this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2026
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Apple
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it 100% is robbery. payment processing via other systems is 2.9%+0.30 (the 0.30 base is outrageous alone). apples is significantly higher and for what? cdn distribution that github gives for free? And developers dont even want to use their payment process when they can use 3rd party that covers all platforms with the same code.
Never mind all the nonsense apple does to make it incredibly hard to deliver applications to apple devices. and dont give me the security nonsense we solved that ages ago.
at most 5% is reasonable for what apple actually provides.
Apple provides far more than payment processing, a point I already brought up. It is not robbery. Nobody is forced to release their app on Apple’s store. If you don’t want to pay Apple find your own customers and get them to pay you directly via the web.
No everyone is forced to use the Apple store. That's what the case is about.
Im a app developer. no they really dont. the hand waving you're about to do is mostly routine os related functionality and is completely unrelated to the app store functionality (payment processing, distribution, security checks)
Apple prevents you from doing this when your customers want on device functionality, regardless of what device they may use. see the 'link off device' charge.
Again I wouldnt care if there was a convenient way to bypass the appstore and maintain autoupdates but sadly there really isnt without apple trying to scare the shit out of their users.
I develop apps as well. Apple provides the platform, the users, advertising, user friendly rules that promote spending, the store, delivering updates, etc. last I saw iPhone users spent significantly more money than Android folks. You may want all of the same functionality without paying for it but you are not entitled to Apple’s technology. So you can either pay for their services or you can roll your own. How much time and effort and cost will it take to replicate all of that? Again, the claims that 30% is robbery is inconsistent with the far higher prices developers had to pay pre-Apple store. That didn’t come with auto updates either.
lets break this down a bit into the individual claims:
Apple doesnt provide the users. the users provide themselves. you dont get to remove agency from users and give it to apple. Apple doesnt force people to use applications.
the 'store' i've already covered what the 'store' provides. payment processing and distribution. thats it, which i already covered isnt worth 30% cut given how trivial such things are and the actual market rate.
I have to pay apple for that in addition to the purchase. you dont get to roll that into this conversation about the base fee when developers have to pay additionally for it.
this is a function of the users not apple, nor does it have anything to do with the problem. its also a function of tech competency. android users are far more competent so they know whats worth paying for.
Are you an apple bootlicker? you sound like one. I dont want any of apples technology related to the store, thats my entire point. its trivial to implement, and i already have it for other platforms like linux/android. the problem is apple has entirely prevented / blocked any other distribution method on apple devices that are user friendly. One can't provide alternatives that apple doesnt actively block|disable by default|fearmongering their user base regarding. Infact, I as a developer have to do more work to support my users as a result of apples behavior in this area and it actively prevents market competition from developing better / cheaper services.
I have to do this anyways since I support multiple platforms. apple is the problem here because it forces payment processing and distribution through their apple only systems.
Either you only develop for apple or you have nfc what you're talking about. I would have no problem giving apple a reasonable cut for the services they provide at a market competitive rate. but they dont provide market competitive services and I dont want to use theirs because they're terrible implementations. I'm forced to in order to properly serve my users at a greater expense for both myself and my users.
I make more money on android than I do apple and my services are cheaper for my users on android. odd.
It is almost impressive how fundamentally you miss the point of so much going on here. The platform isn’t just the store, it starts with the phone and the OS. Apple has also cultivated a user base that has money and a willingness to spend on the platform. Again, since you keep thinking all of this is so easy, make your own phone, attract your own users, etc. Writing this out has distracted me enough to burn my pancakes. Moving on. Goodbye.
not really. you just are including bits that are fundamentally not connected to the existence of the store. All the security features/UX tooling existed long before the store did and is part of the hardware pricing.
Sure, and the users are paying for that when they bought the hardware. nothing forces apple to build their own OS everything they need can be supported in userspace via linux for example. Its apples choice to develop and maintain the OS no one is forcing them to build their own hardware. There are plenty of examples of hardware developed by third parties that dont require exorbitant price gouging and compete on the market.
This is entirely irrelevant to apples behavior with regard to application distribution and the services being provided.
Already been done multiple times, and plenty of alternatives exist and I also support such devices by avoiding apple native apis. in fact the app store is the only one I cant avoid because of apples policies this case is exactly about and which android already lost the case on and its an identical situation. SCOTUS literally disagreed with you already on this situation.
Its the active hostile and monopolistic behavior of apple regarding third party distribution that is at issue here. not them providing services that developers would actually use (and charging for market competitive rates for).
poor pancakes. =(
If you like android better spend your time there. If it is so easy to replicate what Apple has done then stop complaining and do it yourself.
I literally support both platforms (and other 3rd party phones). these services already exist apple just actively blocks third party distribution to maintain its monopolistic hold over its user base. SCOTUS already ruled against android on this exact situation.
Im jsut not a cunt towards my users like you seem to be inclined to be. The actual cost to support apple devices is marginal except for the distribution which apples is actively hostile towards 3rd party distribution and that increases the costs at everyone's elses expense unjustifiably so. We're talking to the tune of nearly 24% higher than market rates.
if they want to provide services those services can be done at the market rate and compete openly. plenty of 3rd party vendors make phones without making stores.
Indeed, Apple provides a shit horrible platform that is actively hostile to developers, if anything Apple's cut should be -30%
Then don’t use iOS or the App Store. Simple.