Apple App Store: Difference between revisions
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Additionally, the 15% small business fee discount is determined based on the app's overall turnover and is not applied to individual creators within the app's marketplace. An app that generates over $1 million per year by providing services to creators who individually earn less than $1 million per year does not qualify for the discount. | Additionally, the 15% small business fee discount is determined based on the app's overall turnover and is not applied to individual creators within the app's marketplace. An app that generates over $1 million per year by providing services to creators who individually earn less than $1 million per year does not qualify for the discount. | ||
Apple, often in conjunction with Google, engages in lobbying efforts in the United States and other countries to address these 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=https://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211064011/http://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |archive-date=11 Feb 2026|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=https://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |url-status= | Apple, often in conjunction with Google, engages in lobbying efforts in the United States and other countries to address these 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=https://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211064011/http://www.fosspatents.com/2021/10/not-class-act-so-called-app-association.html |archive-date=11 Feb 2026|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=https://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114214715/http://www.fosspatents.com/2022/09/vast-majority-of-act-app-associations.html |archive-date=14 Nov 2025 |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, alleging 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 imposing its fee on transactions with small businesses and creators on platforms such as [[#Patreon|Patreon]] and [[#Facebook online events|Facebook]], on January 23, 2025, Apple announced the Advanced Commerce API. It "support[s] developers' evolving business models - such as extensive 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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112045125/https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxy958ya |archive-date=12 Nov 2025|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 established payments platform, its use is necessary for these businesses to comply with the App Store guidelines, as seen in the cases outlined below. The feature requires submitting a description of the app's business model to Apple for approval. In this case, Apple is not acting as a platform for digital services but a gatekeeper of who is and is not allowed to conduct business in the digital market. | Despite criticism of Apple imposing its fee on transactions with small businesses and creators on platforms such as [[#Patreon|Patreon]] and [[#Facebook online events|Facebook]], on January 23, 2025, Apple announced the Advanced Commerce API. It "support[s] developers' evolving business models - such as extensive 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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112045125/https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxy958ya |archive-date=12 Nov 2025|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 established payments platform, its use is necessary for these businesses to comply with the App Store guidelines, as seen in the cases outlined below. The feature requires submitting a description of the app's business model to Apple for approval. In this case, Apple is not acting as a platform for digital services but a gatekeeper of who is and is not allowed to conduct business in the digital market. | ||
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As a result, web pages opened inside embedded browsers, such as those used in apps like Facebook, do not appear in Safari’s browsing history, and there is typically no persistent, user-accessible history within the app itself. Users may also be asked to sign in to the same services (for example, during OAuth login flows like Google) because cookies and session data are not shared with Safari. Additionally, Safari extensions, including content blockers, dark-mode tools, and other privacy or accessibility extensions, do not function inside embedded web views. | As a result, web pages opened inside embedded browsers, such as those used in apps like Facebook, do not appear in Safari’s browsing history, and there is typically no persistent, user-accessible history within the app itself. Users may also be asked to sign in to the same services (for example, during OAuth login flows like Google) because cookies and session data are not shared with Safari. Additionally, Safari extensions, including content blockers, dark-mode tools, and other privacy or accessibility extensions, do not function inside embedded web views. | ||
Apple states App Sandboxing "provides protection to system resources and user data by limiting your app’s access to resources requested through entitlements."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-12 |title=App Sandbox {{!}} Apple Developer Documentation |url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/app-sandbox |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260127234927/https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/app-sandbox |archive-date=2026- | Apple states App Sandboxing "provides protection to system resources and user data by limiting your app’s access to resources requested through entitlements."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-12 |title=App Sandbox {{!}} Apple Developer Documentation |url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/app-sandbox |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260127234927/https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/app-sandbox |archive-date=2026-01-27 |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Apple Developer}}</ref> However, developers have voiced frustration with how WebKit is sandboxed which can result in degraded user experiences, such as with repeated OAuth login flows between apps.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-12 |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=2025-01-12 |website=GitHub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251113172345/https://github.com/openid/AppAuth-iOS/issues/120 |archive-date=13 Nov 2025}}</ref> Some developers have found workarounds for sharing information with the native Safari app, but it is unknown whether these methods still function in modern versions Apple's various operating systems.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Storey |first=Leon |date=2025-01-12 |title=Does WKWebView uses cookies from Safari? |url=https://stackoverflow.com/a/41486576 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218231045/https://stackoverflow.com/questions/40148060/does-wkwebview-uses-cookies-from-safari |archive-date=2026-02-18 |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=StackOverflow}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||