Nuked Apple announced on Friday that it’s once again updated its rules about how Dutch dating apps can use third-party payment systems. The new rules give developers more flexibility about which payment systems they use, change the language users see when they go to pay.
The rules are n’t wide-reaching, but they only apply to Dutch dating apps. The EU and us gear up to fight tech monopolies, and potentially force the company to ditch the iPhone’s lightning port.
In December the ACM announced a ruling that Apple had to let dating apps use payment services besides the one built into iOS. The regulator received a complaint from match group, the company behind dating services like Tinder, Match.com, and OkCupid. Since then, Apple has proposed a variety of solutions for complying with the order, which the regulator has said are n’t good enough.
The company has been racking up tens of millions of euros in fines. Even while the company works on changes, it’s racking up thousands of euros.
The changes Apple announced on Friday are a significant update to its previous proposal, which it published in March. The changes still make developers show users a message before they’re shown the third-party payment screen.
The proposed language read:, this app does n’t support the app store’s payment system system. Originally, it read:”this app did n’t support”the app stores’ payment system.
You will no longer be transacting with Apple. Your stored app store payment method and related features, such as subscription management and refund requests, will not be available.
Your payment will be managed by the developer. You will no longer be transacting with Apple. Your payment is managed by Apple.
All purchases in this app will be processed by a service provider. Developer will be responsible for the payment methods. App Store features, such as your stored app store payment method, subscription management, and refund requests, will not be available.
The messages users will see if the developer links them out of the app have also gotten rewrites in the same vein. Those have been replaced with a button that says’I understand’.
Apple has removed a rule saying that a link to an external payment could n’t include’the price of items available on the website you own or have responsibility for’.
The old rules had specific requirements for third-party payment processors if a developer wanted to use their services in their app. Before Friday’s changes, developers would have to find a third-party processor that supported things like:::”I’m not going to use it”.
Apple still has some requirements for third-party payment processors, but they appear to be significantly broader. Now they’re things like’meets level 1 payment card industry (PCI) compliance for handling credit and debit card data’.
Dutch dating app devs would have to pay a 27 percent commission on third-party purchases. That’s a three percent discount from Apple’s standard 30 percent cut on in-app purchases. Having to pay 27 percent would be a significant increase from the 15 percent that developers in the app store small business program pay.
Apple says it’s offering a three percent discount when you go through a third-party payment processor. If you would’ve paid Apple 30 percent, you’ll now pay it 27, and if you’d’ve paid 15 %, you’d pay 12. Smaller developers wo n’t be paying the iPhone maker a higher percentage if they choose to go third-party.
The ACM does n’t seem to have taken issue with Apple’s commission structure in its previous rebuttals of the company’s proposals.
