store law targeting Apple, Google |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-approves-rules-app-store-law-targeting-apple-google-2022-03-08/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Japan,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharwood |first=Simon |date=13 Jun 2024 |title=Japan forces Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores and payments |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/13/japan_smartphone_software_law/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Register]]}}</ref> the European Union,<ref>[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]</ref> the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Competition and Markets Authority |date=4 Mar 2021 |title=Investigation into Apple AppStore |url=https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/investigation-into-apple-appstore |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[gov.uk]]}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Apr 2021 |title=Dominance of Apple and Google's app stores impacting competition and consumers |url=https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/dominance-of-apple-and-googles-app-stores-impacting-competition-and-consumers |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[ACCC]]}}</ref> as well as the US and a handful of states,<ref>[[wikipedia:Open App Markets Act|Open App Markets Act]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Nov 2024 |title=S.5364 - App Store Accountability Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5364/text/is |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[congress.gov]]}}</ref><ref name="doj">{{Cite web |last=Balsamo |first=Mike |last2=Liedtke |first2=Mike |last3=Whitehurst |first3=Lindsay |last4=Bajak |first4=Frank |date=21 Mar 2024 |title=Justice Department sues Apple, alleging it illegally monopolized the smartphone market |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-monopoly-app-store-justice-department-822d7e8f5cf53a2636795fcc33ee1fc3 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[APNews]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Feb 2021 |title=It’s time to free ourselves from ‘Big Tech’ monopoly |url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2021/02/19/its-time-to-free-ourselves-from-big-tech-monopoly/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Arizona Capitol Times]]}}</ref> have opened investigations into anti-competitive practices, or considered or already passed legislation to force "gatekeeper platforms" such as Apple to be more reasonable with third-party developers.

This being a major threat to Apple's revenue stream (interestingly, one they claim to be unsure is profitable<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Apr 2024 |title=Schiller doesn’t know whether the App Store is profitable; there are no minutes of meetings |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/17/app-store-is-profitable-apple-notes/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9to5Mac]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=17 Jan 2025 |title=Apple denies App Store profit margin is 75% – claims to have no clue |url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/17/apple-denies-app-store-profit-margin-is-75-claims-to-have-no-clue/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[9t05Mac]]}}</ref>), they have responded with practices such as geoblocking certain operating system functionality based on physical location,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eligibility |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Apple Wiki]]}}</ref> misrepresenting/overstating risks, and using careful wording with commonly-understood terms to describe unreasonably difficult-to-use systems.

==Background info==
Important terms you'll run into in this article:

*'''[[wikipedia:Sandbox (computer security)|Sandbox]]''': Reduces exposure of the user's device/data to security risks, by reducing what an app is allowed to do.
*'''[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Entitlements Entitlements]''': Apple's method of "poking holes" in the sandbox, to give the app more permissions. Some are available to developers, while many are only available to Apple.
*'''[[wikipedia:Digital Markets Act|Digital Markets Act]]''': The European Union's fairly sweeping recent regulations against forcing companies they classify as "gatekeepers" to play nice, giving smaller businesses access to software/hardware features they've historically reserved for their own use.

==In-app purchases==
Apple has been collecting users' credit card numbers since launching the iTunes Store in 2004. The launch of the App Store in 2008, followed by the introduction of in-app purchases (IAPs) in 2009, gave iPhone app developers the opportunity to sell app features to users. The IAP system is provided as a developer framework named [https://developer.apple.com/storekit/ StoreKit]. Apps and their in-app purchases are managed through a dashboard named [https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/ App Store Connect]. App sales have eclipsed iTunes Store sales, and are now a primary focus of Apple's Media Services division.

Apple requires any purchase of a digital good or service in an app to use their in-app purchase system. This may seem reasonable because the customer may inevitably call Apple support, demanding a refund for an app they have issues with. Apple would rather give that refund and leave the customer with a positive support experience, than to provide a messy process involving contacting a third-party, whose customer service is likely nowhere near the same experience.

App Store purchase fees are between 15% and 30%. In September 2016, Apple expanded subscriptions to be available to any type of app, also introducing a 15% discount incentive when the user has already subscribed for a year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goode |first=Lauren |date=2 Sep 2016 |title=Apple’s new subscription offerings are now available to App Store developers |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12774758/apple-developers-app-store-new-subscription-rules |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> In November 2020, Apple introduced a reduced 15% fee for app developers with revenue below $1 million per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centers |first=Josh |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Apple Drops App Store Commission to 15% for Small Developers |url=https://tidbits.com/2020/11/18/apple-drops-app-store-commission-to-15-for-small-developers/ |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[TidBITS]]}}</ref> For developers above this threshold, and for cases excluded from this program such as for games, the fee is 30%. In the 2008 announcement of the App Store, Apple considered this a reasonable, industry-standard fee. However, the way we use apps has significantly evolved since 2009 - the world has shifted to heavily depend upon on mobile apps, which have also evolved into more complex and sustainable business models than a simple one-time purchase.

[[wikipedia:Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]], a popular platform used for payments on the web, uses a base fee of 2.9% plus a fixed $0.30 in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pricing |url=https://stripe.com/it/pricing |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Stripe]]}}</ref> With add-on services, before considering volume discounts, a Stripe transaction may rather have a cost of 6.4% + $1.10.<ref>Calculated from base fee (2.9% + $0.30) + international card (1.5%) + adaptive pricing (2%) + international payment methods ($0.80), as of January 2025</ref> Stripe has been used by businesses ranging from small online stores, to [[OpenAI]] for ChatGPT Plus. Competing payments services have similar or identical fees to Stripe. '''The in-app purchase system does not provide sufficient value to justify considerably higher fees than alternative payment platforms.'''

The App Store system poorly handles secondary marketplaces of digital services that exist within the primary App Store marketplace, such as Patreon. Apple, however, still requires companies in the business of selling digital services to use this inadequate system. This requires the app to account for Apple's fee, which is significant enough to often warrant increasing prices, and to follow rules even if they do not make sense for the nature of service they are providing. Apple has frequently been found in disputes with such apps. This injects extra complication at no benefit to the marketplace, the creator, or the customer - only to Apple, who has little to no involvement after delivering the initial app download to the user's phone. The significant fee also often drives app developers to consider building their app around an advertising model instead, creating privacy concerns.

Additionally, the 15% small businesses fee discount is judged based on the app's overall turnover, and is not based on individual creators in the app's marketplace. An app that turns over $1 million per year by providing services to creators that individually make less than $1 million per year does not have the opportunity to use the discount.

Apple, often together with Google, use lobbying efforts in the United States and other countries in an attempt to minimize the issues. "ACT | The App Association", pitched as an association of independent small business app developers, is at least 50% funded by Apple, and does not list its claimed 2,000 members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Oct 2021 |title=Not a class ACT: the so-called App Association is simply an Apple Association and does NOT represent app developers' interests in fair distribution terms |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Sep 2022 |title=Vast majority of ACT {{!}} The App Association's funding comes from Apple, former employees tell Bloomberg: astroturfing against app developers' interests |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[FOSS Patents]]}}</ref> In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice along with 16 state attorneys-general filed a lawsuit against Apple, including an accusation that the company "extracts more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others".<ref name="doj" /> The future of this lawsuit is unclear as of April 2025.

Despite criticism of Apple forcing their fee into transactions with small businesses and creators on [[#Patreon|Patreon]], [[#Facebook online events|Facebook]], and similar platforms, on 23 January 2025, Apple announced the Advanced Commerce API. It "support[s] developers' evolving business models - such as exceptionally large content catalogs, creator experiences, and subscriptions with optional add-ons".<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Jan 2025 |title=Introducing the Advanced Commerce API |url=https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxy958ya |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref> While positioned as a way for such businesses to save development time and avoid ongoing costs by building on top of Apple's mature payments platform, its use is in fact necessary for these businesses to work within the App Store guidelines, as seen in cases outlined below. The feature requires submitting a description of the app's business model to Apple for approval. This continues a trend of requiring Apple's consent to conduct business in a place users have been trained to expect it.

Given Apple's strong incentives, and a ticking clock as legal pressure builds, it is not hard to find stories from app developers regarding poor experiences with Apple's app review process.

:''This list is extremely incomplete. Please add examples if you know of any.''

===Epic Games===
{{hatnote|See also: [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Apple|Epic Games v. Apple]] and [[wikipedia:Epic Games v. Google|Epic Games v. Google]]}}

[[Epic Games, Inc.]] is a video game developer and publisher, known for games such as [[Fortnite]] and [[Unreal Tournament]], the [[Unreal Engine]], and the [[Epic Games Store]].

In 2018, Epic Games launched Fortnite on the iOS and Android platforms. The company made the unusual decision to not release the app on the [[Google Play Store]] - rather, it was made available as a standalone [[wikipedia:apk (file format)|Android app package]] file (.apk), which must be installed by following a series of manual steps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=3 Aug 2018 |title=Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic’s website |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/3/17645982/epic-games-fortnite-android-version-bypass-google-play-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The app was also released on the [[Samsung]] [[Samsung Galaxy Store|Galaxy Store]]. Google offered a $147 million deal for Epic Games to release Fortnite on the Play Store, which the company declined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=9 Nov 2023 |title=Google offered Epic $147 million to launch Fortnite on the Play Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/8/23953262/google-epic-fortnite-play-store-investment-antitrust-trial |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 22 April 2020, Fortnite was finally released on the Play Store.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=22 April 2020 |title=Fortnite available on the Google Play Store for the first time |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/21/21229930/fortnite-available-on-google-play-android-mobile-devices |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Polygon]]}}</ref> In a statement, the company explained:

<blockquote>
After 18 months of operating Fortnite on Android outside of the Google Play Store, we've come to a basic realization: Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.
</blockquote>

On 13 August 2020, Epic Games launched a campaign against both Apple and Google's app store business practices. The company released app updates on both platforms, introducing a method for purchasing V-Bucks in-game currency at a 20% discount by directly transacting with Epic Games, against the developer rules of both platforms. The platforms responded by removing the game from their storefronts. Epic Games then filed civil antitrust lawsuits against both companies in the Northern District of California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Epic Games is suing Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/13/21367963/epic-fortnite-legal-complaint-apple-ios-app-store-removal-injunctive-relief |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The campaign, branded "Free Fortnite", was later extended with lawsuits and complaints in Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Epic Games extends its fight against Apple to Australia |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/freefortnite-australia-press-release |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>, the European Union,<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Feb 2021 |title=Epic Game Files EU Antitrust Complaint Against Apple |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-apple |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Mar 2021 |title=Epic Games files complaint to support CMA Apple investigation |url=https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-games-files-complaint-to-support-cma-apple-investigation |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Epic Games]]}}</ref>

On 11 September 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided on the case. While the lawsuit against Apple failed on 9 of 10 counts, Rogers ruled against Apple's use of "anti-steering" - their strategies of preventing the user from being "steered" to a third-party storefront for payment processing, placing a permanent injunction on this behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon |first=Russell |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/10/22662320/epic-apple-ruling-injunction-judge-court-app-store |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Despite the case mostly failing, the discovery process provided significant insight into Apple's decisions around App Store policies, including decisions made in major app review disputes, and in one case, executive Phil Schiller arguing to reduce the fee from 30%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurman |first=Mark |date=4 May 2021 |title=Apple’s Schiller Floated Cutting App Store Fees a Decade Ago |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-03/apple-s-schiller-floated-cutting-app-store-fees-a-decade-ago |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Bloomberg]]}}</ref>

Epic Games and Apple both appealed the decision. 35 state attorneys-general, the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF), [[Microsoft]], among others filed amicus briefs in support of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=29 Jan 2022 |title=Epic largely lost to Apple, but 35 states are now backing its fight in a higher court |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22907106/epic-games-v-apple-amicus-briefs-states-eff-microsoft-appeal |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On 11 December 2023, the jury in the case against Google decided on all 11 counts in favor of Epic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bensinger |first=Greg |last2=Scarcella |first2=Mike |date=13 Dec 2023 |title=Epic Games wins antitrust case against Google over Play app store |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/google-epic-games-face-off-app-antitrust-trial-nears-end-2023-12-11/ |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

On 1 May 2025, Rogers found that Apple willfully chose to not comply with the 2021 injunction, commenting "that it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=1 May 2025 |title=A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/659246/apple-epic-app-store-judge-ruling-control |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

===Facebook online events===
In August 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook introduced the ability for small businesses to accept an entrance fee for events. Previously, Facebook would only act as a way to RSVP for the event - the organizer must use a third-party event ticketing system to collect fees. The company pledged to not collect any fee on event sales "until 2023".<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 Aug 2020 |title=Paid Online Events for Small Business Recovery |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/paid-online-events/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Meta]]}}</ref>

Apple disagreed, requiring the feature to use the in-app purchases system. This introduced Apple's 30% fee. As this increases the price the user pays, with no benefit to the small business the user intended to support, the fee was displayed as a line item in checkout. Apple did not accept this disclosure of the fee, referring to it as "irrelevant".<ref name="facebook" /> Facebook was allowed to compromise on displaying the fee, but ''without'' indicating that it is specifically an App Store fee.

===HEY===
HEY.com is a paid webmail provider launched in June 2020 by long-time software company [[wikipedia:37signals|37signals]], specializing in inbox organization tools.

After successfully launching the initial version of the app on the App Store, the company announced that an update was rejected due to a complaint about the business model. The app did not intend to support in-app purchases - instead, the user is expected to already have an account with the service. Apple did not like this arrangement, and demanded the company build an in-app subscription option. The company argued that they are being held to a different set of rules than apps such as [[Netflix, Inc.|Netflix]], whose app does not provide any way to purchase a subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=17 Jun 2020 |title=Hey.com exec says Apple is acting like ‘gangsters,’ rejecting App Store updates and demanding cut of sales |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21293419/hey-apple-rejection-ios-app-store-dhh-gangsters-antitrust |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> After a suggestion from Apple executive Phil Schiller in the media, HEY introduced a 14 day free trial mode, which was approved.<ref>https://www.hey.com/apple/path/</ref><ref>https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/18/interview-apples-schiller-says-position-on-hey-app-is-unchanged-and-no-rules-changes-are-imminent/</ref>

===Patreon===
In August 2024, [[Patreon]] announced a change in arrangement with Apple for its App Store app. From November 2024, subscriptions started from the iOS app would be required to use the in-app purchase system, bypassing Patreon's own long-standing payments practices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 Aug 2024 |title=Apple’s requirements are about to hit creators and fans on Patreon. Here’s what you need to know. |url=https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Patreon]]}}</ref><ref name="patreon" /> This change does not affect the Android app.

By forcing Patreon out of the payments pipeline, certain payment models are no longer available to users of Patreon's iOS app. Creators who rely on the "per-creation" payment model, as opposed to the standard "per-month", can no longer be subscribed to from the app. The app is also not able to support the "first-of-the-month" model, where payments from all subscribers are collected on the first day of the month, rather than every 30 days since each member's day of subscription. The price must also be rounded to a price tier supported by Apple.

Patreon provides creators with the choice to increase their prices by 30% in the iOS app, or to keep the same prices but forfeit 30% to Apple. Creators frequently remind potential supporters to not use the Patreon iOS app, adding extra inconvenience to those wanting to support the work of small creators.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - fee on top.png|"Maintain earnings and cover Apple's fee by increasing prices in iOS app" (Recommended)
File:Patreon iOS app pricing options - absorb fee.png|"Keep prices in the iOS app the same and cover Apple's fee yourself"
</gallery>

A similar case occurred with the app Fanhouse in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@jasminericegirl |date=9 Jun 2021 |title=#fuckapple, a thread I cofounded @fanhouseapp 8 months ago to empower creators to monetize their content. We pay creators 90% of earnings. Now, Apple is threatening to remove Fanhouse from the app store unless we give them 30% of creator earnings. This is theft and exploitation. |url=https://x.com/jasminericegirl/status/1402691047940100100 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

===Twitter===
In August 2021, [[Twitter]] introduced a feature named Super Follows (now Subscriptions), in which a user can pay a subscription fee to access more of a creator's content. For each user who enables Subscriptions, Twitter must submit a new in-app purchase SKU to the App Store, which will become available with the next update to the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@wongmjane |date=2 Sep 2021 |title=Each Super Follow is an In-App Purchase on the App Store, but because there are too many IAPs for the Twitter app, the App Store only shows 10 instead of the full list |url=https://x.com/wongmjane/status/1433372120080261120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref> This, of course, is subject to the 30% fee. At the time of writing in January 2025, viewing the App Store listing reveals Elon Musk's $4.00 subscription as the fourth most popular IAP item.

==Notarization==
Since 2015, Apple expects all Mac apps to be "notarized". This is a preliminary, automated malware check, which upon passing, provides a notary certificate that gets "stapled" to the app. Apple's explanation:

<blockquote>
Notarization of macOS software is not App Review. The Apple notary service is an automated system that scans your software for malicious content, checks for code-signing issues, and returns the results to you quickly. If there are no issues, the notary service generates a ticket for you to staple to your software; the notary service also publishes that ticket online where Gatekeeper can find it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Notarizing macOS software before distribution |url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/notarizing-macos-software-before-distribution |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Whether this is actually a better approach than used by Windows antivirus, where they find out about new malware samples only when they end up on a user's computer, is a separate topic.

To comply with the DMA's regulations on app marketplaces, Apple created a new channel of releasing apps outside of the iOS App Store. Apps go through a notarization process. But the process is definitely ''not'' notarization. The name is intentionally being abused, by contrast to notarization on macOS, to make you believe it is something other than the existing App Review system. Despite the pain some developers and users have with it, notarization on macOS has always been considered a net positive. It made sense to take advantage of its reputation for the entirely different "notarization" on iOS.

See for yourself - view the [https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ App Review Guidelines] and tick "Show Notarization Review Guidelines Only". While most rules are knocked out by this, a good number of them are still in place. These apps are still reviewed and tested by the App Review team, must have a full product listing in App Store Connect, and can be outright rejected - all in the same way as an App Store app.

By contrast, all that is required for notarization on macOS is for your app to not be malware. You submit it to an automated system that approves it within minutes. '''You don't need to convince Apple your app is worthy of existing on their platform.'''

The point of macOS notarization is that Apple has a record of all binaries that are intended for wide distribution on macOS, and can review them both in advance and on a regular basis for known malware/common malware patterns. Say a malware app manages to initially get through, when Apple finds out, they can go back in the notary records and find every sample of that malware to analyze and block. This is purely a technical process, managed by skilled security researchers, while iOS app review and "notarization" is a business process, managed by workers who have been given a checklist of violations to look for.

Apple is retaining complete control over what's allowed to run on iOS. On macOS, you can choose to run apps that have not been notarized (even though the process to bypass the warning is intentionally difficult). On iOS, you never get even that option. What Apple created is the App Store but with more steps. It still goes on the App Store, just hidden so it can only be installed by the third-party store it's tied to.

*Mysk: "iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens."<ref>{{Cite web |last=@mysk_co |date=28 Jun 2024 |title=iOS should enable alternative marketplaces to add their own links when users share their apps. Links still point to the App Store and if the app is not available there, this happens: |url=https://x.com/mysk_co/status/1806638308455256242 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref>

==JIT==
[[wikipedia:Just-in-time compilation|JIT]], which stands for Just-In-Time, is a method of compilation where code, instead of being compiled before being distributed (like an EXE), gets compiled into machine code in real time before being executed. This method of compilation allows for much faster loading times (when talking about websites), faster emulation (when emulating a different architecture) and faster program execution (when executing a program written in an interpreted language like JavaScript, Python, Lua...)

Safari is allowed to use the JIT compiler to compile code from any site, and Apple's [https://apps.apple.com/app/swift-playgrounds/id908519492 Playgrounds] app on iPad is also allowed to use JIT. Playgrounds bundles Apple's [[wikipedia:Swift (programming language)|Swift]] compiler, and shares backend code with the version of Playgrounds found in [[wikipedia:Xcode|Xcode]].

Competing apps like Pythonista (a Python IDE), emulators like Delta and UTM, and terminal environments like iSH, are not allowed to use JIT, instead having to interpret code, which comes with serious performance degradation and is more computationally expensive.

An example of apps being heavily affected by this restriction is UTM SE. UTM is a port of [[wikipedia:QEMU|QEMU]] for iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, allowing users to create [[wikipedia:Virtual_machine|VMs]] that can run various OSes. The iPhone's hardware capable enough to emulate various OSes at full speed, but due to Apple's JIT limitation the team behind UTM had to create UTM SE (slow edition) that doesn't require JIT, but is nowhere near as fast as UTM with JIT. While methods that enable JIT for apps other than Safari and Playgrounds exist (some currently working on iOS 18.5), Apple does not allow the use of JIT in notarized apps, meaning that programs that support JIT will have to be sideloaded, which comes with its own set of restrictions.

In the EU, Apple gave web browsers permission to use rendering and JavaScript engines other than the built-in with Apple WebKit/JavaScriptCore, with the option for JS engines to use JIT. The browser still has to be approved for an entitlement, and then must work within APIs provided by Apple for it. But, as of January 2025, no browsers that use different engines than the built-in ones have been released, mainly due to arbitrarily imposed restrictions, meant to discourage the usage of third-party engines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mozilla says Apple’s new browser rules are ‘as painful as possible’ for Firefox |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052067/mozilla-apple-ios-browser-rules-firefox |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

However, Apple still does not allow different engines outside of the EU, with or without JIT support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=App Review Guidelines |url=https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5.6 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Apple Developer]]}}</ref>

==Sandbox==
You might not like app sandboxing, but it's a powerful security feature used on all modern platforms. The reality is very few apps need more than a few basic permissions. [[wikipedia:Flatpak|Flatpak]] on Linux also sandboxes apps, and it seems to work great! Still, it's completely fair that there should be processes for doing things beyond what the sandbox allows. You see some of this with permission prompts - does a flashlight app ''really'' need access to your contacts? (Apple has been burned by apps abusing user data before the current permission system was built out.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bohn |first=Dleter |date=15 Feb 2012 |title=iOS apps and the address book: who has your data, and how they’re getting it |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/14/2798008/ios-apps-and-the-address-book-what-you-need-to-know |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>)

It can go further than this. As we established in previous sections, an app can be given more access to features of the system using entitlements. These come in a few flavors:

*'''Completely safe''': Entitlements any developer can opt into, with little to no risk.
*'''Approval required''': Entitlements that might be more of a security risk to allow, e.g. giving considerably wider access to the system, or that Apple simply doesn't want to hand out to just ''anyone'' for competitive reasons. The developer must submit a request to Apple with evidence of why they need the entitlement.
*'''Private''': Entitlements that are never allowed for any app developer to use. Many of these are reasonably fenced off because they handle user data that is very risky, or bypasses permission prompts, etc, but can just as well also be guarding features Apple wants to keep to itself.

There have been [https://gizmodo.com/researchers-uber-s-ios-app-had-secret-permissions-that-1819177235 exceptions] where Apple quietly gave a company access to private entitlements anyway, raising eyebrows.

On iOS, you also can't be ''more'' secure than the default sandbox. That might seem crazy if you're not a developer, but it's pretty important for security in a variety of situations. On macOS, there are several entitlements you must declare to decide whether you're allowed to access certain types of user data at all. Android used this design from the very start - you can't even do fundamental things like access the internet without declaring it in your manifest. It makes it very explicit what the app's intentions are.

iOS has one sandbox used by all App Store apps. System apps, and App Store apps developed by Apple, are allowed to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions as needed. Third-party apps do not get the right to expand or reduce their sandbox permissions at all. This is clearly less secure. To take the example of Playgrounds again, while it's allowed to run your code from a separate process executing in an ultra locked down sandbox with very few permissions, competing apps such as Pythonista must run your code in the same sandbox and address space as the main app process. The Python interpreter crashing would therefore crash the entire app, possibly losing work. In the worst case, a vulnerability in third-party code could give access to all data stored by/accessible to the app. For example, it would be a nightmare if you can tap the wrong link in Safari and have a hacker easily steal your cookies from other websites. If that third-party code could run in its own limited sandbox, the risk is significantly reduced.

The only known workaround is to execute the code via JavaScript, as Apple's JavaScriptCore engine runs in a heavily sandboxed process. This requires you to port the code to JS, which may be a lot of work, or just not viable. You wouldn't want to run the Python interpreter inside JavaScript - the performance would be terrible!

==In-app browsers==
Safari's in-app browser, that is the minimal version you get when tapping a link from social media, uses an entirely separate data store for each app. The in-app browser isn't aware of cookies in the "full" Safari app, or any other app, and doesn't support Safari extensions. Apple claimed this was to protect malicious apps from stealing or setting cookies in Safari without your knowledge, which is a fair argument, but it's hard to not notice that it makes web browsing inconvenient, encouraging users to install native apps, where they can make transactions through Apple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@whitehatguy |date=12 Jun 2017 |title=Impact of iOS 11 no longer providing shared cookies between Safari, Safari View Controller instances |url=https://github.com/openid/AppAuth-iOS/issues/120 |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

This also means your browsing in the in-app browser is just forgotten - there's no history menu, and it doesn't get logged to the history in the full Safari app either. Good luck recalling that article you read a few weeks ago.

==See also==
*[https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Eligibility Eligibility]
*Posts written by an author of this article:
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/19/app-marketplace-experience.html The iOS 17.4 app marketplace flow is a disaster]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/20/ios-eligibility.html How I tricked iOS into giving me EU DMA features]
**[https://adamdemasi.com/2024/04/23/ios-eligibility-features.html Features controlled by iOS 17.4's eligibility system]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Apple App Store]]

IPhone 6 error 53 fingerprint sensor incident

2025-07-20T17:29:58Z

Emayeah: minor spelling mistake correction

When switching from iOS major version 8 to 9, [[IPhones|iPhone]] 6 users, who chose to replace their fingerprint sensor with another one before the update, had their phones bricked<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Miles |first=Brignall |date=2016-02-05 |title=‘Error 53’ fury mounts as Apple software update threatens to kill your iPhone 6 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/05/error-53-apple-iphone-software-update-handset-worthless-third-party-repair |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205081456/https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/05/error-53-apple-iphone-software-update-handset-worthless-third-party-repair |archive-date=2016-02-05 |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=‘Error 53’ fury mounts as Apple software update threatens to kill your iPhone 6 {{!}} Mobile phones {{!}} The Guardian}}</ref>.

==Background==
[[Apple]] is known for its anti-consumer practices regarding repairability, including a more recent "Unknown Part"<ref>https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254475434?sortBy=rank</ref> notification in the "Settings" App, that is inserted on newer devices, when detecting a battery that was installed, not using means only available to their own official repair facilities. The incident discussed here ranks into just another incident, which was interpreted as deliberate practice when it originally happened

==The fingerprint sensor incident==
Upon updating from iOS 8 to 9, with a not-originally-built-in fingerprint sensor installed, the iPhone 6 would be "permanently disabled"<ref name=":0" />, even if it worked perfectly fine before the update and with said fingerprint sensor. After a "fix" of the issue, offered by Apple, the phone's fingerprint sensor was disabled.

===Apple's response===

At 2:19 p.m. ET on 2/18/2016, Apple has responded to a request from TechCrunch with this statement: "This was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers,"<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2016/02/18/apple-apologizes-and-updates-ios-to-restore-iphones-disabled-by-error-53/</ref>. The issue of the phone being unusable was fixed later<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wiens |first=Kyle |date=2016-02-18 |title=Confirmed: Apple’s Error 53 Fix Works |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/7924/error-53-fix |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420200715/https://www.ifixit.com/News/7924/error-53-fix |archive-date=2020-04-20 |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=Confirmed: Apple’s Error 53 Fix Works - iFixit}}</ref>, however the fingerprint sensor was disabled by said fix.

==Lawsuit==

None are known of to the original author of this article.
==Consumer response==

Consumers were very annoyed<ref>https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7463710?sortBy=rank</ref> and had to spend their costly time and money to have a phone repaired at an additional cost for the fingerprint sensor to function again, which they did not foresee to pay. Essentially, after being robbed of an advertised functionality, they had to pay the perpetrator to get that functionality back.
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Apple IPhones]]